For our money, the Anaheim Ducks were the better of the two teams on the ice in Game 1 of their series against the Nashville Predators. The better team doesn't always win though, and in this case, Nashville stole the first game of this best-of-seven series. Now, the Ducks are facing what might be a must-win in Game 2 on Sunday night.
You can bet on NHL odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Ducks were -157 favorites at home in Game 1, and though they looked the part of the favorites, they weren't able to get anything past Pekka Rinne in the decisive third period.
When home teams lose Game 1, they're always favored by a greater margin to win Game 2. We expect to see Anaheim at a price of at least -165 on Sunday.
GOALIE REPORT
All sorts of credit goes out to Rinne for the way he played in the third period. The Ducks only managed seven shots on goal in the final stanza, but he made some huge saves to help secure the victory.
For the night, Rinne stopped 25 of his 27 shots faced.
John Gibson had some strong moments as well, but he gave up the goal to Filip Forsberg which Game 1 will be remembered most for. Will Bruce Boudreau turn the net over to Frederik Andersen? It'd be a tough break for Gibson if he does, because his 30-for-33 night in the pipes, though not spectacular, wasn't bad either.
LIVE BETTING
Though it isn't obvious when looking at the core stats, digging a little deeper into the stats from Game 1 will show you which team was the better of the two. The Ducks had more scoring chances and won over 60 percent of the faceoffs, including some big ones late in the third period.
The problem though, is that they also had 22 giveaways in the game, and that's just not going to cut it. The real key in this one is whether or not Anaheim can cut down on the sloppy play and start to work pucks out of the corners and into the open ice.
Both Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler tickled the twine in Game 1, but aside from their one moment of brilliance, both men will be remembered for mistakes made handling the puck more than anything else.
QUICK PICK
Nashville started this series with guns blazing, as James Neal scored 35 seconds into the game. From that point forward though, it was really all Anaheim.
Peter Laviolette mentioned during his in-game interview that his team has to stay out of the penalty box. The Preds took four penalties in the game, and the Ducks converted their 5-on-3 opportunity into their first goal of the game.
As tensions rise in this series, we expect to see the Ducks start to pull away. They're still the more talented of these teams, and they need to use their speed to counter a Nashville squad which clearly won the pace battle in Game 1.
If Anaheim does that, it should rebound nicely in Game 2 to level this series.
NHL Odds: Anaheim 4, Nashville 1
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly interface on your smartphone or tablet provides an easy way to place bets on the go.
Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! Game 2 of the series between the Nashville Predators and the Anaheim Ducks will start at 10:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 17, 2016 at the Honda Center. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
