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

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.

Predators: At Utah on Thursday.

Ducks: Host San Jose on Thursday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Anaheim Ducks' goaltender Lukas Dostal reaches of the puck against Nashville Predators' center Ryan O'Reilly (90) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif.. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)

Nashville Predators' right wing Joakim Kemell (25) hugs goaltender Justus Annunen (29) after an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)

Nashville Predators' goaltender Justus Annunen (29) saves a shot by Anaheim Ducks' center Ryan Poehling (25) 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)

Iran, the United States and Israel said they reached a deal for a two-week ceasefire war, with Tehran saying it would negotiate with the United States in Islamabad beginning Friday.

Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan, but he later called the plan fraudulent without elaborating.

Trump’s threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran hit a new extreme hours before the ceasefire when he warned, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran failed to make a deal that included reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement Wednesday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it supports Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but that it doesn’t include the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, where more than 1,500 people have been killed.

Here is the latest:

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday that the two-week ceasefire in the war in Iran “augurs well for the restoration of peace and stability, not only to the region but also the rest of the world.”

Indonesia also welcomed the latest development as an effort to keep the door open for diplomacy in order to promote de-escalation.

Yvonne Mewengkang, spokesperson for Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs, said: “The Indonesian government will always support any constructive diplomatic efforts, including those that have the potential to lead to a more permanent resolution, with the protection of civilians as our primary focus.”

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry in a statement praised mediation efforts by countries including Pakistan and called for a swift restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East. It said it expects the “prompt and safe” resumption of free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for all vessels, including South Korean ships.

Trump in a social media post declared the ceasefire agreement a “big day for World Peace” and that the U.S. “will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz.”

“There will be lots of positive action!” Trump predicted in his post.

“Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process. We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just ‘hangin’ around’ in order to make sure that everything goes well. I feel confident that it will.”

Trump’s message on his Truth Social website signals Washington’s concern about Iran maintaining its chokehold over the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which 20% of all oil and natural gas passes in peace time.

Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens Wednesday morning, hours after the U.S. and Iran say they reached a two-week ceasefire in the war for negotiations.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced the warning.

It wasn’t immediately clear from the ceasefire when it would begin.

Iran has fired missiles on the Gulf Arab states and Israel after the announcement.

Pro-government demonstrators chant slogans as they hold Iranian flags and a poster of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners carry the flag-draped bodies of three members of the Gershovich family, killed when an Iranian missile struck their building, during their funeral in Haifa, Israel, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Men carry the coffins with the bodies of Pierre Mouawad, an official with the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces party, and his wife during their funeral in Yahshush, Lebanon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Iranian pro-government demonstrators burn the U.S. and Israeli flags during a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)