One train of thought was that the Ducks’ depth and defense would eventually wear down the Nashville Predators in their first-round playoff series.
So far, the Ducks are in danger of not lasting long enough to do so.
The Predators did all the dirty work in Game 2 for a 3-2 win Sunday at Honda Center that gives them a 2-0 series lead going back to Nashville.
The Predators scored three straight goals by outworking the Ducks down low, in front, along the boards and by generally crawling under their skin.
The Ducks got defenseman Kevin Bieksa back in their lineup and jumped to a 1-0 lead on a highlight goal by Andrew Cogliano, but Nashville took Anaheim out of its structure in a chippy, sometimes ugly game that officials struggled to control.