Kings 2, Predators 0
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -A single victory ended two losing streaks for the Los Angeles Kings.

One day after being recalled from Manchester of the American Hockey League, Jonathan Bernier made 34 saves to record his first career shutout and lead the Kings to a 2-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

Scott Parse scored at 7:50 of the third period to break a scoreless tie, and Sean O'Donnell scored with 2:01 remaining in the game for the Kings.

The Kings had lost their last four games overall and dropped their last seven against Nashville. They last defeated the Predators on October 23, 2007.

"This is a building we have not had any success," Los Angeles coach Terry Murray said. "We were playing well 5-on-5, but our special teams were not playing well for us. There were only three power plays in the game, so that may be a sign of what we need to do here for the next few games."

The Predators have lost two of their last three, both losses coming in shutouts.

"This time of year, it's tough to score," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "The last seven games, it's been 0-0 or 1-1 for most of it and there's not much going on in terms of offense. There aren't many inches, so you have to grind it out."

Jeff Halpern had the puck behind the Nashville net and skated to the left side. Halpern then spotted Parse skating unchecked through the slot and put a pass right on his stick. Parse's one-timer beat Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne.

"First (Brad) Richardson won the faceoff to start the play," Parse said. "Halpern got the puck behind the net, and I yelled as loud as I could for him. The middle was open, he found me, and I put it in."

It was Parse's third goal in two days. He had his first career two-goal game in the Kings' loss at Minnesota on Monday.

O'Donnell added an insurance marker at 17:59 of the third with a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle that tucked just underneath the crossbar on the far side.

"I don't think our energy was where it needed to be tonight, mentally or physically," Nashville defenseman Dan Hamhuis said. "Mentally, we didn't have the urgency, especially at the start of the game. It has been a long month, and the schedule lightens up here in the next week to re-energize."

The game concluded Nashville's 17-game March schedule. The Predators ended the month with a record of 11-5-1. The 11 wins established a new franchise record.

Bernier made eight saves in the first, 15 in the second, and 11 in the third. With the game still scoreless less than five minutes into the third period, Bernier denied Nashville defenseman Shea Weber's wrist shot from the slot with an impressive glove save.

"The one of Weber in the third period, that's a world-class save," O'Donnell said. "That's a guy who is about as dangerous on the point as you want. He had the top corner, but (Bernier) made a great play. He's poised and confident back there."

When asked about earning his first NHL shutout, Bernier was quick to credit his teammates.

"It's great," he said. "The guys were in good position so their guys had to go around them. It was a big two points for our team."

NOTES: Nashville C David Legwand played in his 700th career NHL game. ... Predators RW Joel Ward returned to the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury. ... After going 0 for 2 with the man advantage Tuesday, Nashville is 1 for 23 on the power play over its last 10 games. ... Halpern's assist was his first point as a King. He was acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline.


Three star selections
1st:   JONATHAN BERNIER
2nd:   SCOTT PARSE
3rd:   PEKKA RINNE
Winning Goaltender
Jonathan Bernier

Losing Goaltender
Pekka Rinne

SCHEDULE

HOME
AWAY
PROMOTIONAL

STANDINGS

WESTERN CONFERENCE
  TEAM GP W L OT GF GA PTS
1 p - CHI 48 36 7 5 155 102 77
2 y - ANA 48 30 12 6 140 118 66
3 y - VAN 48 26 15 7 127 121 59
4 x - STL 48 29 17 2 129 115 60
5 x - LAK 48 27 16 5 133 118 59
6 x - SJS 48 25 16 7 124 116 57
7 x - DET 48 24 16 8 124 115 56
8 x - MIN 48 26 19 3 122 127 55
9 CBJ 48 24 17 7 120 119 55
10 PHX 48 21 18 9 125 131 51
11 DAL 48 22 22 4 130 142 48
12 EDM 48 19 22 7 125 134 45
13 CGY 48 19 25 4 128 160 42
14 NSH 48 16 23 9 111 139 41
15 COL 48 16 25 7 116 152 39

STATS

2012-2013 REGULAR SEASON
SKATERS: GP G A +/- Pts
S. Weber 48 9 19 -2 28
D. Legwand 48 12 13 -6 25
M. Fisher 38 10 11 6 21
C. Wilson 25 7 12 1 19
R. Josi 48 5 13 -7 18
G. Bourque 34 11 5 6 16
S. Kostitsyn 46 3 12 -5 15
P. Hornqvist 24 4 10 -1 14
K. Klein 47 3 11 -1 14
N. Spaling 47 9 4 -10 13
 
GOALIES: W L OT Sv% GAA
P. Rinne 15 16 8 .910 2.43
C. Mason 1 7 1 .873 3.73

 


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