• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Predators hope to snap four-game skid vs. Kings

Dec 7, 2006 - 3:44 PM Nashville (17-7-3) at Los Angeles (10-15-4) 10:30 pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - Goaltender Tomas Vokoun was an important part of the Nashville Predators. It's starting to show.

The Predators hope to avoid a season-high four-game skid when they continue a four-game road trip against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

The franchise's all-time wins leader with 145, Vokoun tore a ligament in his thumb in a 6-0 victory over Vancouver on November 23. On Wednesday, Vokoun's replacement, Chris Mason, made 28 saves for Nashville in a 4-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

Mason had played well in an earlier three-game winning streak, but since then, the backup netminder allowed 11 goals in the current three-game skid. However, despite the recent defeat, the Predators hold a three-point lead over Detroit in the Central Division.

The Kings had success against Anaheim on Sunday. Alexander Frolov tallied twice and Dan Cloutier turned aside 27 shots as Los Angeles held on for a 3-2 victory over the red-hot Ducks in the finale of a home-and-home series.

The Kings entered with losses in four of their previous six games, yielding an average of 4.2 goals over that stretch. But Cloutier shut down Anaheim's high-flying offense and Frolov did the rest, recording his fourth multi-goal game this season.

Los Angeles has won four in a row and eight out of nine in against Nashville at home.