The first round series between the Ducks and Predators will be the last to start on Friday and that extra time was probably to Anaheim’s benefit.
The Anaheim Ducks have a few injured players, but defenseman Kevin Bieksa (upper body) and forwards Rickard Rakell (appendectomy) and David Perron (shoulder) might all be healthy enough to play in Game 1, per the Orange County Register’s Eric Stephens. We probably won’t find out for certain until just before the start of the contest though.
The trio served important roles on the Ducks during the regular season. Bieksa ate up 21 minutes per game, Perron had 20 points in 28 contests after being acquired from Pittsburgh, and Rakell was fourth on the team’s scoring list with 43 points in 72 contests.
The Ducks are the favorites going into this series against Nashville, but just seven points separated them in the standings. Any weakness the Ducks have might be exploited by Nashville and the last thing the Ducks want is to have depth issues stemming from injuries. Fortunately for them, it looks like they might not need to deal with that challenge.