NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Monday night.

Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.

Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. They are 1-2-1 in their last four games.

Kopitar scored the first goal with 6:36 left in the opening period. Saros parried the Kings captain’s first shot, but Kopitar collected the rebound below the goal line and deflected it to the goalie’s skate.

Fiala, a former Predator, made it 2-0 35 seconds into the third period.

The Kings held Nashville to just three shots on goal in the third period, the first coming with 3:55 left and Saros bringing in an extra attacker.

Takeaways

Kings: The Kings held a 2-0 lead after two periods in a shootout loss to Chicago on Saturday night. On Monday, Los Angeles dominated the third period with a 12-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Predators: The Predators continue to struggle to score goals. Nashville’s opponents have scored first in nine of 12 games this season. The Predators entered the NHL on Monday the 26th with 2.64 goals per game.

Key moment

Just 1:11 minutes into the second period, Kuemper parried Colton Sissons’ backhand shot from the deep hole, securing the one-goal lead.

Key statistics

Kuemper improved to 7-2-3 in 13 appearances against Nashville. Three of those wins came by shutout.

Next

Los Angeles plays Minnesota on Tuesday night. Nashville is in Washington on Wednesday evening.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl