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Ducks’ dwindling playoff hopes take another hit

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About all there is to say is that the Ducks found a new variation on a way to lose Friday night.

They weren’t awful and they didn’t cough up a big lead. But a run of penalties late in the first period gave the Nashville Predators a five-on-three power play, and a goal by defenseman Shea Weber held up for a 1-0 victory at the Honda Center.

Nashville’s Pekka Rinne made 31 saves for his fourth shutout this season.

As for the Ducks, they still haven’t won since the Olympic break, last celebrating a victory Feb. 14.

Since their eight Olympians returned home with a collection of seven medals, they are 0-4-1 and have been shut out twice while being outscored, 18-8.

Only three points out of a playoff berth before the break, they are now nine points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot with 15 games left — numbers that are becoming increasingly irrelevant.

“We’ve got to find a way to win a game,” said goaltender Jonas Hiller, who made 28 saves. “We give up that goal, five-on-three, I think they were kind of two unnecessary penalties, and we got punished for it. “

The Ducks finished the first period by committing three penalties in a 2½-minute span — two on defenseman Aaron Ward and the final one a high-sticking call against Ryan Getzlaf that gave Nashville a five-on-three power play. The Predators quickly converted, with Weber scoring on a one-timer with 2:06 left in the first period for the only goal Nashville would need.

“Those penalties obviously hurt us,” Getzlaf said. “It wasn’t like we thought it would be the deciding factor, but everything can be now. That’s something, obviously, we have to realize as a group, myself included.”

Getzlaf took responsibility for his error, calling it “one of those ones where I didn’t have any business going over there.” He said the Ducks’ “overall desperation” needs to increase, a sentiment Coach Randy Carlyle echoed, saying the team’s emotional edge is “nowhere near where it needs to be.”

“I still think as a group, we don’t seem to be engaged emotionally in the hockey game,” Carlyle said. “For spurts, but not for 60 minutes right now. That’s what’s really been frustrating for everybody. The bench is quiet. The room is quiet. It’s like we’re waiting for something bad to happen.”

Bad things have happened, five games in a row.

“You just try to be positive,” Carlyle said. “It’s hard to be positive in the situation we’re in right now.”

It doesn’t get any easier. The Ducks’ next two opponents are San Jose and Chicago, the top two teams in the Western Conference.

“Losing is always terrible, especially the situation we’re in right now,” Hiller said.

Etc.

Ducks winger Teemu Selanne, two goals shy of 600 for his NHL career, returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game because of a flu-like illness. … Sunday’s 5 p.m. game against the Sharks will raise funds for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Discounted tickets are available at https://www.choc.com/chocnight or at (714) 532-8690.

robynnorwood@verizon.net

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