The Anaheim Ducks surged to the Pacific Division title by winning 29 of their final 41 games, including 14 of 19 on home ice.
Suffice it to say that nobody expected them to be facing an 0-2 deficit when they boarded the plane for the trip to Music City.
Looking to avoid falling into a seemingly insurmountable hole, Anaheim needs to pick up a crucial win against the Nashville Predators as this Western Conference first-round series shifts to Bridgestone Arena for Game 3 on Tuesday night.
The Ducks were outstanding at home beginning midway through January, outscoring the opposition 62-31 while earning 30 of a possible 38 points, but that dominance seems like a distant memory after the first two of this series.
Nashville got timely scoring and excellent goaltending from Pekka Rinne in a pair of 3-2 victories that gave the club a 2-0 lead in a playoff series for the first time.
"I know this is cliche, but we can only worry about one game at a time," center Nate Thompson told Anaheim's official website. "No one thought we would be in this situation. We're dealt that hand, and we have to deal with it.
"We have to go into their barn and win the next one."
The Ducks had won four in a row at Bridgestone prior to this season before Nashville reversed the trend with a 5-1 victory Oct. 22 and a 3-2 win Nov. 17. Rinne was in net for both and stopped 65 of 68 shots, improving to 10-3-2 with a 2.33 goals-against average at home against Anaheim, including two wins in three playoff starts.
He had 27 saves in each of the first two games of this series, and one more strong performance can help put the Predators on the verge of winning a postseason series for the first time since ousting Detroit in the first round in 2012.
"We're playing one of the better teams in the West, and starting on the road," Rinne said. "So far, we've done a really good job. I know it's boring, but you just try to live in the moment and focus on the next one."
Nashville has responded defensively to Anaheim's aggressive approach and kept its big guns in check, limiting Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler to a goal apiece and Cory Perry to an assist. Those three combined for 178 points in the regular season.
Conversely, it's been the Predators' top two in points who have sparked a crisp and balanced offense. Filip Forsberg has a goal and two assists and Roman Josi has totaled three assists to help Nashville get its goals from six players.
"Everyone in this room believes that we're capable of doing this, and I think we showed we can beat any team," defenseman Mattias Ekholm told the team's official website after scoring in Game 2 on Sunday.
Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau had said he would stick with one goalie, favoring John Gibson after he played a bulk of the minutes down the stretch because of a concussion to Frederik Andersen, but the coach announced a switch after Tuesday's morning skate.
Gibson has allowed all six goals on 60 shots, but Boudreau said the change was more about trying to get his club playing better than anything Gibson was doing in net.
Andersen, who started 43 games this season, stopped 40 shots in a 4-2 home win over the Ducks on Nov. 1, but he came on in relief of Anton Khudobin late in the second period Nov. 17 and gave up all three goals on seven shots.
"The one thing about this team is our resiliency," said Boudreau, who also said after the skate that center Shawn Horcoff will make his playoff debut. "This team has been through some really tough times this year, so this is no different right now."
