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Predators set club record in rout of Kings

Jan 9, 2008 - 7:27 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- A quick burst early was all the Nashville Predators needed to set a franchise record and get on the path to victory.

Darcy Hordichuk, Jason Arnott and David Legwand scored goals 75 seconds apart early in the first period and Chris Mason made 28 saves as the Predators cruised to a 7-0 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

Scott Nichol, Martin Erat, J.P. Dumont and Jed Ortmeyer also tallied for Nashville, which has won five of its last seven games.

"Tonight, we followed the game plan and paid attention to all the details and played with confidence," Dumont said. "We proved to ourselves that when we play as a team, keep it simple, we can compete."

After stopping the first three shots he faced, Jason LaBarbera allowed three goals on the next four attempts by the Predators and promptly received a seat on the Kings' bench.

"It was a total collapse by our group tonight," Los Angeles coach Marc Crawford said. "I don't have an explanation. I do know that when you're as fragile as our team has shown itself to be of late, that if you get scored on early like that, it's probably the worst thing that can happen."

Hordichuk began the outburst at 5:25 of the opening period, burying a rebound from the doorstep after LaBarbera had stopped a shot by Nichol. Just 46 seconds later, Arnott tallied from the slot, again putting in a rebound after his first attempt was denied.

Before the Kings had time to recover, Legwand put a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle between LaBarbera's pads at 6:40, extending the advantage to 3-0.

"We started the game with pretty much every line scoring a goal. When that happens, there's no looking back," Dumont said. "We played with confidence, and that's something that's huge for us. This year, at times, we've struggled in the first period, and that's something we've worked on - getting off to a good start."

"Maybe it's a little intimidating because we always start slowly, which is what we did tonight," Los Angeles' Anze Kopitar said. "We're professionals. We can't afford to start like that. We definitely have to pick it up."

The three tallies in 75 seconds set a new club record for the Predators. The previous mark of three goals in 1:55 was reached on February 2, 2000, when Sebastien Bordeleau, defenseman Joel Bouchard and Patric Kjellberg accomplished the feat against the New York Islanders.

"I thought a big problem we had earlier in the game is, we didn't want the puck," Crawford said. "We just threw the puck away. Complicating things even more, we were trapping ourselves. That's what led to their three quick goals."

Nichol and Erat tallied in the second period to give Nashville a commanding 5-0 bulge, and Dumont and Ortmeyer netted goals in the third to complete the rout. Dumont's tally was his team-leading 16th of the season and extended his goal-scoring streak to a franchise-record six games.

Mason turned aside five shots in the first period, 14 in the second and nine in the third en route to his second shutout of the season and 10th career. The netminder's first blanking of 2007-08 came against Colorado in the season opener.

With the win, Mason improved to 4-1-1 lifetime against the Kings. The 31-year-old suffered a 6-0 loss in a visit to Los Angeles on October 23.

"I think sometimes you play better against certain teams," Mason said. "Last time we were here, it was a different story. We've all been on the other side, and it doesn't feel good."

Legwand and former King Martin Gelinas each recorded two assists for the Predators, with Legwand's first giving him 200 for his career.

Jean-Sebastien Aubin yielded four goals on 22 shots in relief for Los Angeles, which fell to 1-3-0 on its six-game homestand.

"This is as bad as it gets," Aubin said. "We have to regroup, stick with each other and make sure it doesn't happen again. It's embarrassing to do that in front of our fans."