Ducks try to even series with Predators Thursday

A change in net and location changed everything in this series.

One thing the Anaheim Ducks want to remain the same Thursday night is that only the road team wins.

That's been a surprise considering no Western Conference teams had fewer regulation home losses during the regular season than these first-round opponents, and Frederik Andersen can send his Ducks back to California with this series tied by winning in Nashville again.

It was the Predators who were going home happy to begin the week, having won 3-2 in each of the first two games in Anaheim. The Ducks had a West-low 10 home losses in regulation, one fewer than Nashville.

The Pacific Division champions faced a potential 0-3 series deficit as they headed to Bridgestone Arena, where they had lost both visits during the regular season and where the Predators had gone 9-1-4 since Feb. 15.

After John Gibson allowed six goals on 60 shots through two games, coach Bruce Boudreau turned to Andersen even though he had played once in April because of a concussion. The switch paid off as Andersen made 27 saves in the Ducks' 3-0 win.

"We had a business-like mindset," Andersen said. "We wanted to get back into this series. It was a huge game for us. We came ready to play in the first period, and did some of the things right that we wanted to improve upon from the last two games."

One of those things was taking better care of the puck. Anaheim had three giveaways Tuesday after combining for 35 in the first two games.

Boudreau didn't even mind that the Ducks gave up five power-play chances for a second straight game.

"We did control our emotions," he said. "The penalties we got, other than the too many men on the ice, they were earned. We'll take them. We are really proud of our penalty killers."

He also had to be proud of Andersen, who has a 17-1-2 record with a 1.89 goals-against average in his last 20 starts. It marked an impressive playoff return for a netminder who was torched for 18 goals in the final four games of last year's conference finals as the Ducks lost in seven to Chicago.

Andersen is 5-1-0 with a 2.36 GAA and .928 save percentage in six starts against Nashville after outplaying Pekka Rinne, who made only 18 saves Tuesday. Rinne had 27 in Games 1 and 2.

How well he plays won't matter much if the Predators don't find a way to score this time, and that would be made tougher if Craig Smith can't go. The second-line forward played just 65 seconds in Game 3 due to a lower-body injury, and his status for Thursday is unclear. Nashville hasn't played without him since December 2013.

Smith has a team-best plus-3 rating in the series with a goal and an assist in Game 2. His 21 goals were third-most on the Predators this season and his six game-winners led the team.

"Obviously you want him out there because he's a key part of our team, but we gotta find a way to shuffle around and just play better as a group," center Mike Fisher said.

Nashville went 0 for 5 on the power play and was outshot 18-14 in the first two periods, during which Anaheim scored all of its goals.

"We weren't quick, we weren't fast, we didn't use our legs and we didn't use our brains as fast as we needed to," center Ryan Johansen said. "That's why it looked easy out there for them."

Not for Corey Perry, who did have an assist on Richard Rakell's goal in Game 3 but hasn't scored in the series after recording a team-leading 34 goals. Perry hasn't gone four straight playoff games without one since 2013.

Game 5 is Saturday in Anaheim.