The Anaheim Ducks (10-22-4) welcome the Nashville Predators (14-14-5) at Honda Center on Friday. Nashville is coming off a 3-2 loss against the Stars on Tuesday. The Predators committed six penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal.
Yakov Trenin and Filip Forsberg both scored once for the Predators. Juuse Saros saved only 30 of 33 shots against (.909%) in the loss.Anaheim beat the Golden Knights 3-2 (SO) on Wednesday. Adam Henrique was the leading goal scorer for the Ducks, netting twice. John Gibson saved 49 of 51 shots in the win (.960%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Predators won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 2-1 (OT) victory in November, their fourth straight win against Anaheim. Matt Duchene led Nashville with two points (0G 2A). Troy Terry scored Anaheim’s only goal. Saros got the win, saving 34 of 35 shots (.971%).
FACING OFF
Nashville is averaging just 2.48 goals per game for the season, 30th in the NHL. The visitors will look to take advantage of a Ducks team that is allowing 4.06 goals a game (31st).
Meanwhile, Anaheim has found the net 2.31 times a game on average, 31st in the league, and the Predators are allowing opponents to score 3.03 goals per game (16th).
Anaheim averages fewer shots (29.0) than most teams in the league, ranking 29th, while the team’s 8.2% shooting percentage is 32nd. With an average of 30.4 attempts, Nashville ranks 20th.Power play opportunities should be plentiful for the Predators, as the Ducks have been penalized 5.06 times a game, most in the NHL, for an average of 12.58 minutes (first-highest).
The visitors are averaging 4.27 penalties (10th) and 10.48 penalty minutes a game (9th). The Ducks’ 15.09% power play percentage is the second-worst in the league, while Nashville’s 15.65% conversion rate ranks fourth-lowest. Anaheim has been equally poor at penalty killing, as the hosts own the league’s third-lowest PK% at 70.59%. Nashville’s 77.97% ranks 16th in the NHL.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Duchene and Forsberg are the top skaters for the Predators this season with 26 points each. Both have 10 goals and 16 assists. In the net, Saros (11-10-5) is Nashville’s top goaltender. He has a 2.82 GAA and a .914% save percentage.
Terry leads the Ducks in scoring with 31 points. He has 12 goals and 19 assists in 36 games. Gibson (5-14-3) has the best goals against average for Anaheim at 3.99. He has a save percentage of .896%.
HOME AND AWAY
Nashville is 6-8-2 away from Bridgestone Arena this season. Anaheim is 6-8-1 at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Nashville Predators (-165)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
