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(SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Kings are hoping to go on a roll. A recent comeback victory and a lengthy homestand could help the defending Stanley Cup champions turn around what has thus far been an inconsistent season. But first the Kings will have to contend with the Nashville Predators when they kick off a seven-game stay at the Staples Center on Saturday afternoon. Los Angeles won its second Cup in three years last spring, but the club has been up-and-down so far in 2014-15. The Kings are 19-12-8 on the season and they are only doing that well thanks to a 14-4-2 record on home ice. All told, L.A. will play eight of its 11 games in January at home. Darryl Sutters squad was able to halt a five-game road losing streak the last time out, but needed to mount a late comeback in Vancouver to do so. The Kings posted a 3-2 win over the Canucks on Thursday by notching a pair of goals in the final 2:07 of regulation. Justin Williams tied the score at 2-2 with a power-play tally at the 17:53 mark of the third and Jarret Stoll provided the game-winner just 53 seconds later. Stoll scored with 1:14 remaining, beating Ryan Miller with a slap shot from the left circle. We battled, I thought we deserved this game, I thought we deserved to win it, Stoll said. Jonathan Quick faced just 16 shots in net for the Kings, who won for only the fourth time in their last 10 (4-3-3). Quick will likely get the start today although he is just 2-6-2 with a 2.76 goals against average in his career against Nashville. The Predators enter todays showdown as one of the top teams in the Western Conference, sitting second place in the Central Division with 51 points. That puts them one point behind Chicago for first place in the division. Nashville also is five points ahead of the reigning Cup champions despite the fact that L.A. has played three more games than the Preds. Nashville boasts a 5-1-1 record over its last six games and is coming off Tuesdays 3-2 win over the visiting St. Louis Blues. Shea Weber scored twice, including the deciding goal midway through the third period, as Peter Laviolettes club skated away with the close regulation win over a division rival. Gabriel Bourque added a goal and one assist for the Predators, who retained their perfect record (12-0-0) following a loss. The guys dont get riled too much, Weber said. We came back right away. Pekka Rinne came up with 26 stops for the hosts. With Nashville also playing tomorrow night in Anaheim, Rinne could get a rare break from backup Carter Hutton this weekend. Rinne is 8-6-1 with a 2.72 GAA in 15 career games against L.A. and 10-3-4 with a 2.17 GAA in 17 tilts versus the Ducks. Nashville recorded a 4-3 shootout win at home against the Kings on Nov. 25, giving the Preds wins in three straight and five of the last seven meetings in this series. L.A. has lost two of its last three at home against the Predators. The Preds are 10-7-2 as the away team this season. Cheap Stan Smith Australia . Inter moved five points behind fourth-place Fiorentina and eight points behind third-place Napoli, which visits relegation-threatened Sassuolo on Sunday. Buy Adidas Stan Smith Australia . -- The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will forever be tied together for making the same spectacular misjudgment on budding NBA sensation Jeremy Lin. http://www.cheapstansmithaustralia.com/ .J. -- John Elway says Peyton Manning cannot stamp himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history even if he wins the Super Bowl on Sunday. Adidas Stan Smith Clearance . PETERSBURG, Fla. Adidas Stan Smith Online Sale . "Its way better than running gassers, thats for sure," the inside linebacker said Monday, when the Chargers started their third and final week of organized team activities, which are practices in shorts, jerseys and helmets.ORLANDO, Fla. -- At least one No. 5 stayed alive. Saint Louis, seeded fifth in the Midwest Region, worked five extra minutes Thursday night to avoid joining fellow No. 5s Cincinnati and Oklahoma in falling to 12th seeds in the NCAA tournament. The Billikens advanced by wiping out a late double-digit deficit and beating North Carolina State 83-80 in overtime. Rob Loe led the way with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Atlantic-10 Conference player of the year Jordair Jett overcame a slow start to score 18, doing most of his damage while Saint Louis (27-6) was escaping a 59-45 hole over the last five minutes of regulation. "We didnt want to end on that kind of note. We didnt want to bow out of the tournament this early," Loe said. "Were here to win, and were here to put our mark on basketball." With better free throw shooting, Saint Louis would have won without having to work overtime against a team playing its second game in three nights. No. 12 seed NC State (22-14) beat Xavier in an opening round game in Dayton, Ohio, and fatigue could have been a factor in the Wolfpack collapsing late and missing 17 attempts from the foul line. "Its heartbreaking. ... Obviously were going to always feel like we let one slip away," NC State coach Mark Gottfried said. " Its hard to explain. Were a good foul shooting team." T.J. Warren scored 28 points for NC State, but the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year made just six of his 14 free throw attempts. He missed one that could have tied it in the final minute of OT. Warren fouled out with 27.9 seconds remaining, leaving Ralston Turner to try to rescue the Wolfpack with a desperation 3-point attempt that clanked off the rim as time expired. Saint Louis, which staarts five seniors, moves on to play either fourth-seeded Louisville or No.dddddddddddd 13 Manhattan Saturday. The Billikens did it despite trailing by as many as 16 and going 12 of 26 from the foul line. "They got us out of our game ... both defensively and offensively," Saint Louis coach Jim Crews said. "Early in the game Rob hit a couple threes to get us off to a good start, but we started settling for jump shots I thought maybe the first eight minutes of the game, and then we just werent getting back (defensively)." Warren scored at least 20 for the 19th consecutive game. Turner, who finished with 16, hit a jumper and three free throws during a 19-7 spurt that helped the Wolfpack open their biggest lead. Saint Louis whittled away at its deficit, eventually tying the game at 70 on Jetts driving layup with 18.8 seconds remaining. It went to overtime when point guard Tyler Lewis was unable to get the ball to Warren and missed an open 17-foot jumper at the buzzer. Saint Louis played its best basketball of the season during a 19-game winning streak, however the Billikens stumbled down the stretch and had lost four of five. North Carolina State, by contrast, surged late to earn a spot in the NCAA field. The Billikens won their opening game in the tournament each of the past two seasons before losing matchups against Michigan State in 2012 and Oregon a year ago. "We missed a ton of free throws tonight, and we missed some other opportunities both defensively and offensively, but I thought during the process it was pretty good," Crews said. "We were getting what we wanted to get, but we werent cashing in on it. I cant salute these guys enough in terms of how they just stayed with it." ' ' '