NHL Prediction: Will the Predators go up 2-0 on the Ducks? 5/14/17
Can the Anaheim Ducks even up the Western Conference Finals when they host the Nashville Predators tonight at 7:30PM ET? Here’s our NHL Prediction for Game 2.
GAME 2 ODDS
According to oddsmakers, the Ducks are a slight favorite at home in Game 2, as they are getting odds of -120 to win. The Predators are listed with a money line of +100, while the over/under total is set at 5 goals.
RECORDS
The Predators shocked many in Game 1, managing to escape with a 3-2 win in OT on Friday night. These two have now split their four meetings this season, 2-2.
Nashville now comes into today’s game 50-31-12 overall and 21-22-4 on the road. Anaheim is 54-26-14 overall and 33-10-5 at home.
GAME 1 RECAP
The Ducks took a 1-0 lead early in Game 1 thanks to Jakob Silfverberg’s eighth goal of the postseason. Filip Forsberg evened things up seven minutes later and then Austin Watson gave the Preds a 2-1 lead early in the second period. The Ducks forced OT thanks to a Hampus Lindholm goal midway through the third.
In the OT, James Neal scored his fourth goal of the postseason to give Nashville a 1-0 series lead. John Gibson has struggled in the postseason, but he faced 46 shots on Friday and stopped 43 of them. Pekka Rinne stopped 27 of the 29 shots he faced.
NHL PREDICTION
Anaheim can’t afford to let Nashville rack up 40 shots again today. Gibson hasn’t been strong enough in net to stop that volume of shots. Rinne wasn’t even at his best on Friday and still got the Predators a win. Once the postseason started, Nashville has been playing at another level. They are now 4-2 on the road in the postseason and 9-2 overall. They have also won 24 of their last 33 conference games.
Anaheim has now dropped four of their last five in the Conference Finals with Friday’s loss. I just think Nashville has the hotter, better team right now. I like their chances for a second road win tonight.
NHL Prediction – Nashville Predators +100
