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Predators-Ducks Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN

(AP) -- Coming off a loss to the defending champs, the Anaheim Ducks are surely looking forward to returning home.

The Nashville Predators, meanwhile, can't be excited about another visit to Honda Center, where the Ducks haven't lost in over a month.

Anaheim, which has yet to suffer back-to-back defeats, tries to win seven straight on its own ice for the first time in three seasons Wednesday night versus Nashville.

The Ducks (13-3-1) had won six in a row overall before coming up short 5-2 at Los Angeles on Monday. Thirty-year-old rookie Viktor Fasth, who entered that game having won each of his first eight starts, stopped 20 of 24 shots and Anaheim allowed three third-period goals.

"They're a good team, but so are we," Fasth told the team's official website. "We really wanted to win this game and it didn't work out. It's one of those games. We'll try to learn from this. ... We have another game (Wednesday), and we'll have to forget about this and move on."

The Ducks have to like their chances of doing just that on home ice. After falling 5-0 to Vancouver in its home opener, Anaheim has outscored opponents 21-13 during a 6-0-0 run - a stretch that began with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Predators on Jan. 26. The Ducks haven't won seven straight home contests since a franchise-record 11-game run in 2009-10.

Anaheim, which had dropped six straight in the series prior to last month's victory, also pulled out a 3-2 shootout win at Nashville on Feb. 16.

After suffering their second consecutive shutout Saturday in a 4-0 loss at Detroit, the Predators (9-6-5) bounced back in a big way Monday versus Dallas. Second-year defenseman Roman Josi scored twice and added two assists, notching his second goal 28 seconds into overtime of a 5-4 victory.

The Predators, who outshot the Stars 31-24, trailed 4-2 midway through the second period before rallying. Mike Fisher tied the game with his 200th career goal in the third.

"We got a couple of big momentum goals," said Patric Hornqvist, who also scored. "We found a way to win. That's what a good team does."

The Predators figure to become all the more formidable if Josi can build on his impressive effort. The Switzerland native had just one goal and two assists in his first 19 contests, but coach Barry Trotz saw improvements in his game.

"The last couple of games, he's played with a lot of jump," said Trotz, whose team has needed extra time in half of its 20 games. "I think he's finding himself as a player in this league. He's very comfortable and he's playing in all situations and he's becoming a very important part of our team."

Despite allowing four goals in each of his last two contests, Pekka Rinne improved to 8-3-1 with a 1.63 goals-against average over his last 12 starts with 20 saves Monday. Rinne is 7-0-2 with a 1.58 GAA in his last nine matchups against Anaheim, with both those losses coming this season

Fasth, who's opposed Rinne in those two games, is 3-0-0 with a 1.30 GAA at home. Jonas Hiller is 3-1-0 at home despite a 3.44 GAA. He is 3-8-0 lifetime against Nashville.

The Predators are 0-2-1 over their last three road games and have gone just 3 for 35 (8.6 percent) on the power play in opposing arenas on the season.

Captain Shea Weber, who suffered a bloody hit to the face on a high stick while playing in his 500th game Monday, has three goals and four assists over the last seven contests.

Updated February 26, 2013