Justus Annunen stops 43 shots for 3rd career shutout in Predators' 5-0 win over Ducks

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Anaheim Ducks' center Mikael Granlund (64) fails to score against Nashville Predators' goaltender Justus Annunen (29) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif.. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)

Nashville Predators' right wing Joakim Kemell (25) celebrates with goaltender Justus Annunen (29) after an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif.. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante) — Anaheim Ducks' center Mikael Granlund (64) fails to score against Nashville Predators' goaltender Justus Annunen (29) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif.. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)

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1:03 AM on Wednesday, April 8

By MIKE DiGIOVANNA

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Justus Annunen stopped 43 shots — one shy of his career high — for his third career shutout, and the Nashville Predators sent the Anaheim Ducks to their sixth consecutive loss, 5-0 on Tuesday night.

Erick Haula, Filip Forsberg and Brady Skjei scored second-period goals, and Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov scored in the third for the Predators. Joakim Kemmell and Ryan O’Reilly each had two assists.

The win pushed Nashville (84 points) one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Predators have four regular-season games left.

The Ducks, who have been outscored 29-14 during their losing streak, remain stuck at 87 points. They also have four games remaining.

Anaheim fell one point behind Edmonton and Vegas in the Pacific Division. The Ducks are only three points ahead of the currently eighth-seeded Predators and four points ahead of the ninth-seeded Kings.

Nashville broke a scoreless tie when Haula took a pass in the high slot from Kemell and snapped a shot over Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal’s blocker for his 13th goal.

Forsberg made it 2-0 on the power play. The Swedish winger snapped a shot from the high slot that beat Dostal glove-side for his team-leading 73rd point.

The Ducks had a chance to get back into the game when a pair of Nashville tripping penalties gave Anaheim a man advantage for four minutes starting with 4:16 left and a two-man advantage for a 22-second span.

But the Ducks managed just one shot on goal during the long power play, and Skjei slipped past Anaheim’s leaky defense on a breakaway and snapped a shot over Dostal’s right shoulder for a short-handed goal and a 3-0 lead with 58 seconds left in the second.

Anaheim’s Jeffrey Viel then took elbowing and roughing penalties with 15 seconds left that gave Nashville a man advantage for four minutes, and boos rained down from the Honda Center at the end of the second period for the second straight game.

Up next

Predators: At Utah on Thursday.

Ducks: Host San Jose on Thursday.

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