Predators 3, Ducks 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- On the brink of elimination from their first round Western Conference series with the Anaheim Ducks, the Nashville Predators survived and are headed for a place they've never been.
Goals from Mattias Ekholm and James Neal, along with a bounce back effort by goalie Pekka Rinne, gave Nashville a 3-1 win Monday night at sold-out Bridgestone Arena and evened the best-of-seven series at three games each.
The series-decider is Wednesday night in Anaheim, the first Game 7 in Predators history. The Ducks have been eliminated in Game 7s each of the last three seasons, including last May in the conference finals at home against Chicago.
Rinne, who entered the game with a pedestrian save percentage of .889 in the series, came up with 26 saves. His biggest was a pad stop on a Grade A chance from Corey Perry in the slot with 6:40 remaining in the game.
Shea Weber salted the game away for Nashville with an empty-net marker at 19:50 of the third period, his second goal of the series.
Frederik Anderson lost for the first time in his four starts in the series despite stopping 23 shots.
After a scoreless first period, Nashville tallied first at 8:10 of the second period as Ekholm circled the net from left to right and flipped a wrister through traffic past Andersen for his second goal of the series.
With the crowd fully engaged, the Predators made it 2-0 at 17:45 on a tap-in tally by Neal. Ryan Johansen carried the puck down the right side and set up Neal at the left goalpost for his second goal of the series, and his first since the first minute of Game 1.
Anaheim responded at 19:46 on the power play after Ekholm was called for holding, a ruling that had Nashville fans throwing giveaway towels on the ice. Ryan Kesler poked home the rebound of a Perry shot for his third goal of the series.
NOTES: Nashville RW Craig Smith (lower body), who was injured on the first shift of Game 3, returned to the lineup after a two-game absence. ... Anaheim C Ryan Kesler won 24 of 30 faceoffs in Game 5 Saturday, the best playoff performance in that category since Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour went 28-of-34 in Game 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals (minimum 30 attempts). ... Ducks scratches were Ds Clayton Stoner, Korbinian Holzer and Josh Manson, along with Cs Brandon Pirri, Chris Wagner and Mike Santorelli. ... The Predators scratched D Petter Granberg, C Colton Sissons, RW Gabriel Bourque, and LWs Eric Nystrom and Austin Watson.