TORONTO — The narrative has teeth.



The Anaheim Ducks just needed to keep their heads above water in the opening half of the season through a plethora of injuries to key players and once healthy make their second-half run.



And then, watch out.



Pity the team that draws a healthy Ducks team in the opening round if they sneak into the playoffs. They remind me so much of last year’s Nashville Predators team, a No. 8 seed who found their form late in the season.



There’s just one small catch with the Ducks narrative: They have to get into the playoffs to pull this all off.



“It was about survival the whole first half of the season,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said Monday morning. “We’re trying to find our stride. Ultimately, it’s about trying to get into the playoffs now and we know it’s going to be a fight to the end. We don’t plan on being comfortable by any means until we get...