The Western Conference matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and the Nashville Predators in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs heads back to Bridgestone Arena this Monday night for Game 6 of a best-of-seven affair. The puck drops at 8 p.m. (ET) the game will be broadcast nationally on CNBC.
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The Ducks have taken the hard road to a 3-2 series lead after dropping the first two games at home. Since suffering those back-to-back 3-2 losses has heavy home favorites, they have gotten themselves in gear with a combined 12-3 margin of victory in the last three games of this series. The total line has closed at 5 in the first five games and it has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in four of those contests.
The combination of an offense that is averaging 2.6 goals a game with a defense that was ranked first in the NHL in goals allowed (2.3) has regained its form over the last three games. In Saturday’s 5-2 victory as heavy -165 favorites at home, center Ryan Getzlaf posted a pair of assists to raise his point total in this series to a team-high five (two goals and three assists). Goalie Frederik Anderson helped his team win their third-straight game in this series by turning away 27 of the 29 shots he faced. His save percentage through three starts in the playoffs stands at .966.
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It is desperation time for Nashville following this three-game slide. After scoring six goals in the first two games, the Predators’ high-powered offensive attack has ground to a halt. They were ranked 12th in the NHL in scoring in the regular season with 2.7 goals a game, but they have not come close to that since Game 2. The one thing in its favor in Game 6 is that Nashville has been a pretty tough out on its home ice this season at 23-11-7. The total has stayed UNDER in three of its last five home games.
Center Colin Wilson leads Nashville in points in this series with a goal and four assists, but the team leader in both goals (33) and total points (64) in the regular season was Filip Forsberg and he has been held to a goal and two assists through five games. Pekka Rinne has gone the distance in goal against the Ducks and his goals-against average stands at 3.02 as compared to a regular-season GAA of 2.48 in 66 starts. His save percentage over the last five games is down to .889.
The Ducks are 21-8 in their last 29 games following a win and they are 9-2 in their last 11 games in the opening round of the playoffs. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last six road games.
The Predators are 6-2 in their last eight games played on Monday, but they are 1-4 in their last five home games against a team with a winning record. The total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in 21 of their last 26 opening round playoff games.
The road team in this matchup is 4-1 in the last five meetings and the total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in seven of the last eight meetings in Nashville.
