"You saw [their loss] a little bit on their power play," Payne said. "You take a guy like Johansen out … he's a guy when the puck is on his stick, he takes charge, he takes control and is able to settle things down so they can execute the way they want.
"Other than that, I thought the centermen that stepped in there - [Colton] Sissons played big minutes and [Calle] Jarnkrok stepped up and played big minutes. Quite honestly, it became those two against [Ryan] Getzlaf and Kesler going forward. Getzlaf and Kesler have to recognize that's a matchup they still have to win."
Ducks goaltender Jonathan Bernier played the final two periods of Game 5 in relief of starter John Gibson, who sustained a lower-body injury. Gibson's status for Game 6 remains unclear.
Payne had the chance to observe Bernier with the Los Angeles Kings when they overlapped for a time. Bernier started his career with the Kings in 2007, was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013 and was traded back to the Ducks last summer.
Payne remembered some of Bernier's previous results against the Predators.
"Jonathan Quick's numbers against Nashville, in Nashville, have never been great and that's the game Jonathan Bernier always got," Payne said.
"I think Jonathan [Bernier] is more than capable of putting the kind of game together that can get the job done. He makes big saves and he makes athletic saves and he makes effort saves, and that's what you're going to need this time of year.
"What he does -- if he's playing in Game 6 -- that could potentially present a problem for Nashville [is] he makes a high-level play with the puck. He can get out. He can stop pucks. He can make a higher-level play and potentially bypass forechecks and allow Anaheim to get up ice, as long as he doesn't get too aggressive.
"That is something, much like Nashville uses [goaltender Pekka] Rinne. [The Ducks] now have a little bit of an asset back there in a guy that can make some clean plays. And he did some of that [Saturday] night."