Ducks at Predators
The Anaheim Ducks entered the weekend in a playoff position despite plenty of injury issues and a rough stretch during which they lost 12-of-15 games, but they face a difficult five-game road trip that starts Sunday against the Nashville Predators. The Ducks, who also play Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina and Washington on their trek, are riding a four-game point streak (2-0-2) after recording a 2-1 overtime victory over Edmonton on Friday thanks to Rickard Rakell’s 100th NHL goal.
Nine of Anaheim’s 24 games have ended after regulation (4-5), including four of the last six, and Nick Ritchie’s goal with 17 seconds remaining in regulation on Friday earned Rakell a chance to win it. “It takes 60-plus minutes to get points in the NHL, and (Friday) was a prime example,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, whose team beat Nashville 2-1 in a shootout on Nov. 12, told reporters. “It wasn’t a hockey game we would say we executed at a high level.” Anaheim will try to tie its season-high winning streak of three games while the Western Conference-leading Predators have won five straight at home and are 6-0-2 in their last eight meetings with the Ducks but struggled at St. Louis in Friday's 6-2 loss. “It wasn’t good. We’ll look at it,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette told reporters. “We made too many mistakes. That’s why we lost the game.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NHL Network, KCOP-13 (Anaheim), FS Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (10-9-5): Anaheim is expected to be without its top two defensemen on Sunday as Cam Fowler (facial fractures) is out indefinitely and Hampus Lindholm (lower body) is doubtful despite reportedly accompanying the team on the road trip. Blue-liner Jake Dotchin, who was released by Tampa Bay in the preseason and signed as a free agent by the Ducks, made his season debut Friday and registered one shot in 15 minutes, 54 seconds of ice time. Captain Ryan Getzlaf, who leads the team with 17 points, has recorded two goals, three assists and a plus-4 rating in his last three contests.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (16-6-1): Pekka Rinne should be back in the crease after coming on in relief Friday to turn aside 18-of-19 shots and has posted a .953 save percentage this month to lead the league with a .944 overall mark. Ryan Johansen has notched three points in his last three games to lead the team with 21 - one better than linemate Filip Forsberg, who tops Nashville with 14 goals - including two in his last three contests. Kyle Turris left Friday’s game with an undisclosed injury and is questionable for the contest against Anaheim while defenseman P.K. Subban (upper body) likely is still out.
OVERTIME
1. Nashville C Colton Sissons has registered four goals and four assists while leading the team with a plus-12 rating.
2. Rakell is now tied with LW Andrew Cogliano (one goal this season) for seventh on the Ducks’ all-time goal-scoring list.
3. The Predators are 4-for-13 on the power play over their last four games while Anaheim is just 2-for-6 on the penalty kill in its last three contests.