Henrique, Getzlaf power Ducks to 5-4 SO win over Predators
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Anaheim Ducks started shooting early, and they never stopped. It was a successful formula, one they want to use more often.
Adam Henrique had two goals and an assist, Ryan Getzlaf got the deciding goal in the fifth round of the shootout and also had three assists, and the Ducks beat the Nashville Predators 5-4 Sunday night.
“I think it was another one of those things where we’re shooting the puck first, ask questions later,” said Henrique, who had his first three-point game of the season. “And I thought we got the chemistry going there. It was good, certainly good to get on the score sheet and a good night for us.”
Daniel Sprong had a power-play goal and an assist, and Cam Fowler also scored to help the Ducks end a three-game losing streak. John Gibson made 22 saves.
Craig Smith scored twice, and Rocco Grimaldi and Austin Watson each had a goal for the Predators, who have lost four of five. Juuse Saros made 43 saves.
Roman Josi had an assist to extend his point streak to 10 games, the longest ever by a Nashville defenseman. Josi has seven goals and 11 assists during his point streak, passing Shea Weber’s run of nine straight games with a point from Dec. 31, 2010, to Jan. 16, 2011. It was Josi’s 10th assist in the past six games.
The Ducks started pelting Saros with shots immediately, building a 21-4 advantage in the first period. Anaheim went up 1-0 with 7:54 left in the first when Henrique backhanded his own rebound in, but Watson tipped Colin Blackwell’s shot from the point past Gibson to tie it with 49 seconds remaining.
Even after falling behind 2-1 on Smith’s first power-play goal of the season at 2:59 of the second period, the Ducks stuck with the high-volume approach and were rewarded with three goals on 15 shots.
Fowler tied it up with a wrist shot with 7:26 left in the period, and Sprong put Anaheim back in front with 5:08 remaining by following up Fowler’s one-timer for his first goal.
Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said Sprong’s sixth career multi-point game was a reflection of the 22-year-old’s continued improvement.
“I think he’s really starting to understand how important it is to play without the pucks, and I think it was a nice step in the right direction,” Eakins said. “The key there is to keep that momentum in your game and not to go back to old habits, but a nice start for him.”
Henrique made it 4-2 with 3:38 to go on the power play when Sam Steel’s shot struck his right skate and careened in.
Despite playing the second game of a back-to-back and trailing 4-2, the Predators showed enough resolve to earn a point. Smith pulled them within one at 4:13 of the third, and Grimaldi, the Anaheim native, tied it at 6:30 with a sharp-angle shot after Josi lost his footing readying a backhand shot.
Grimaldi had two goals and two assists against the two Southern California teams, but Predators coach Peter Laviolette said his latest multi-point performance didn’t capture the influence Grimaldi had in turning the game around.
“Rocco was terrific,” Laviolette said. “He got going in the second and third period, and I thought that line started to take over the game for us. They were really dominant out there. Every time they were on the ice good things were happening and scored some big goals for us.”
NOTES: Henrique had his second multi-goal game of the season. … Predators F Matt Duchene (illness) and D Dante Fabbro (upper body) did not play for the second straight game. Nashville also scratched D Dan Hamhuis. ... Ducks F Rickard Rakell missed his sixth game because of an upper-body injury.
UP NEXT
Predators: Host Boston on Tuesday night.
Ducks: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.
