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Preds visit Ducks for crucial Game 5

Apr 22, 2011 - 3:27 PM (Sports Network) - After splitting the first four games of the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinals, the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks will both fight for the edge in the series tonight at the Honda Center in Orange County.

The fourth-seeded Ducks have taken the even-numbered games so far in this series, so Nashville should feel good about its chances in tonight's Game 5 matchup in southern California.

Anaheim and the Predators were tied at 3-3 heading into the third period of Game 4 in Nashville, but the Ducks took control of the contest by scoring three unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes.

Corey Perry, who led the NHL in goal-scoring this season, ignited the three- goal, third-period outburst with a short-handed tally just 77 seconds into the final stanza.

Perry also added two assists in Wednesday's game, giving him two goals and six helpers in the first four games of this series. Of course, Perry was the only NHLer to reach 50 goals this season, as he hit that mark on the nose to win the Rocket Richard Trophy.

Ryan Getzlaf and Brandon McMillan also lit the lamp in the final 20 minutes for the Ducks, who rebounded from a 4-3 setback on Sunday. Cam Fowler, Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne also scored to back 19 saves by Ray Emery.

The Ducks were able to generate all that offense despite playing their second straight game without Bobby Ryan, who was second to Perry on the club with 34 goals this season. However, the young forward will be back tonight after completing his two-game suspension for stomping on the skate of Predators defenseman Jonathon Blum in Anaheim's Game 2 victory.

However, while Ryan is back from suspension the Ducks will be without forward Jarkko Ruutu this evening after he received a one-game ban for a hit on Nashville's Martin Erat. Ruutu was assessed a minor for interference after delivering a late hit on Erat.

Erat suffered an upper body injury on the play and will miss tonight's game. The veteran forward was tied for the team lead with 50 points during the regular season, but he will remain in Nashville and hope for a return in Sunday's Game 6 in the Music City.

Patric Hornqvist, Joel Ward and Matt Halischuk provided the offense for the Predators in Wednesday's loss.

Pekka Rinne allowed all six goals on 29 shots before being pulled late for Anders Lindback, who finished the contest with nine stops. Rinne could be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy this season, but he has struggled to a 3.75 goals-against average and .860 save percentage in this series.

"It's time to really show what kind of group of guys we are," Rinne said. "We have to put this game behind us."

While Rinne has struggled for Nashville, the Ducks have been playing this series with its second goaltending option as Jonas Hiller is Anaheim's regular No. 1 but has been unavailable due to a continued bout with vertigo. The illness has limited Hiller 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.

Emery, who came into the postseason battling a lower body injury of his own, has stopped 89-of-99 shots for an .899 save percentage and a 3.03 GAA in the series.

The fifth-seeded Predators have never won a playoff series in their franchise's brief history, having been knocked out in the first round all five times they have made the postseason. In fact, a victory tonight would give Nashville three wins in a single playoff series for the first time ever.

Though the Ducks and Predators both finished with 99 points in the regular season, 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.