Aberg, Predators put Ducks on the brink
Pontus Aberg scored his first career playoff goal with 8:59 to play, and the Predators moved to the brink of their first Stanley Cup Final with a 3-1 victory over the Ducks in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Aberg scored on a rebound of Filip Forsberg's shot for the Predators, who took a 3-2 series lead despite the injury absence of top scorer Ryan Johansen and captain Mike Fisher.
Pekka Rinne made 32 saves in the Finnish goalie's latest dominant playoff performance in Anaheim, where the Predators have won five of their last seven playoff games over two seasons.
Chris Wagner scored for the Ducks, who lost starting goalie John Gibson to injury during the first intermission. Jonathan Bernier took over and stopped 16 shots in his first appearance in nearly two weeks for the Ducks.
Game 6 is Monday night in Nashville. Getzlaf fined $10,000 for slur: Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf was fined $10,000 for apparently using a homophobic slur during Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
The NHL announced the fine Saturday several hours before Game 5 against the Predators. Getzlaf, the Ducks' leading scorer in the postseason, avoided a suspension.
Getzlaf was captured by television cameras appearing to shout the inappropriate remark in frustration with an official after returning to the Ducks bench during overtime.