|
Predators maul Kings to reclaim top spot in West
2007-03-04
The Nashville Predators regained top spot in the Western Conference with their fourth consecutive victory on Saturday, a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Paul Kariya scored twice and Peter Forsberg had three assists as the Preds moved two points ahead of the idle Detroit Red Wings into first place in the conference. They are one point behind the Buffalo Sabres for the overall NHL points lead. The Predators scored three times on the powerplay before overcoming a stubborn Kings team that is out of contention for a playoff spot in the West. "They kind of have nothing left to play for, but they played really hard and they definitely could have won the game if we didn't score those powerplay goals," Forsberg told reporters. Two goals from Nashville's Shea Weber and one apiece from the Kings' Jamie Lundmark and Michael Cammalleri saw the teams begin the third period tied at 2-2. Cammalleri's second of the night nosed the Kings ahead but the Predators fired right back with goals from Kariya (two), Marek Zidlicky and J.P. Dumont to seal the 6-3 win. Chris Mason made 25 saves for the Predators, who improved to 5-1-1 with Forsberg in the lineup since coming over from the Flyers. "We took too many penalties," Kings coach Marc Crawford said. "You play a dangerous game when you do that against a club like Nashville." *The injury-hit Buffalo Sabres improved to 9-1-1 in their past 11 games with a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Buffalo leads the NHL with 93 points. *Former Oilers captain Ryan Smyth scored his first goal as an Islander as New York beat Washington 6-2. *Tim Thomas made 31 saves as the Boston Bruins kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. *The Florida Panthers won their fourth straight game for the first time this season, downing the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2. (Writing by Roger Lajoie in Toronto)
| 
