VIDEO: Rest Not Rust, Ducks Return To Beat The Kings 4-2

Photo: AP

By Aaron Francis

The Ducks and Kings continued the Freeway Faceoff series at Staples Center on a very special night. The Kings honored longtime broadcaster Bob Miller, and the game was the main event of Hockey Day SoCal. John Gibson and  Jonathan Quick lead their respective teams out to the ice.

First Period 

As the ceremony came to a close the two SoCal rivals hit the ice and it was an intense game from the start. Three fights broke out on the ice one after another. To start Jared Boll made his return to the lineup known as he and Kurtis MacDermid squared off.

On the next draw, Andy Andreoff challenged Kevin Bieksa to a rematch. Bieksa had fought Andreoff in their prior meeting sidelining the Kings forward. The two exchanged good blows before tumbling to the ice.

And like clockwork on the next face-off, Nick Ritchie dropped the gloves with Kyle Clifford. Ritchie threw a hard fist that dropped Clifford.

The game could finally continue and the Ducks would be called for a penalty not long after. LA had a few chances that Gibson was able to handle and the Ducks killed off the minor. Anaheim would get on the board first as Ondrej Kase took a wrist shot that beat Quick 5-hole, 1-0 Ducks. Anaheim would get a power play after Drew Doughty was called for interference. The Ducks extended their lead as Ryan Kesler turned and shot the puck past Quick for a power play goal, 2-0 Ducks. Shots at the end of the first were 7 to 5 LA.

Second Period 

The score stayed the same at the end of this period as the two rivals continued to play hard. The Kings came out strong to start the period, making chances for themselves in the Ducks zone. A shot from up high was saved by Gibson but the rebound found its way into the net. However, after reviewing the goal it was determined that Alex Iafallo had knocked the puck in with his hand, no goal. Anaheim had a chance to add another goal to their lead as the puck was passed across the slot to Brandon Montour on a 2-on-1 rush. Montour one-timed the puck upon receiving the pass but was met by the outstretched leg of Jonathan Quick. Another big momentum play this period came after Jared Boll threw a huge hit on Trevor Lewis allowing the Ducks to regain puck possession. Anaheim would be called for hooking and were forced to ward off the Kings offense killing the minor penalty. Shots at the end of the second were 15-12 LA.

Third Period

The Ducks faced a tough final period against the best third period team in the league this season. They gave LA an opening back into this game but were able to close the door and take home the 2 points. To start the period Anaheim dominated the play as Ryan Getzlaf had several opportunities. The Ducks capitalized on a big giveaway after Quick turned the puck over behind the net to Nick Ritchie who spotted Ondrej Kase for the empty net goal, 3-0 Ducks. The life seemed to leave the building after Kase’s second of the night extended Anaheim’s lead. Later in the period, however, a break in coverage allowed Nick Shore to fire the puck past Gibson and get LA on the board, 3-1 Ducks. With time winding down in the game things started to turn in LA’s favor as a rebound finds Anze Kopitar who scores, 3-2 Ducks. With less than 2 minutes remaining the Kings pulled Quick for the extra attacker. Tyler Toffoli received the puck allowing him to move in close to the Anaheim net until it was poked off his stick by a diving Josh Manson. This allowed the Ducks to regain possession and a turning Corey Perry hit the empty net, 4-2 Ducks. The final shot total was 25-22 LA.

Analysis

The Ducks played a textbook road game through the first two periods, limiting the Kings chances and making the most of their own chances. They gave up some ground in the third but never truly sat back, allowing for them to finish off the LA comeback attempt. Anaheim also limited their minor penalties to just 2 and were able to kill off both.

Scoring on their own power play gave them the edge in special teams play and having all their centers back healthy gave them a key edge in even strength play as well. Gibson played a solid game and the depth play of Ritchie and Kase was a huge boost for the Ducks offense.

Game/Team Notes:

Ondrej Kase scored twice including the game-winner and had his first 3 point night in the NHL.

The Ducks are now (1-0-2) against the Kings this season gaining at least a point in all 3 games.

What’s Next?

The Ducks will head to Colorado to face the Avalanche this Monday at 12 pm PST.

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January 14th, 2018