Predators Ducks Betting – Nashville’s Second-Round Dreams Come True, Undisciplined Ducks Go Home
Online betting players will have an intriguing matchup in the Western Conference, and picking a series between a No.4 and a No.5 seed is always tough to do. Fourth-seeded Anaheim will bring their high-powered attack against a defensive-minded fifth seed in Nashville, who have two major advantages in this series: goaltending and discipline. Expect those to be the difference as the Predators move onto the second round for the first time in their history.
- What: NHL Betting
- When: Game 1 begins on Wednesday, April 13th, at 10:30 PM ET in Anaheim
- Where: Games 1,2,5,7 (Honda Center, Anaheim); Games 3,4,6 (Bridgestone Arena, Nashville)
- Pick: Nashville Predators
Why Bet On Nashville Predators
The Predators won seven of their last 10 to finish fifth in the Western Conference, and they’re also looking for their first playoff series win in their history. Their strength is in their defense as the Predators are second in the league in goals against, and fourth on the penalty kill, powered by goalie Pekka Rinne, who many think should win the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best puck-stopper. Shea Weber leads a young defense in which 27-year-old Shane O’Brien is the oldest player, but Ryan Suter has quietly emerged as one of the best defensemen in the game over the past couple of seasons. Offensively, the Predators don’t have any big names like the Ducks, and the duo of Martin Erat and Sergei Kostitsyn are tied for the lead with 50 points apiece. But they know they don’t have to play an all-out offensive attack with their strong defense, and especially with a goalie like Rinne behind them. If the Predators can get three goals, they can give themselves a good chance of winning the game.
But the last thing in the world that the Predators want to do is get into a shootout with the Ducks, because they don’t have the offensive firepower to hang with Anaheim’s top players. Nashville’s power play is 26th in the league, and they could put a game or two away if they were more efficient as the Ducks are fifth in penalty minutes, so the Predators will get their chances. It’s surprising their power play isn’t better, considering they have one of the offensive defensemen in the game in Weber, whose point shot is second to only Boston’s Zdeno Chara.
Why Bet On Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks surged down the stretch, and they’ve managed to hold it together in the face of injuries to their goalies. First it was Jonas Hiller who went down, then the Ducks tried to patch it up by giving Ray Emery another chance. Emery played very well in the 10 games where he was in action, but then he went on the disabled list, so the Ducks picked up Dan Ellis from Tampa Bay, and Ellis carried Anaheim the rest of the way. Offensively, the Ducks have a foursome as good as anyone in the league as Corey Perry is garnering Hart Trophy consideration with 98 points, while Teemu Selanne is playing as well as he did when he was 25…..but now he’s 40. Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan are both capable of carrying the team, while Lubomir Visnovsky is the point man on a power play that is third in the NHL. Don’t forget about Saku Koivu, either, and as you can see, the Ducks are loaded offensively.
But the Ducks could be shaky for NHL betting players as their defense is inconsistent, and even though it got a little better with the reacquisition of Francois Beauchemin, they’re still not that great, which puts a ton of pressure on the goalie of the moment (in this case, Ellis). The Ducks are also a terrible 5-on-5 team, coming in 21st in the league. Anaheim is very dependent on their offense and especially their power play, and as we said before, the Ducks take a lot of penalties, so they’ll have to be more disciplined.
How The Series Will Play Out
The Ducks are -130 NHL betting favorites in this series against the Predators, who come in at +110, but it was Nashville who won three of four against Anaheim this season. Rinne is 3-0 against the Ducks with a 2.21 GAA and a .945 save percentage, and he could be the star of the show for the Predators. This will be a series a matchups, and the Predators are second-best in the NHL at staying out of the penalty box, which takes away a lot of the strength that Anaheim has. The Ducks have had a strong run since March, but we think it stops here as the Predators have enough discipline and defense to keep Anaheim’s top stars quiet. Go with the Nashville Predators in your sports betting picks.
Predators Ducks Betting Pick: Nashville Predators
