Nashville won because their transition game produced early, their shootout produced late, and nothing Los Angeles did at 5v5 in between was enough to overcome both gaps.
Nashville came back from a 4β3 third-period deficit to force overtime, then stole two points on the road via shootout β a result built on early structure, undone by a second-period collapse, and ultimately decided by execution when regulation couldn't. This NSH-LAK clash at Crypto.com Arena on April 2, 2026 turned on which team could convert when the game was reduced to its simplest form.
β‘TURNING POINT
Evangelista's shootout conversion was the decisive inflection because Nashville's 0-for-4 power play had eliminated any margin for error in regulation, making the extra-round format the only path to full points. A team that generated 7 takeaways to LAK's 1 but couldn't convert structure into special-teams goals needed a single moment of individual execution β and got it.
πWHY NSH WON
β’
Nashville's takeaway margin (7 vs. 1) created consistent transition opportunities and sustained offensive zone presence throughout regulation.
β’
Stamkos's +3 rating reflected Nashville's ability to control 5v5 sequences when their structure held, particularly in the first period when they built a 3-0 lead.
β’
Evangelista converted the only shootout attempt that mattered, turning a regulation failure to close out the game into a road win.
πWHY LAK LOST
β’
Los Angeles surrendered a 3-0 first-period deficit entirely through defensive breakdowns, not volume β Nashville needed just 9 first-period shots to lead 2-0.
β’
A 56.2% faceoff win rate never translated into sustained offensive zone control against a structured Nashville forecheck.
β’
Kuemper conceded 0.60 goals above league average on 34 shots β in a game decided by a single shootout goal, that margin kept LAK from winning in regulation.
Three Stars
Jonathan Marchessault1st
NSH, R
1G 1A 2P4 shots on goal21:12 TOI
His two-point night bookended Nashville's scoring β an assist on the opening goal and a goal early in the second that extended the lead to 3-0 before LA's comeback began.
Adrian Kempe2nd
LAK, R
2G 0A 2P4 shots on goal20:26 TOI
Both goals arrived within seven minutes of each other in the second period, single-handedly engineering the momentum swing that brought LAK back from 3-0 down.
Steven Stamkos3rd
NSH, C
1G 0A 1P+3 rating20:40 TOI
His goal restored the two-goal cushion at 4-2 and his +3 reflects how consistently Nashville's top unit controlled 5v5 play while he was on the ice.
Β·Momentum Shift
The shot differential flipped from 7-7 in the second period to 12-5 in LA's favor in the third β a 7-shot swing that reflects how completely Nashville ceded zone control after protecting a lead. That territorial collapse is what allowed Armia's tying goal and forced the extra period where regulation execution, not structure, decided the outcome.
