Ducks aren’t up to task

The Ducks and the Nashville Predators have been fighting for supremacy in the Western Conference for most of the season.

The Predators continued to pad their lead in the West, shutting down the Ducks, 3-0, Saturday night at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

It was the Predators’ second straight win over the Ducks and their first regulation win over Anaheim since Oct. 9, 2003.

“I think both teams are similar in a lot of ways,” Nashville Coach Barry Trotz said. “We both have the ability to skate, to create off the rush and the transition, and we both have good goaltending.

“I think our defense many be a little deeper, but we don’t have two studs like Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger who have loads of experience. Once they get Niedermayer back in there it will probably give them the edge up front with their top four just on experience.”

Nashville goalie Tomas Vokoun made 36 saves for his third shutout of the season and 19th overall. Vokoun stopped short of calling it his best outing since returning from a thumb injury Jan. 9.

“I’m getting there,” Vokoun said. “Getting a shutout is a good thing. Our guys played smart defensively.”

Jason Arnott scored a power-play goal and had an assist on Steve Sullivan’s power-play goal. Dan Hamhuis scored the other goal for the Predators.

Hamhuis scored at 4:52 of the first period. He fired a slap shot from the left point that bounced off the Ducks’ Teemu Selanne and over goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s shoulder.

Arnott scored 56 seconds into the second period. Kimmo Timonen, skating high in the slot, passed to Arnott, who hammered a one-timer past Giguere from the left faceoff circle.

With 12 seconds left, Sullivan struck on a five-on-three power play. Sullivan shoved the puck past Giguere in heavy traffic in front of the net.

“The puck wasn’t rolling our way,” Giguere said. “It didn’t seem like we had the energy we usually have. It was a frustrating game.”

The game was a physical one, with Timonen one target for the Ducks. Tempers flared in the final few minutes, with Sean O’Donnell and Travis Moen of the Ducks both earning fighting majors and game misconducts at 18:39.

Nashville’s Shea Weber was given a fighting major and a game misconduct, Scott Hartnell received a fighting major and Darcy Hordihcuk was hit with a 10-minute misconduct.