The Anaheim Ducks face the Nashville Predators with both teams looking to improve from slow starts to the season. The Ducks have a 6-15-1 record and with only two wins in their last 10 games have fallen into last place in the Pacific Division. The Predators have a 9-9-2 and are near the bottom of the Central Division. Both teams are looking to improve in the Western Conference and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Ducks are having an awful season with their offense struggling immensely, scoring only 2.55 goals per game. Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras have scored only 17 goals and 26 assists while Adam Henrique and Ryan Strome have added 12 goals and 12 assists to the top two lines but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only four skaters have scored five goals or more while only six skaters have added seven assists or more, allowing opposing defenses to eliminate the hapless offense with ease.
Along with the offense playing poorly, the defense has also struggled, allowing 4.23 goals per game including 10 goals in the last two games. Kevin Shattenkirk, Cam Fowler, and Dmitry Kulikov have combined for 1.6 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has been awful, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. In addition, goaltender Anthony Stolarz has struggled in the net with a .890 save percentage and a 3.75 goals-against average on 227 shots.