In Anaheim, the visiting Nashville Predators got goals from six different skaters on Friday and swamped the Ducks, 6-1.
Colton Sissons scored in the first period to get the Preds offense rolling for a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Juuse Saros made 26 saves in the Nashville win.
The Predators improved to 15-14-5.
The line of Sissons, Juuso Parssinen (two assists), and Filip Forsberg drove the offense.
“We had a pretty productive night,” Sissons said of his line. “I think we were all feeling pretty good finding each other and making plays, so hopefully we can continue to build that.”
Forsberg had a goal and three points.
“[They] are so strong on the puck, I just try to do that as well,” Forsberg said. “We’re all built pretty similar, and we think the game pretty similar as well.”
Sam Carrick was the lone striker for Anaheim, his goal tied the game, 1-1, early in the middle frame.
“When we are playing our best, we are winning those puck battles, playing with the puck and making the right decisions when we get the puck,” Carrick said. “We just didn’t really do that tonight.”
The Predators reclaimed the lead with a marker from Yakov Trenin in the second period for a 2-1 advantage.
“We need to all take a look in the mirror after that one and realize it’s not an ‘X’s and O’s’ thing,” Anaheim forward Troy Terry said. “We just got outworked and outwilled. That’s what that team does, and we can’t let it happen.”
The Ducks dropped to 10-23-4.
“We’re doing our best to compete every night. That’s the reality of where our team’s at,” Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. “When you are a team like that, you can’t make any mistakes.”
Forsberg pushed the lead to 3-1 in the second.
“I thought tonight we were hungry to get rebounds, to look to score, to screen the goalie, and that makes a big difference; being there versus being there with a purpose,” Nashville coach John Hynes said. “I thought tonight we were there with a purpose.”
Nashville came out in the third looking to put the game away, and hit for three goals in the frame.
Thomas Novak, Roman Josi (power play), and Nino Niederreiter all had markers in the period.
“I thought we were riding them pretty good down low for a while, especially in the second period there after their goal,” Forsberg said. “We kind of took it back to them. I think that’s something we’ve been missing a little bit throughout the season so, hopefully, we can add a little bit more to that.”
John Gibson made 37 saves in the Ducks loss.
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