Zegras injured as Ducks end losing streak

NASHVILLE, TENN. » Troy Terry scored a goal and assisted on another, Lukas Dostal made 39 saves and the Ducks defeated the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Tuesday night to snap a five-game losing streak.

The Ducks played most of the game without top-line left wing Trevor Zegras, who was injured just 6:25 into the first period when he and Predators forward Juuso Parssinen got tangled up. Zegras fell awkwardly into the boards near the Nashville bench. He had

to be helped off the ice and went straight to the locker room. At the first intermission, the Ducks announced that he would not return due to a lower-body injury.

“He’s not doing good; he’ll be out for a while,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said after the game.

Zegras was playing his eighth game after missing 20 with a lower-body injury.

Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano,

Mason McTavish and Radko Gudas also scored for the Ducks. Alex Killorn and Jackson LaCombe each had two assists.

Alexandre Carrier, Philip Tomasino and Denis Gurianov all scored in the third period and Juuse Saros made 28 saves for Nashville.

Strome scored the game’s first goal at 11:12 of the opening period.

Just eight seconds after serving a tripping penalty, Strome was sent in all alone on a breakaway by a 100-plus foot elevated backhand pass from the left faceoff dot in the Ducks zone by Killorn. Strome made a move on Saros before slipping a backhand between the goaltenders’ pads.

“Strome’s goal, (Killorn) punted it out and landed in a real great spot to pick it up and score,” Cronin said. “Overall, we’re looking at how we’re playing with structure and how competitive we are to get pucks back so that structure actually works out in scoring chances.”

Vatrano made it 2-0 at 14:11 of the first when he redirected LaCombe’s shot from the left side past Saros.

On his 23rd birthday, LaCombe had his first career two-point game.

“It was a fun game, and

I thought we played really well,” LaCombe said. “It was a big bonus, so it was fun.”

McTavish beat Saros with a tough-angle wrist shot just underneath the crossbar at 17:37 of the first with the Ducks on a power play to make it 3-0.

Terry scored at 3:05 of the second on a tap-in off of an Adam Henrique feed.

Like Strome, Gudas scored soon after serving a penalty, with Gudas’ coming at 3:16 of the third to make it 5-0, 10 seconds after he left the penalty box.

Gudas’ goal was his sixth of the season, equaling a career high.