Two Predators goals in the final 10 minutes doomed the Ducks, who played without Ryan Getzlaf for the third straight game, and lost their second in a row.
Mike Brown scored the lone goal for the Ducks at 7:45 of the first period, and Jonas Hiller stopped 33 of 35. But he was left to dry on the Preds’ second goal, when Jason Arnott was given plenty of space to complete an odd-man rush at 10:11 of the third period, snapping a shot into the top of the net to make it 2-1.
The Ducks(16-18-7) also failed to gain ground on another Western Conference opponent, while falling further back of the final playoff spot. Thanks to a Kings win over the Washington Capitals earlier Saturday, the Ducks sit 12 points out of eighth place. They’ll get another chance to make up ground Sunday, when they face the Central-leading Blackhawks in Chicago.
A scratch for most of December, Evgeny Artyukhin played his second consecutive game and picked up an assist. So did Petteri Nokelainen, as Anaheim’s fourth line combined for its only goal.
Geztlaf is accompanying the Ducks on their current three-game road trip but hasn’t played as he recovers from a lacerated leg.