Ducks-Predators Preview: 3 reasons why Nashville will win

The Western Conference Final kicks off Friday as the eighth-seeded Nashville Predators take on the second-seeded Anaheim Ducks. In the season series, the Ducks won the first game 6-1, the Preds took the second 5-0, and the Ducks won the third meeting in a shootout, 4-3.

Both teams swept their first-round matchups. Nashville needed six games to beat the Blues in Round 2, while Anaheim took seven to defeat the Oilers.

These two clubs also met in the first round of the postseason last year - Anaheim went up 3-2, but Nashville clawed back and took the series in seven games.

Here are three reasons why the Predators will advance again:

Goaltending

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Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne is playing the best hockey of his life so far in the playoffs. John Gibson of the Ducks is not.

When these teams met in the postseason last year, Gibson went 0-2 before the Ducks opted to lean on current Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen.

In Rinne's regular-season career against the Ducks, he's 13-6-5 with a .919 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average. Gibson has gone 2-1 with a .905 SV% and a 2.68 GAA versus Nashville, excluding playoffs.

Without even factoring in Rinne's superior experience, it's clear who has the advantage in the crease.

Carlyle's collapsing defense will struggle

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Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle runs a collapsing defensive-zone system. This means forwards collapse into the slot in the defensive end when they don't have the puck in order to block shots. Many coaches execute this strategy, and it can be very effective, but it's not a good way to defend the Predators.

The Preds lean on their mobile defensemen to generate offense via point shots and one-timers. Here's a look at their top five scoring leaders so far in the playoffs:

As you can see, Ellis, Josi, and Subban have carried the load offensively from the back end. If the Ducks fail to put pressure on these three at the point and let them have their way with the puck, they could be in trouble. The Predators have been one of the best teams in the playoffs at getting pucks through traffic, in large part due to the skill they have on the blue line.

Nashville's checking line can contain Getzlaf

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Ryan Getzlaf has been an absolute beast so far in the postseason, with eight goals and seven assists through 11 games. The goals stand out the most, considering the playmaker only had 28 in 151 games over the past two regular seasons.

The Oilers had no answer for Getzlaf through the first four games of Round 2, allowing the big center to record four goals and four assists. However, during Games 5, 6, and 7 - when Leon Draisaitl was moved to center in order to match up with him - Getzlaf recorded just a goal and an assist.

Mike Fisher may be 36 years old now, but he's still a very effective two-way center. He has great speed for a player in his mid-30s, and at 6-foot-1, 216 pounds (the exact same measurements as Draisaitl), has the size to match up with Getzlaf physically.

Fisher's linemates have varied throughout the playoffs, but Nashville has several defensively responsible forwards capable of playing on his wings. The Predators don't have to completely shut down Getzlaf in order to be victorious - they just can't let him take over the series like he did at times versus the Oilers.

Prediction: Predators in six.

Series Schedule

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