The Anaheim Ducks vowed a better start in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final.
Those words didn’t carry over into action Sunday, as the Ducks fell behind 2-0 during the first period against the Nashville Predators.
Ryan Johansen continued his strong post-season, opening the scoring by beating John Gibson glove side less than five minutes into the first period.
Related: WATCH LIVE: Predators vs. Ducks - Game 2
Great finish from Johansen, but an even better stretch pass from Viktor Arvidsson -- a 31-goal scorer during the regular season and in the final year of his entry-level deal with an annual cap hit of just $631,667.
The Predators followed that up with a goal from James Neal right at the end of a power play, taking a 2-0 lead.
Johansen went from scorer to set-up man, as he gave Neal, the overtime hero from Friday, a beautiful pass at the side of the net, clearly fooling Gibson out of position.
That assist put Johansen up to 13 points in 12 playoff games this spring.
Sami Vatanen got the Ducks on the board with his first goal of the playoffs with a minute remaining in the first period.