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 They defeated the Nashville Predators 4-2 in Anaheim Sunday after
surmounting a 2-0 deficit at the second intermission. Their rally
allowed them to surpass Calgary for the league lead in games won
when falling behind after 40 minutes.
"Any time you go down a couple goals, you have to have the belief
that no matter what happens you can still come back and make a game
of it," defenseman Cam Fowler said. "We understand that and we've
proven throughout the year that that's something we can do."
Centers Ryan Getzlaf and Nate Thompson scored for Anaheim, as did
Fowler and right winger Kyle Palmieri. Ducks defenseman Hampus
Lindholm and left winger Pat Maroon contributed two assists apiece.
Left winger Taylor Beck and defenseman Roman Josi tallied for
Nashville.
Rookie goalie John Gibson earned the win with 25 saves while the
Predators turned to Pekka Rinne for 24 stops in defeat.
The Predators started Rinne for the second time in as many nights
with about 19 hours between the end of their game in Los Angeles and
the start of this one in Anaheim. He performed well early, making
several difficult stops in a scoreless first period where the
Predators had to kill two penalties and chase the puck at times.
Nashville opened the scoring 1:19 into the second period, seconds
after a fight between their center Mike Fisher and Ducks center Ryan
Kesler. Left winger Gabriel Bourque collected a neutral-zone
turnover, dished to Beck, who passed back to Bourque before
receiving a final pass to bury a hard wrist shot. The goal was
Beck's sixth this season.
Nashville would take a 2-0 lead at 6:49 when Josi's slap shot
ricocheted into the net off Anaheim defenseman Francois Beauchemin.
The goal, which came during a power play, was the 12th of Josi's
campaign.
Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau shuffled his lines as the game went on,
putting together a third scoring line and adding offensive punch to
his second line as well.
After their latest lackluster second period, the Ducks recovered
early in the third by halving their deficit. Perry's blind, pivoting
backhand centering pass found the stick of Getzlaf, who one-timed
the puck in for his 23rd goal of the season.
"When you're down more than one, you need something to get you going
and you need something to get the crowd into it," Boudreau said.
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The Ducks would knot the game up 9:16 into the third period.
Defenseman Hampus Lindholm's shot went wide and around the back of
the net to Palmieri. After a timely bit of hesitation, he drifted
above the goal line and fired a wrist shot inside the far post for
his 13th goal of the season.
"Rinne got to his post pretty quick so I knew that the short side
wasn't an option so I just tried to get above the goal line as much
as I could and give myself a little angle to shoot at," Palmieri
said.
The Ducks would take the lead 35 seconds later. After their
forecheck created a series of turnovers, the third one led to a
nifty give-and-go play between Thompson and right winger Jakob
Silfverberg. Thompson finished the play with a wrister for his
fourth goal this season and his first since Dec. 13.
"I was really happy for him. This guy works so hard and he doesn't
get rewarded at all, so for him to get rewarded with that goal was
justice," Boudreau said.
Anaheim got an insurance marker with 5:09 left to play when Fowler's
wrist shot from the left point plunked into the net off Rinne's
glove for Fowler's seventh tally of the season.
"We didn't do anything," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said of
his team's third period. "We didn't skate, we didn't get pucks deep
and we were second to battles."
The Predators, who have led both the conference and the league at
various points this season, have won just two of their previous 10
games with all eight losses coming in regulation.
"It's not a good combination when you don't score and give up
goals," Rinne said. "Our game is not that bad, it's just the results
and obviously there are little details that are biting us."
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