The Anaheim Ducks did it the old-fashioned way, they earned it.
After the Vancouver Canucks denied them victory in their Friday night home opener, they got a shot at redemption the very next night when the Nashville Predators came to town.
Any Ducks fan who'd witnessed Friday night's 5-0 loss, had to cringe after witnessing the beginning of Saturday night's game.
The Ducks had gained possession in the Nashville zone. Cam Fowler had the puck on the blueline and tried to pass the puck across to his defensive partner, Bryan Allen. The pass was anything but perfect. Brandon Yip was able to knock the puck away from Allen, and the speedy winger was gone on a clean breakaway; 1-0 Nashville.
This game also marked the NHL debut for Ducks' goaltender Viktor Fasth. Fasth is a 30 year old rookie from Sweden.
The Predators are known for great defensive play and goaltending, so they made good use of the early tally as there would be no more scoring in the 1st period.
The 1-0 lead held up until the 19:27 mark of the second Period, when Bobby Ryan got the puck past All-star goaltender Pekka Rinne.
The 1-1 tie lasted until David Legwand scored at 10:09 to put Nashville back in front. The Ducks answered right back, as Red hot Daniel Winnick scored his fifth goal of the season just 1:03 later.
Tied 2-2 at the end of regulation, a scoreless 5 minute overtime ensued.
The shootout came next. Martin Erat, Mike Fisher, and David Legwand were all stonewalled by Viktor Fasth.
Though Pekka Rinne was able to stop Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry scored on his shootout attempt, lifting the Ducks to a 3-2 victory.
Viktor Fasth was named #1 star of the game.
Both teams won 26 faceoffs in the game. Shots on goal at the end of regulation were even at 19. The shot totals at the end of each period, were also even. 7 in the 1st, 6 in the 2nd, and 6 in the 3rd. Neither team scored on the power play.
Anaheim is now 3-1 on the season. Their next game will be Tuesday night, on the road vs the San Jose Sharks.
Ducks line combinations:
1) Getzlaf/Perry/Palmieri
2) Bonino/Selanne/Ryan
3) Koivu/Cogliano/Winnick
4) Rakell/Beleskey/Staubitz
Defense pairings:
Fowler/Allen
Beauchemin/Lydman
Sbisa/Souray
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Email: Charles@Officialinsidesports.com
Twitter: @TheInsideSports
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