The Nashville Predators were impressive at the beginning of their playoff series with the Anaheim Ducks as well as the end, and that allowed them to overcome a three-game losing streak in the middle.
The Predators picked up a 2-1 victory on the road in Game 7 of their series with the Ducks on Wednesday night, and that allowed them to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Preds will begin their series with the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.
The Preds jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Collin Wilson and Paul Gaustad, and they kept the Ducks off the board until Ryan Kesler scored a power-play goal early in the third period.