The Nashville Predators made another attempt to get settled in a home matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. It didn’t work out.
The Preds got an early power play opportunity as Mason McTavish committed a hold, but the better of the chances on the 5-on-4 came shorthanded from the Ducks. Nashville responded strongly to their failed power play, but didn’t manage to get on the board, and eventually let up the pressure. Some intra-Finnish rulebreaking sent Urho Vaakanainen to the box for holding Juuso Pärssinen around the halfway mark and the Preds got another power play, which they again didn’t manage to convert on.
The Ducks got a power play of their own shortly after, as Alex Carrier was sent to the box for boarding, but the Preds were able to kill it off and go back on the attack. Jeremy Lauzon managed to draw a penalty during a great offensive sequence, and the Preds went to the power play with under two minutes left in the period.
While they didn’t score with the skater advantage, they managed to build some offense, and Filip Forsberg scored seconds after it ended, after a fantastic pass to himself. The Preds struggled to build on their lead, slackening up the offensive pressure and then taking a penalty. With Kiefer Sherwood in the box for high-sticking Max Jones, Juuse Saros had to make some great saves–including a couple on Jones, out for revenge.
He was up to the task, and the teams returned to five a side with neither a goal nor a fight–as Michael McCarron and Alex Killorn looked like they were about to exchange hostilities–to interrupt the power play. A fight did break out moments later, as Lauzon took exception to Radko Gudas sending Forsberg down to the ice. Ryan Strome, who also jumped into the scuffle, got two minutes for cross-checking, sending Nashville back to the power play.
The Preds finally snapped their power play drought when Ryan O’Reilly collected the puck behind the goal and made a beautiful pass up to Roman Josi at the blueline. Josi wired the shot home and did not miss, extending the Preds’ lead to two. McCarron and Ross Johnston dropped the gloves not long after. Johnston got an extra ten minute time-out for shoving Dante Fabbro.
Unfortunately, the Ducks got on the board moments later, as Frankie Vatrano made a great play to set Cam Fowler up for a shot, and the shot deflected in off Marc Del Gaizo. Invigorated, Anaheim pressed the attack. A missed high-sticking call from the refs spared the Preds from having to kill a penalty, but even without the advantage, the Ducks continued to threaten.
Intermission intervened, but although the Preds found the offensive zone again, the next goal was scored by Gudas, tying the game 2-2 at 4:11 of the third. The Preds again failed to respond, until a fantastic shift from Pärssinen drew a holding penalty. Forsberg hit John Gibson’s mask with a hard shot on the power play and sent him immediately to the ice; Gibson had to get some repairs, but fortunately just equipment repairs. Gudas then went to the bench in visible pain after blocking a Tyson Barrie shot, but mission accomplished: the Ducks had killed the penalty.
Another missed call in the Preds’ favor–this time as Gibson was tripped behind his net–did them no good, as Gudas assisted Vaakanainen to score with under four minutes left in regulation. Vatrano then drew a penalty, and while the Preds were able to kill it off, they were unable to come back and tie the game.