Mike Fisher, acquired at the trade deadline from Ottawa, was the star for Nashville in Game 1 with two goals and an assist, and Pekka Rinne made 27 saves as the Predators won a road opener in the playoffs for the second year in a row. Nashville has yet to win a playoff series as the team has been knocked out in the first round all five times it has made the postseason. Fisher's second goal, on a wrist shot through traffic, prompted Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle to pull former Nashville goalie Dan Ellis with 19:04 to play. And it appears Ellis, who allowed the four goals on 24 shots, will stay on the bench.

Ray Emery missed the final two regular-season games with a lower-body injury but was well enough to replace Ellis on Wednesday and was solid in mop-up duty. Carlysle all but said that Emery would start assuming he gets through Friday’s morning skate at 100 percent health. Emery wasn’t even in the NHL as late as February. Friday would be his first playoff start since being in net for Ottawa when the Senators lost to the Ducks in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals.

Anaheim's Corey Perry, who led the NHL in goals, finished the game minus-three with five shots. It was just the second time in the past 13 game he didn’t record a point. The Ducks hadn't scored fewer than two goals in their last 16 games.

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