Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Western Conference First Round Game Four – April 21, 2016

The Anaheim Ducks breathed some life into their Stanley Cup Playoffs venture with a commanding 3-0 win on the road in Game 3. They have a chance of seizing home ice advantage with another win Thursday night before the series switches back to Anaheim. The Nashville Predators won’t be easy targets though. The Preds have been stellar at home since mid-February and will be hard-pressed to win Game 4 at home.

The pressure is high as we head deeper into the first round of the playoffs. Check out our complete Game 5 previews for the Blackhawks vs. Blues and Red Wings vs. Lightning.

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Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators Game 4 Preview

Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville

When: Thursday, April 21, 8:00 PM ET

Line: Anaheim Ducks (-110) at Nashville Predators (-110); total 5.0 – view all NHL lines

TV Broadcast: CNBC

Betting on the Anaheim Ducks

A change in venue helped the Anaheim Ducks more than their home ice did. The Ducks came to life in a 3-0 victory in Nashville on Tuesday night. A change in goalie helped their cause too with Frederik Andersen making 27 saves in the victory. The change was made after goalie John Gibson allowed six goals on 60 shots through the first two games.

Andersen is the Ducks’ starting goalie, but has played just once in April due to a concussion. Having him back is a huge boost for Anaheim. He hasn’t been too good on the road, going 11-8-4 with a 2.61 GAA in the regular season. Nevertheless, the Anaheim goalie is 17-1-2 with a 1.89 GAA in his last 20 starts. He’s gone 5-1 with a 2.36 GAA and a .928 save percentage in six starts against Nashville.

Having their starting goalie is a big boost alright. But the Ducks will continue to rely on their solid offense to win games. The dynamic duo of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf is yet to make a dent in the playoffs. Perry has just two assists, while Getzlaf has one to go along with a goal. Instead, Andrew Cogliano is the Ducks’ points leader with a goal and two assists.

What makes the Ducks dangerous is their amount of talent on the offensive. They have seven different scorers for each of their goals in the playoffs.

The Ducks have won five of their last six on the road, including three straight.

Betting on the Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators wasted a prime opportunity to put Anaheim in a 3-0 series hole. They lost their first game at home in this series in a shutout. The Preds could find it even more difficult to score with Craig Smith possibly out for Game 4.

Smith is an important cog in the Preds’ rotation as a second-line forward. He played just 65 seconds in Game 3 due to a lower body injury. Nashville hasn’t played without him since December 2013. Nevertheless, anything remains possible as long as blue liner Roman Josi remains a solid playmaker.

Josi leads the team with three assists this postseason. He’ll have plenty of weapons to utilize among the Preds. Filip Forsberg, Colin Wilson, James Neal and even fellow defensemen Shea Weber and Mattias Ekholm have each scored in the playoffs.

It’s also worth noting that the Preds have an excellent defense to fall back on if they have difficulty scoring with Smith out for the game. Pekka Rinne made 27 saves in each of the first two games of the series. He made just 18 of 21 in Game 3.

Expect Rinne to rebound in this game. He went 2-0 with a 1.50 GAA in two games against Anaheim in the regular season. He also played much better at home going 22-9-5 with a 2.29 GAA. It’s only a matter of time before Rinne picks up the slack at home.

The total has gone under in three of Nashville’s last four home games.

Writer’s Prediction

Andersen continues his excellent play as the Ducks regain home ice advantage with a win.

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