W2W4: Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks, Game 7

5:47 PM ET

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Game 7s, like the first-round finale between the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday, are when veteran players make their presence felt, on and off the ice.

Enter Ducks blueliner Kevin Bieksa, 34, who went 2-1 in his three Game 7s during his 10 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks.

There’s a specific approach to Game 7, Bieksa said Wednesday morning after Anaheim’s skate at Honda Center.

“This morning I’ve been pretty strategic,” Bieksa said. “I’m hoping it rubs off. You want to be focused but you also want to be loose and not too tight. You want to make sure every pass is on the tape. I don’t think I saw one missed pass out there today, which is a good sign.

“As the day goes on, you stick to your routine. But you remain confident. You walk around with a confidence and swagger, for sure.”

I made the mistake of asking Bieksa about his last Game 7.

“So I should punch you now or after?” he joked. “Yeah, it was the only one I lost.”

He was referring to the 2011 Stanley Cup finals between Vancouver and Boston. Bieksa has been part of Game 7 wins over Chicago and Dallas.

What’s different this time around is that his kids, ages 8 and 6, are into it.

“It’s funny, because they’re at the age where they get it now,” said Bieksa. “I walked them to school this morning, and half the teachers had jerseys on and all the kids have these orange ‘Go Ducks’ jerseys on. So they’re into it. There’s a ton of support around the neighborhood, which is nice to see.”

Speaking of the 2011 Cup finals … Bieksa and Anaheim’s Ryan Kesler were among the Canucks players that Vancouver native Ryan Johansen cheered for as a teenager. And even though he had already been drafted by Columbus in 2010, Johansen was hoping Vancouver would win Game 7 in the 2011 Cup finals, the last few moments of his Canucks fanhood before it gave way to life as a pro player.

Predators center Ryan Johansen, …

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