Ducks at Predators
The Anaheim Ducks had to overcome a wretched start to the season to capture their fourth consecutive Pacific Division title and they will have to dig themselves out of another hole when they visit the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night in Game 3 of their first-round series. Anaheim heads to Tennessee staring at a 2-0 deficit after dropping a pair of 3-2 decisions at home.
“You never want to go down 2-0 in your own building. We got to go on the road and do something now," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. " ... We’ve been doing things the hard way all year so we’re looking forward to that challenge in Game 3.” Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau made no effort to hide his displeasure with his team's play in Game 2, using the terms "stupid," "selfish" and "dumb" in his postgame media conference. Nashville, which finished as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, is in possession of its first 2-0 series lead in franchise history and can push the Ducks to the brink of elimination Tuesday night. "It's a seven-game series for a reason," cautioned Predators captain Shea Weber. "They're going to come out with an even better effort (Tuesday), so I don't think we can sit back here and dwell on anything we've done so far. It's just going to get harder."
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, USA, TVAS 2, Sportsnet360, Prime Ticket (Anaheim), FSN Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE DUCKS: Anaheim finished the season with the top-ranked power-play and penalty-killing units in the league, but giving Nashville five opportunities with the man advantage is what drew the ire of Boudreau, who lauded the effort of his team but bristled at the accompanying "foolishness." Prior to Sunday's game, Boudreau reaffirmed his faith in goaltender John Gibson, but he later described his play as "OK" amid speculation that the Ducks could turn to Frederik Andersen, who is 17-1-2 in his over 20 starts and blanked Washington in the regular-season finale. Forward Corey Perry, who scored a team-high 34 goals this season, failed to record a shot on goal in Game 2.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS: Nashville's defensemen scored a league-high 55 goals during the regular season and flexed their collective muscles again in Game 2, with Mattias Ekholm and Weber supplying one tally apiece and fellow blue-liner Roman Josi collecting a pair of assists. Goaltender Pekka Rinne posted the season-lowest save percentage (.908) of his career, but he was superb in Game 2, giving up the second goal late in the third on a deflection off Josi's stick. “He’s a terrific goalie,” coach Peter Laviolette said of Rinne. “We always accept a little bit of responsibility back three or four months ago for not doing the right things in front of him, and now we’re playing better in front of him."
OVERTIME
1. The two playoff wins boost Nashville's record to 15-3-5 against the Pacific Division this season.
2. Andersen is 4-1-0 with a 2.87 goals-against average versus the Predators,
3. Nashville won both meetings at home this season versus the Ducks, ending Anaheim's four-game winning streak at Bridgestone Arena.