Deceased duck needs to be removed before Ducks vs. Predators Game 4 (Video)

There was more than one kind of duck on the ice at Bridgestone Arena tonight.

During pre-game ceremonies on Thursday night, a Nashville Predators fan threw what appeared to be a dead mallard onto the ice before Game 4 of the NHL’s Western Conference Final against the Anaheim Ducks. The ice crew at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena worked quickly to get the duck out of the way, as the teams prepared for the opening face-off.

It remains unclear how a fan managed to get the animal past security at Bridgestone, nor whether or not they were ejected from the building after throwing it onto the ice. In a similar incident from Game 3, one Preds fan threw what appeared to be a skinned duck over the boards during a stoppage in play.

The fan responsible appears to be taking a page out of the Detroit Red Wings’ book, who are infamous in the hockey world for octopus-throwing.

The Predators come into this game up 2-1 in the series, their first-ever Conference Final appearance, after Roman Josi’s late goal won Game 3 for the home team. Anaheim jumped out to an early lead in this one, though, with Rickard Rakell’s seventh goal of the playoffs putting them up 1-0 just before the first intermission. The Ducks later added to their lead, with Nick Ritchie’s fourth of the postseason making it 2-0 midway through the second period.

The Ducks are looking to even up this series on the road before it shifts back to Anaheim on Saturday. The winner of this Western Conference Final will advance to play either the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Ottawa Senators for the Stanley Cup.

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Fans in Nashville were treated to Kelly Clarkson’s impressive rendition of the national anthem before the game, as Music City appears to be ramping up the festivities for the Preds’ deepest-ever playoff run.