Rested Ducks take aim at Blue Jackets

If the Columbus Blue Jackets want to know what is coming for them Tuesday night at Anaheim, they need to look no further than video of the Ducks' victory Sunday night against the Nashville Predators.

The Ducks' strategy was simple. Take a team in the Predators that had played one night earlier against the Los Angeles Kings and get the early jump. Be aggressive, send the puck to the net and keep up the pressure.

It worked, although, the Ducks still needed to pull off the victory in a shootout, when Ryan Getzlaf scored the deciding goal. The veteran also had three assists in regulation.

With the Blue Jackets coming off a game against the Kings on Monday, expect the Ducks to travel down the same road, although they might not set the early tone exactly as they did Sunday.

The second the opening puck was dropped against the Predators, Anaheim's Nicolas Deslauriers squared off in a fight with Nashville's Austin Watson. The Ducks' offense took it from there, with 21 first-period shots to just four from the Predators. It was Anaheim's season high in any period this season.

And yet it still took a three-goal flurry in the second period and the shootout to end a three-game losing streak (0-2-1).

"I loved the way we started the game," Getzlaf told reporters afterward. "(Deslauriers) comes out and gets us going on a Sunday. Our group responded properly and shot everything we saw in the first period. We built our game through there. In this league, it's going to be hard to win giving up four goals, but we found a way."

The Blue Jackets scored four goals Monday in a 4-2 victory over the Kings. Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the first period before Nathan Gerbe and Scott Harrington scored goals less than three minutes apart in the second period for Columbus.

Two more goals in the third period from Kevin Stenlund and Gustav Nyquist gave the Blue Jackets the victory, one game after their 12-game points streak ended with a home defeat to the San Jose Sharks.

After Tuesday's game against the Ducks, the Blue Jackets will get a chance at redemption on Thursday against the Sharks in San Jose, but first things first. Columbus has no business overlooking anybody, since they still aren't in a playoff spot despite the recent points streak.

What Columbus really needs is improved health. Nine regulars remain out, including goalie Joonas Korpisalo. But center Emil Bemstrom (ribs) and defenseman Markus Nutivaara (head) did return Monday.

Right winger Cam Atkinson (ankle) could be ready to return against the Ducks. He participated in practice Monday, skating on a line with Nyquist and Pierre-Luc Dubois.

"I can skate, but it's the things that make me the player I am that are kind of holding me back -- and, of course, putting myself in a vulnerable position, where I don't want to have setbacks," Atkinson said, according to the Columbus Dispatch. "Out there practicing is one thing, but I still have tweaks, and it scares me."

--Field Level Media