Hungry Predators feasting on Ducks

The Nashville Predators crowded around goaltender Pekka Rinne at the final horn and basked in the relative silence at Honda Center.

After a remarkable two-game start to the postseason, the Predators are halfway to a playoff series victory that almost nobody outside their dressing room expected.

Craig Smith had a goal and an assist, Pekka Rinne made 27 saves and the Predators confidently claimed their second straight road victory to open the series, 3-2 over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night.

Shea Weber and Mattias Ekholm also scored as Nashville took a 2-0 playoff series lead for the first time in franchise history with another win over the Pacific Division champions.

"We're playing one of the better teams in the West, and starting on the road," Rinne said.

"So far, we've done a really good job. You just try to live in the moment and focus on winning the next one."

Game 3 is 1,800 miles away on Tuesday night in Nashville, where the Ducks will be even more desperate after failing to impose their physical will in Game 2.

"We played a heck of a road game," Ekholm said. "It's not always pretty, but we're always battling hard. We kept calm through the whole game and didn't give them much. There was a scrum after almost every whistle, but we didn't try to hit them back."

Smith got the tiebreaking goal midway through the second period on a slick setup from Filip Forsberg, and Weber's booming shot put the Predators up 3-1 during a powerplay.

Nate Thompson cut into the lead with 2:42 to play, but Nashville closed out just its second road playoff victory since 2012.

Andrew Cogliano scored and John Gibson stopped 24 shots for the Ducks, who have lost four straight postseason games dating to last year's Western Conference finals.