PREDATORS WAITING FOR DUCKS OR OILERS
The Nashville Predators have little time to soak in the glory of their historic secondround victory against the St. Louis Blues.
The Predators, who reached the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history, will face the Anaheim Ducks or the Edmonton Oilers next. Those teams will play Game 7 on Wednesday in Anaheim.
“The job of getting into the playoffs and then moving on in each round is a difficult job,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. “I think (the players are) looking forward to playing more hockey.”
Here is a look at the Predators’ potential third-round foes:
ANAHEIM DUCKS
Predators’ record vs. Ducks this season: 1-1-1. Playoff history vs. Ducks: 2011 (first-round win by Predators in six games), 2016 (firstround win by Predators in seven games). Predators’ top performers
vs. Ducks this season: Filip Forsberg and James Neal (two goals, three points each).
The Ducks’ laughable 7-1 Game 6 loss to the Oilers on Sunday wasn’t terribly surprising, given Anaheim’s recent playoff history.
If the Ducks lose Game 7, it would mark the fifth consecutive year in which they have been eliminated in a series that they led 3-2. They have lost four of five home Game 7s in team history.
If the Ducks can overcome those trends, they’ll have an opportunity to seek revenge for last season’s first-round loss to the Predators.
The principal cast of players for the five-time defending Pacific Division champions remains the same. Anaheim is led by captain Ryan Getzlaf, scoring forward Corey Perry and shutdown center Ryan Kesler, all of whom have pestered Nashville in previous postseasons.
Although the Ducks were bombarded on Sunday, Anaheim has been resilient this postseason. The Ducks twice have overcome three-goal deficits during the playoffs, defeating the Calgary Flames in Game 3 of their firstround sweep and the Oilers in Game 5 of the current series.
EDMONTON OILERS
Predators’ record vs. Oilers this season: 3-0-0. Playoff history vs. Oilers: None. Predators’ top performer
vs. Oilers this season: Pekka Rinne (3-0-0, 1.95 goals-against average, .937 save percentage).
The Oilers have made the most of their first postseason appearance since 2006.
Captain Connor McDavid, 20, led the NHL with 100 points this season, but he isn’t the Oilers’ leading playoff scorer.
That distinction belongs to forward Leon Draisaitl, 21, who has 16 points after posting career highs with three goals and five points against the Ducks on Sunday.
Edmonton’s roster is highlighted by its talented youngsters, and they are complemented by veteran know-how throughout the lineup.
Though regular-season success against an opponent doesn’t mean much in the playoffs, the Predators have beaten the Oilers nine times in a row over the past three seasons.
Rinne, who has a 1.37 goalsagainst average and .951 save percentage in 10 postseason starts, has been in net for each of those nine wins. Three were shutouts.