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Crouse’s effort not enough as Preds’ power play sputters

10/25/2025 • Neil Burkholder

NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Predators battled to the end Saturday night, but special teams proved costly again in a 2–1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at Bridgestone Arena.

Lawson Crouse provided Nashville’s lone spark, tying the game early in the third with his second goal of the season off a slick feed from Nino Niederreiter. Captain Jacob Trouba drew the secondary assist. The building came alive, the hit totals piled up, and the Predators looked poised for a comeback.

But a late slashing penalty by Samu Tuomaala swung momentum back to the Kings, and defenseman Jake Bean cashed in on the ensuing power play at 14:56 — firing a low shot through traffic that beat Jake Allen clean to the blocker side.

That was enough for Los Angeles netminder Connor Ingram, who turned aside 19 of 20 Nashville shots to earn his first win of the season.

“We’re right there in these games, but it’s the details,” head coach Lane Lambert said postgame. “Discipline and execution on the power play — those are the difference-makers right now.”

Special Teams Breakdown

Nashville went 0-for-2 on the power play and is now 1-for-19 over its last five contests. Meanwhile, Los Angeles capitalized on both of its opportunities, going 2-for-6 thanks to first-period and third-period tallies.

The Predators’ penalty kill, ranked middle of the pack coming in, was left chasing again as minor calls to Niederreiter, Fabbri, and Sale stalled any offensive rhythm.

Inside the Numbers

Hits: Nashville 20, Los Angeles 19

Faceoff Wins: Nashville 36, Los Angeles 39

Blocked Shots: Nashville 12, Los Angeles 10

Attendance: 18,000 (sellout)

Jacob Trouba led all Predators in ice time at 25:00, adding an assist, two shots, and two blocks. Marcus Pettersson logged 25:34 and was steady defensively. Jake Allen stopped 24 of 26, finishing with a .923 save percentage.

Crouse, the game’s first star, was a force throughout — leading the team in both hits (5) and shots (5). “We’re grinding,” Crouse said. “Once we clean up the penalties, we’ll start closing these ones out.”