Ducks Get Jumped In LA

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks came out of the holiday break traveling up the 5 freeway to face the Los Angeles Kings. Lukas Dostal was in net against Anton Forsberg.

The Kings jumped on the board early in the first period. Quinton Byfield found Drew Doughty in front of the Anaheim net for a tap goal just over three minutes in. Less than a minute later Brian Dumoulin took a shot which deflected of Trevor Moore and in.

Adrian Kempe found Alex Laferriere in the slot and he beat Dostal to make it 3-0 just over halfway through the period.

Brandt Clarke took a point shot on the power play and Byfield deflected the puck past Dostal with about a minute left in the period. LA led 4-0 after the opening period.

The Ducks got on the board halfway through the second period. Beckett Sennecke nearly scored in front, but just missed the net. Mason McTavish got to the puck behind the net and then tucked it in the near post for the score.

Laferriere scored his second of the game early in the third period on a breakaway. He made a backhand move to beat Dostal.

Laferreire would score later in the period to complete the hat trick and make it a 6-1 Kings lead, which was also the final score.

Analysis:

The Kings jumped all over the Ducks to start this game. They scored two quick goals in the opening minutes and added two more before the first period was over. LA outshot Anaheim 17 to 7 in the opening period. Anaheim was caught Duck footed from the start of this one.

The Ducks turned the tables in the middle frame outshooting the Kings 12 to 1, but Anaheim could only get one goal in the period. The Kings answered with two goals in the third to complete the blowout win.

Anaheim did play better after the first period, but when you are down 4-0 to start the second period the chances of coming back are slim and none. Head Coach Joel Quenneville left Dostal in after the first period, which was a curious move. All the goals in the first period weren’t Dostal’s fault, but usually when a goalie gets scored on by that much in the opening period their night is done.

Leo Carlsson returned to action after missing the last game before the holiday break with a lower body injury. He only put up two shots on goal and had a +/- of -2. He had been averaging almost 20 minutes of playing time this season, but played just under 15 in this one. One has to wonder if Carlsson is 100%.

Frank Vatrano tripped near the boards in the third period and hit his right shoulder. He went to the locker room and did not return.

One (and the only one) positive for Anaheim was they did manage to score on the power play, which has been struggling in the past several weeks.

Team Notes/Stats:

Ducks are 12-2-0 when they score first this season.

Ducks are 9-13-2 when the opponent scores first this season.

Anaheim is 9-9-1 in their last 19 games.

What’s Next?

The Ducks host the San Jose Sharks on Monday at 7PM.

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December 27th, 2025