After a tough late loss in Game 3, where the Ducks lost by one goal despite being completely outplayed in every aspect of the game, Anaheim's back is against the wall tonight in Nashville. After a home split to start the series, they probably feel like tonight's Game 4 against the Predators is a virtual do or die. A 3-1 hole, after Nashville showed that they can win at the Duck Pond, is probably insurmountable.
Ducks Vs. Predators, Game 4: Anaheim Desperate To Level On The Road
Much like the regular season, the first line guys have produced in this series for the Ducks, while they haven’t been able to get much offense from the back end of their lineup. The Preds are a much different kind of team, light on star power but high on balance. So far, that balance has worked to their advantage.
In front of their home crowd, the Preds out-shot the Ducks by the incredible margin of 37-16. They also won the battles in penalty minutes, hits, and face-offs. However, because of the skill of the top line guys of the Ducks, they need less chances to score, and they were able to keep it close to the very end.
Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Teemu Selanne will probably continue to show up tonight, but the Ducks will be hard pressed to get a road win if the rest of their team doesn't at least come close to matching the contributions of the top line. Those players can score at any time and can always keep the Ducks around in games, but reliance on them could open the door for a team like Nashville, who are probably inferior when it comes to pure talent.
For more on this game, Predators fans should head to On The Forecheck, and Ducks fans should check out Anaheim Calling.
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