The Ducks will need to turn the page on a lackluster performance Tuesday night in Chicago, when a disatrous first period put them down five goals after 20 minutes of play. Anaheim went on to allow eight goals for the first time this season.
"Absolutely unacceptable," Derek Grant
said postgame
. "It's probably the worst we've played all season. We left Gibby out to dry. He made probably four or five incredible saves. It could have been 10-0 in the first. It's just unacceptable at this level."
"It was bad play and bad luck," head coach Dallas Eakins added. "When those two combine, it comes up for a very ugly period. Our best guys, the guys that we rely on each and every night and who have done a wonderful job to get us into a playoff race, they had rough nights. They have to lead us."
Anaheim's lineup could shuffle again heading into Nashville. The Ducks
recalled a trio of forwards from San Diego
Thursday and placed captain Ryan Getzlaf and winger Jakob Silfverberg on injured reserve.
Getzlaf last played on Friday against Vegas. He has 31 points in 47 games this season. Silfverberg skated 12:53 in the loss to Chicago, scoring his second goal in his last three games and his fifth of the season.
The Ducks will need to string together some wins quickly to make a playoff push. Anaheim is sixth in the Pacific Division (27-23-9) and four points back of a wild card spot despite having played a league-most 59 games.
The Predators won the first meeting between the clubs, a 3-2 victory in November at Bridgestone Arena. The Ducks tied the game early in the third period that night, but Yakov Trenin notched the eventual game-winning goal with under eight minutes to play in regulation. The game also marked the end of Troy Terry's then NHL-best 16-game point streak, still the second-longest scoring run in the league this season.
Nashville hosts Anaheim for the middle leg of a three-game homestand. The Predators earned a 2-1 victory on Tuesday over the division rival Stars, scoring two goals in the last seven minutes of the third period to steal two critical standings points in the Western Conference playoff race.
"It was a huge win for us," Preds Captain
Roman Josi told reporters postgame
. "There's a lot of big games this week and it's tight right now in the standings with teams behind us and the teams ahead of us are a couple points ahead of us in our division and it seems like all those teams keep winning. So, I think once you play them head to head, you want to bring your best effort and obviously get the win… This is definitely a good start."
The Predators sit fourth in the Central Division (32-20-4, 68 points), currently in the first wild card position, but also just three points back of the second place Blues, who they will meet on Saturday.
Anaheim and Nashville conclude the three-game season series on March 21 at Honda Center.
