The Anaheim Ducks and the Nashville Predators resume their best-of-seven showdown in this season’s Western Conference Finals this Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena. Game 3 is slated to get underway at 8 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
Anaheim at Nashville Game Overview
The Ducks fell behind early in this series with a 3-2 loss in Game 1 as -112 home favorites, but they salvaged a split at home in the first two games with Sunday’s 5-3 victory as -134 favorites. The total ended as a PUSH in the series opener before going OVER five goals in Game 2. Anaheim will now and try a regain its home ice advantage with a win on the road where it has gone 4-1 in five previous road games in this season’s playoffs. The total has gone OVER in four of those contests.
Credit both Sami Vatanen and Jacob Silfverberg with key goals late in the first period and early in the second to erase a 2-0 Nashville lead. The Ducks fell behind again, but Ondrej Kase tied the game at three before Nick Ritchie tallied the eventual game winner late in the second period. This was the first time since Game 5 against Edmonton that Anaheim was able to score more than three goals. John Gibson got the start in goal for Game 2 and he turned away 30 of the 33 shots he faced.
Nashville has yet to trail a series in this year’s playoffs after stunning Chicago in four games before ousting St. Louis in six. Prior to the total going OVER in Sunday’s loss, it had stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in 10 of the Predators first 11 postseason contests. They have now scored at least three goals in each of their last three games after averaging 2.7 goals through their first eight games. Nashville is a perfect 5-0 on its home ice in these playoffs.
Ryan Johansen posted the first goal for Nashville on Sunday a little over four minutes into the opening period and James Neal extended the lead to 2-0 just four minutes later, but it was pretty much all Anaheim from that point on. Johansen has been the Predators’ leading point scorer in the playoffs with three goals and 10 assists and both Neal and Filip Forsberg have each scored a team-high five goals. Pekka Rinne had been outstanding in goal in his team’s first 11 playoff games, but he was shelled for four goals on just 26 shots in Game 2.
Anaheim at Nashville Game Betting Trends
- The Ducks have gone 6-1 in their last seven road games and they are 9-3 in their last 12 games against the Central Division. The total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in seven of their last nine road games.
- The Predators are 19-7 in their last 26 home games, but they fall to 3-7 in their last 10 games played on a Tuesday. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in six of their last seven games Western Conference games.
- Head-to-head in this conference finals matchup, Nashville has 4-2 edge in its last six home games against Anaheim and the total has stayed UNDER twice and ended as a PUSH three times in the last five meetings at Bridgestone Arena.
