Kings fall to Predators, 4-3, in a shootout

James Neal scored the only goal of a six-round shootout to give the Nashville Predators a 4-3 win over the Kings on Tuesday night.

Craig Smith, Ryan Ellis and Eric Nystrom scored in regulation for Nashville, winners of four of five. In the shootout, Neal beat Martin Jones with a wrist shot between the pads.

Pekka Rinne made 18 saves in regulation and overtime, and then all six Kings shooters in the tiebreaker.

Jamie McBain, Marian Gaborik, and Drew Doughty scored for Los Angeles, which has lost two straight.

Trailing by a goal late in the second, Nashville took the lead after Ellis and Nystrom scored 52 seconds apart.

Ellis scored at 17:36 on a one-timer from above the right circle. Nystrom followed at 18:28 when he tipped Taylor Beck’s spinning shot from the right dot past Jones.

Doughty converted after an end-to-end rush at 38 seconds of the third to tie it 3-3.

Smith gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 6:24 of the first period.

In the neutral zone, Colin Wilson found Smith in full stride on the right side. On the break, Smith moved toward the low slot, where he beat Jones between the pads with a quick wrist shot.

The Kings tied it at 11:32 of the first after Justin Williams’ shot from the slot hit McBain’s skate and beat the outstretched left pad of Rinne.

Gaborik gave the Kings a 2-1 lead at 1:01 of the second.

From inside his blue line, Jeff Carter lifted a pass into the Nashville zone. Gaborik outraced Ellis to the puck and beat Rinne.