Frederik Andersen and Ducks win the head games in 3-0 victory over Predators in Game 3

Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen used his head Tuesday to stop a blistering slap shot by Nashville defenseman Shea Weber. His teammates used their heads in a different way, staying out of scrums and maintaining their composure well enough to rein in the Predators and get back into a playoff series they had seemed intent on giving away.

Emphatically criticized by Coach Bruce Boudreau after losing their cool and losing their first two games to the Predators, the Ducks responded with a disciplined and impressive effort in a 3-0 victory at Bridgestone Arena. Andersen, who had backed up John Gibson in the first two games, barely blinked after taking that missile of a shot on his mask about eight minutes into the second period. “I was happy I wasn’t Freddie, that’s for sure,” said winger Chris Stewart, who set up the Ducks’ first goal, by Jamie McGinn, at 10 minutes 5 seconds of the first period.

Or, as Boudreau said, “Ouch. Those things hurt.”

Andersen, who made 27 saves to earn his second career playoff shutout, said he didn’t even get a scar or a bruise to show for his save. “I think it bounced off the top of my head instead of square on the forehead,” said Andersen, who paused only to fix the buckle on the mask before getting back into action.

If he was lucky in that instance, he also was good. The Predators took 13 of their shots in the third period, when the Ducks were called for two penalties. In all, they neutralized five Nashville advantages. “They were the better team,” Predators center Ryan Johansen said, and there was no argument to be made.

McGinn’s goal represented the first time the Ducks held a lead after any period in the series; Rickard Rakell’s backhand, between-the-legs redirection of what he called a “shot-pass” from defenseman Sami Vatanen at 11:33 of the second period gave the Ducks their first two-goal lead in the series. Stewart, who played only seven minutes and 13 seconds on a revamped fourth line, made good use of his limited time by scoring the third goal by backhanding his own rebound beyond the reach of Pekka Rinne at 17:06 of the second period.

“We came with a businesslike mind-set. We wanted to get back in the series. A huge game for us,” Andersen said. “We came ready to play in the first and did some of the things right we wanted to improve from the last two games.”

Those things included being smart and persistent and going back to the defense-first approach that enabled them to dig out of a deep hole in the second half of the regular season. They outhit the Predators, 29-27, but avoided the pushing and shoving and yapping that had gotten them in trouble in the first two games.

“At this time of year it’s about harnessing your energy and using it for the good,” Stewart said. “You can’t get caught up in all that stuff after the whistle. You’re just going to hurt yourself and you’re wasting energy and we need it this time of the year.”

In addition, center Shawn Horcoff, reinstated after being a healthy scratch in the first two games, had the primary assist on McGinn’s goal and won seven of nine faceoffs. Andersen praised Horcoff for having “a veteran presence, both on the ice and in the locker room,” an influence that seemed to help his teammates settle down and settle in for a strong effort.

“I don’t think we did anything special. I think we just played our style of hockey and we frustrated them, made a conscious effort to stay off the referees,” defenseman Kevin Bieksa said. “You didn’t see one guy talking to them in a negative way, and there were some calls that in the past we probably would get up and have the whole bench yelling at them, but we made a conscious effort to stay off and build that good will again, and it was a good game for us.”

There’s room for improvement in Game 4, to be played Thursday at Bridgestone Arena. The Ducks gave their penalty killers a heavy load to handle, and although Boudreau had no quarrel with any of the penalties, aside from a too-many-men call early in the third period, he knows it’s not wise to tempt fate.

“We’re going to have to make some adjustments. They are,” he said. “They will come out like a house on fire, I’m sure.”

But winning on Tuesday set a blueprint for the rest of the Ducks’ playoff journey, however long it might be. “We just want to keep playing like this moving forward,” Rakell said, another Duck using his head.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

Twitter: @helenenothelen