Ducks at Predators
The Anaheim Ducks are repeatedly driving home one point against their opponents on their run to the Western Conference finals: No lead is safe against them. Following their latest come-from-behind victory that earned a split on home ice, the Ducks visit the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series.
Anaheim erased an early two-goal deficit to avoid falling into a 2-0 series hole Sunday night, following a pattern that saw it storm back from three goals down against Calgary and Edmonton in the first two rounds of the playoffs. "I wish we didn't get down in the first place," Ducks forward Rickard Rakell said. "It's almost like we feel, 'Oh, we've got nothing to lose now.' It's almost like that's when we play our best game. Maybe sometimes we shouldn't wait for that to get going." The Predators allowed more than three goals in this postseason for the first time in Sunday's 5-3 setback but can take solace in the fact that the next two games are at Bridgestone Arena, where they have won nine in a row in the playoffs since back-to-back defeats against Anaheim a year ago. "Now we’re heading home and have another opportunity at home," Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne said following a shaky performance in Game 2. "That’s the best part of it."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS
ABOUT THE DUCKS: Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle made a calculated gamble in Game 2 when, with his team trailing by two goals, he shuffled his lines and replaced Corey Perry with rookie Ondrej Kase on the No. 1 unit with captain Ryan Getzlaf and Nick Ritchie. Kase scored the tying goal in the second period -- his first of the playoffs -- as part of a huge night for that line that saw Getzlaf collect three assists and Ritchie score the decisive tally, his second-game winner in three contests. "We think that moving him up and down in our lineup gives us some flexibility, because he's a fearless player for his size," Carlyle said of Kase. "And he goes into the areas and can make plays with good players."
ABOUT THE PREDATORS: A game within the game is developing between Nashville's Ryan Johansen and Anaheim's Ryan Kesler, with the Predators' top line center bristling at what he considers suspect tactics by his counterpart. "I don't know what's going through his head over there. Like, his family and his friends watching him play, I don't know how you can cheer for a guy like that," Johansen said. "I'm just trying to go out there and play hockey, and it (stinks) when you've got to pull a stick out of your groin every shift." Despite the simmering feud, Johansen scored one goal and set up another Sunday to give him 13 points, tying for the most in a postseason in franchise history.
OVERTIME
1. Getzlaf has scored 18 points in the postseason, second to Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin.
2. Predators F James Neal has scored in five of the past seven games, including both in Anaheim.
3. Anaheim outscored the Predators by a combined 7-1 in winning Games 3 and 4 in Nashville in last year's postseason.