• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Ducks aim to even series in Game 2 vs. Preds

Apr 15, 2011 - 3:18 PM (Sports Network) - The Anaheim Ducks will try to bounce back from a rough home loss in the opener of their Western Conference quarterfinal series when they host the Nashville Predators tonight in Game 2 at the Honda Center.

The fourth-seeded Ducks were dealt a 4-1 loss by the Predators in Game 1, as Mike Fisher had two goals and an assist to help Nashville draw first blood in the best-of-seven series.

The Game 1 setback may force goaltender Ray Emery into the starting role for Anaheim tonight. Dan Ellis, a former Predator, was tagged for four goals on 24 shots in Wednesday's loss before being pulled for Emery early in the third period. Emery made six stops the rest of the way.

Emery would likely have been the starter in the series opener if not for a lower body injury that had him at less than 100-percent. Of course, Jonas Hiller is Anaheim's regular No. 1 goaltender, but a continued bout with vertigo has limited him to just three starts since the beginning of February.

Hiller has been skating, but there has been no indication one way or the other that he is going to be able to play in this series.

"I would say Ray Emery is pretty much close to 100 percent," Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle told his team's web site. "Emery is more of a bigger bodied blocking type of goaltender, where Dan Ellis is more of a smaller guy, compact and more active in the net. Both goaltenders have success in the NHL with their styles and they both compete to stop the puck."

There is no goaltender controversy for Nashville, however, as Preds netminder Pekka Rinne, who started in 64 games this season, made 27 stops in the Game 1 victory.

"We played really solid defensively and our strength is penalty killing," said Rinne. "We did a good job again tonight. We played big, we played physical in our own zone and tried to limit our turnovers. On the other hand, when they turned the puck over, we executed and scored some huge goals and got the momentum going for us. We'll enjoy this game for a bit and try to get it done in the next game."

In addition to Fisher's three-point night, Shea Weber and Steve Sullivan each had a goal for the Predators. Weber's power-play goal gave Nashville a 1-0 lead just 4:13 into the first period.

Fisher has plenty of playoff experience from his time in Ottawa, but he was playing in his first postseason game for Nashville after coming over in a trade with the Senators in February.

Perhaps, the battle-tested Fisher can help Nashville take a 2-0 series lead for the first time in the franchise's playoff history tonight. The fifth- seeded Predators have never won a playoff series, having been knocked out in the first round all five times they have made the postseason.

The Predators, who will host Game 3 on Sunday, have taken the first game of a playoff series on two occasions, including a win in last spring's six-game loss to Chicago.

Teemu Selanne had the lone goal in Game 1 for the Ducks, who are back in the playoffs after missing out last season.

"We have to play better," Carlyle said. "We accept responsibility for the way we played. Our execution level has to go up dramatically."

Though the Ducks and Predators both finished with 99 points, Anaheim got the higher seed in this series because it had 43 non-shootout wins to Nashville's 38. It was the Preds, though, that got the best of the Ducks during the regular season, winning three of the four matchups. Nashville and Anaheim are meeting for the first time in the postseason.

Anaheim was 26-13-2 as the host this year, while the Predators were 20-18-3 as the road club.