There's one more game left in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Nashville Predators will visit the Anaheim Ducks Wednesday night (10 PM ET, NBCSN) for Game 7 of their Western Conference quarterfinal; Nashville extended the series Monday with a 3-1 victory, as Pekka Rinne made 26 of 27 saves for the Preds.
The Ducks (46-25-11 during the regular season) were expected to make short work of Nashville (41-27-14) after winning their fourth straight Pacific Division title, all under head coach Bruce Boudreau. Anaheim was available at +800 on the Stanley Cup futures market going into the playoffs, compared to +2500 for the Predators. But Nashville has knotted this series despite getting outscored 17-12.
The Preds might have already eliminated Anaheim had forward Craig Smith (21 goals, 37 points) not gotten injured early in Game 3, after Nashville won the first two games at the Honda Center. Smith returned Monday and played right wing on the second line with Calle Jarnkrok (16 goals, 30 points) on the left and Mike Ribeiro (seven goals, 50 points) in the middle; Smith also took his usual turn on the power play, logging 14:23 of total ice time.
NHL : Ducks, Predators Down to the Wire
The Nashville Predators have forced a Game 7 in their Western Conference quarterfinal with the Anaheim Ducks. They'll play Wednesday night at the Honda Center after Nashville won 3-1 on Monday. Game time is 10 PM ET on NBCSN.
Craig Smith (21 goals, 37 points) made his return to Nashville's second line Monday night, and while he was held scoreless, the Predators have won all three full games Smith has played in this series. The talented right winger was injured early in Game 3, after the Predators had taken the first two games in Anaheim.
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