Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators Odds: Stanley Cup Playoffs
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Mike Schultz
Things weren’t looking good for Anaheim before the holiday break. They had a dismal start, winning just one out of their first 10 games, before surging back in time to win their fourth straight Pacific title. Now, the have an injured roster to overcome as they face off against the wildcard Predators. The Preds haven’t played the Ducks since the Anaheim team got their groove back, so it won’t be as easy as when they beat them in the beginning of the season. You can bet on the Predators vs. Ducks series right here.
Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1: Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators
Series Winner Odds:Ducks -238, Predators +166
Game Dates: 4/15 @ ANA, 4/17 @ ANA, 4/19 @ NSH, 4/21 @ NSH, *4/23 @ ANA, *4/2 @ NSH, *4/27 @ ANA
Home Team Advantage: Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
If the Ducks can get back some of their key injured players, they should be able to move past this first round. They have the best special team play in the league, in fact, they were the first team since the ’84 Islanders to finish first on the power play and the penalty kill. Getzlaf and Perry are playoff wizards and with a healthy Kesler, this is a hard team to shut down. With both Frederik Andersen and John Gibson, the Ducks have two good goalies in the stable that can be counted on. Coach Bruce Boudreau told press that he’d flip a coin to determine the starter, if they were both ready to go.
Nashville Predators
The wild card Preds will have a battle ahead of them facing the Ducks in the first round. It’s unfair to count them out completely though. Under new coach Peter Laviolette, they had two 30-goal scorers (Filip Forsberg and James Neal) for the first time in over ten years and had the highest-scoring defense in the NHL. Shea Weber and Roman Josi were two of only 12 D-men in the league to score at least 50 points in the regular season. The issues on the Predator roster aren’t on the blue line, they are in the net, as Pekka Rinne has struggled in the post-season and has never taken his team past the second round.
Prediction: Ducks in 6