It's the final Game 1 of the opening round as the Ducks host the Predators live from the Honda Center in Anaheim on Friday night.
After a slow start, Anaheim surged after Christmas and finished the season with 51 wins and 109 points to win the Pacific Division for the third straight season.
The Ducks have progressively improved over the last three seasons, getting eliminated in the first round (Red Wings) in 2012-13, the second round (Kings) in 2013-14 and the Western Conference Finals (Blackhawks) last postseason.
Nashville clinched the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference by earning 41 wins and 96 points to advance to the postseason for the second straight year. The Predators took two of three games from the Ducks this season, but all of those games occurred before Thanksgiving and prior to Anaheim's second-half surge.
"They're a good team," Predators captain Shea Weber said per NHL.com. "Obviously they had a slow start, but they found their way and they've been one of the hottest teams in the second half.
Exciting forward Filip Forsberg paced the Predators with 33 goals and 64 points, while Roman Josi, who anchors arguably the NHL's best blue line with Weber, had a club-best 47 assists.
The Ducks began to surge when they separated Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, who helped lead the team. Perry (30) paced the team in goals, while Getzlaf led it in assists (50) and points (63).
Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau realizes it's been a long time since these teams' last meeting on Nov. 17.
"They've altered a little bit of the way they play, as we've altered a little bit of the way we play," Anaheim coach Boudreau told the Ducks website per NHL.com. "It's 62 games ago since we've played them, so both teams are like seeing each other for the first time. It makes for some interesting situations out there."
Game Preview & Live Stream
Details: Predators at Ducks Game 1.
Venue: Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif.
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT).
Radio: Nashville (WPRT 102.5); Anaheim (KLAA 830)
Prediction: Our predictions for this series can be found here.
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds can be found here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
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