Anaheim Ducks Pounce Early, Defeat Nashville Predators 5-2

The Anaheim Ducks took advantage of a flat Nashville Predators squad, scoring four goals in the opening two periods and weathering a third-period barrage in starting the road-trip with a 5-2 win. In the first game of a five-game road-trip against the team with the best record in the NHL, the Ducks entered into Nashville and exited with a win without the services of their best player, Ryan Getzlaf (who was a late scratch).

The Ducks opened the scoring at the 3:08 mark of the first period. Eric Brewer was in the penalty box for a hooking minor. On the penalty kill, Andrew Cogliano dumped the puck into a corner, which Jakob Silfverberg got to. He fired the puck on Pekka Rinne, who was back in his first game from a knee sprain suffered before the All-Star break. Rinne made the initial save, but he casually played the puck. After a miscommunication with defenseman Shea Weber, Silfverberg took the puck and roofed a backhand past Rinne to make the score 1-0. The goal was Silfverberg’s seventh of the season and his first since January 16th against the New Jersey Devils.

The Ducks would then extend their lead at the 13:04 mark of the opening frame. Sami Vatanen fired a shot from the point on net, which bounced off the tangled bodies of Rickard Rakell and Gabriel Bourque past Rinne to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead. The goal was officially credited to Vatanen, his 11th of the season and first since January 17th against the Los Angeles Kings.

In the second period, the Ducks had multiple 5-on-3 power-play opportunities. Before the end of the first period, James Neal was called for slashing. Nine seconds into the second, Paul Gaustad was called for interference, giving the Ducks 47 seconds of a two-man advantage. The Predators killed the Neal minor, but then, Rinne was called for a delay of game penalty (puck over glass), giving the Ducks 19 more seconds of a two-man advantage.

The Predators eventually killed off all three minor penalties, but the Ducks got a goal one second after the third minor was killed (served by Bourque). Rakell skated into the offensive zone and got by Mattias Ekholm before passing the puck to an uncovered Matt Beleskey in the slot, who fired the puck past Rinne for a 3-0 lead. The goal was Beleskey’s 20th, including his third in his past five games. That was also Rakell’s sixth point in his previous five contests. The young Swede has been tremendous since returning to the NHL, and he did a terrific job centering the top-line in place of Getzlaf on the night.

The Ducks added another tally just 43 seconds later. Cam Fowler got the puck at the point and fired a shot on net, which Silfverberg got a stick on to deflect the puck past Rinne, who was sliding the opposite way of the deflection. It was Silfverberg’s eighth goal of the season, and the assist snapped a four-game pointless streak for Fowler.

When the second period ended, the shots were 24-22, Anaheim, and the score was 4-0. The third period, however, was all Nashville. The shots in the third period were 24-2 in favor of the Predators, and the Ducks sat back and were swarmed with wave after wave of offensive pressure. Frederik Andersen, who had not been tested much through the evening, was equal to the task and was a major reason why the Ducks prevailed with the win.

The Predators would be the first club to strike in the third. Seth Jones barreled into the offensive zone and passed the puck to Victor Bartley, who put a shot on Andersen. The rebound came to Colin Wilson, who fired the puck past Andersen at the 4:00 mark of the third to cut the deficit to three. It was Wilson’s 17th goal and 36th point of the season, setting career-highs in both categories (he had 16 goals in 82 games during the 2010-2011 campaign and 35 points in 68 games during the 2011-2012 campaign).

The Predators would add another tally on a power-play. Silfverberg was called for a tripping minor at the 14:28 mark of the game. Filip Forsberg used his speed to enter the offensive zone before cutting across the middle of the ice and giving a pass to Neal, who shot the puck. Andersen made the save, but the rebound came off the body of Neal and into the back of the net. The goal was Neal’s 17th, matching him with Forsberg and Wilson for the team’s goal-scoring lead.

The Predators tried to get another tally, but the Ducks got an empty-net goal to seal the victory. Cogliano chipped a clearing attempt with Rinne pulled to Ryan Kesler, who fired the puck from the wall to a streaking Corey Perry. Despite the diving efforts of Eric Nystrom, Perry received the pass and potted the puck into the empty net for his team-leading 22nd goal of the season with 1:19 left in the game. The assist gave Kesler six points in his last six games after being held scoreless for six consecutive games.

Despite the final score, the Ducks did not have an encouraging finish to the game. In the previous three games against San Jose, Chicago, and Carolina, the Ducks’ biggest problem has been raising their compete level and matching the effort of their opponents. Against Nashville in the first two periods, the Ducks got four goals, but they were not scored because the Ducks worked harder or asserted their style over the Predators: instead, the Predators came out flat and offered Rinne little support, just as the Ducks have been guilty of numerous times this season.

In the third period, when the Predators gave their fight, the Ducks did not raise their compete level any, and as a result, they were pinned back. An elite possession offense (like Nashville, who is sixth in the NHL in 5-on-5 Corsi For %, at 52.6%) does not register 24 shots on goal without the help of a poor defensive effort from the other team.

This is not to discredit the win, but the biggest culprit in big losses and bad games has been the lack of effort, and effort was not one of the team’s strengths, even when the team was scoring the first four goals of the game. That needs to improve as this road-trip continues.

Next for the Ducks is a game on Friday in the nation’s capital, as they face the Washington Capitals for the first time this season. The Capitals will also be coming off a back-to-back situation, defeating the Ottawa Senators in Canada’s capital 2-1 on Thursday.

Nicklas Backstrom leads the Capitals in scoring with 54 points, while his 38 assists are tied for second in the league with Sidney Crosby and only behind the 41 scored by Jakub Voracek. Noted goal-scoring threat Alex Ovechkin has 32 goals, which is tied for the most in the NHL with Rick Nash. 14 of those tallies have come on the power-play, second only to the 15 scored by Joe Pavelski.

Young blue-liner John Carlson is having an outstanding campaign and should absolutely be in the Norris Trophy conversation. His 35 points are tied for sixth in the NHL, with the likes of players such as Weber, Roman Josi, and Erik Karlsson. His 28 points at even-strength are second among defensemen to Mark Giordano. Carlson’s 23:17 of ice time per game and +14 rating both lead the team as well.

Meanwhile, Braden Holtby has been playing at a Vezina Trophy caliber level this season, with a 25-10-9 record, 2.14 GAA, and .925 SV%. His six shutouts are one behind league-leader Marc-Andre Fleury, while his 44 starts is tied for the most in the NHL with Kari Lehtonen and Cory Schneider. The Capitals are 27-15-10, and they hold a three-point lead over the Boston Bruins for the first wild-card in the Eastern Conference.