Ducks take Game 5, push Predators to edge of elimination

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Ryan Garbutt scored the go-ahead goal in the second period for the Ducks, who beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 on Saturday for the first win by a home team in their first-round series, which Anaheim leads 3-2.

Nashville had won the first two games in Anaheim before the Ducks tied it with two wins on the Predators' home ice.

David Perron scored the tying goal earlier in the second and assisted on Garbutt's goal along with Ryan Getzlaf.

The Ducks added three goals in the third. Sami Vatanen scored on a breakaway, Cam Fowler had a power-play goal and Ryan Kesler added an empty-netter.

Frederik Andersen stopped 27 shots for the Ducks.

Game 6 is Monday in Nashville.

Pekka Rinne had 27 saves for the Predators, who closed within a goal at 3-2 in the third on Miikka Salomaki's wrist shot before the Ducks put the game out of reach with a pair of goals.

Ryan Johansen scored for Nashville 22 seconds before the Ducks tied it in the second.

After a scoreless first, the teams combined for three goals in a span of 2:10. Johansen's backhander gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 14:13.

Perron scored his first playoff goal 22 seconds later on a slap shot from the point. The puck took a weird bounce, hitting defenseman Roman Josi before Rinne made a desperate stab with his left glove as it sailed over his head and into the net.

Garbutt gave the Ducks their first lead of the game at 16:23. He fought off two defenders while digging the puck out of the boards behind the net and stuffing it around the right post.

NOTES: The Ducks improved to 5-0-0 in postseason day games over the last 10 years. ... Nashville is 0-8 when losing three of the first five games in a playoff series. ... The Ducks had scored four goals in the first period of the series until Saturday. ... Anaheim has outscored Nashville 16-9 through five games.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Leave a Reply