Ducks Defeat Kings 5-4 in Preseason Finale

A very entertaining game ended with a Ducks victory to give the team a preseason record of 5-3, while the Kings played well but dropped to a record of 4-3-1. Both teams’ top lines were the showcase of the game as Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry collected a total of seven points and accounted for four of the teams five goals, while Ryan Smyth, Anze Kopitar, and Trevor Lewis collected a total of eight points and accounted for all of the Kings’ goals.

The game got off to a quick start with a Ducks goal just two minutes into the game. James Wisniewski intercepted a Kings pass in the neutral zone and quickly got the puck up to Perry, who faked a slap shot before snapping the puck between the legs of Kings’ goalie Erik Ersberg. Ducks fans will be shocked to hear that this was the first time the Ducks scored in the first period during the preseason.

Less than two minutes later, Smyth came flying out of the penalty box and accepted a perfect pass across the crease to tie the game at one. It looked like the Ducks had completely forgotten about Smyth’s penalty, but Michael Handzus was well aware as he wired the puck to Ducks’ goalie J.S. Giguere’s right for a tap-in goal.

Not to be outdone, Ryan scored a goal less than two minutes later on a rebound from a Perry wrap around attempt. Perry quickly made a move from behind the net which Ersberg stopped, but Ryan jumped on the puck to make it 2-1. The Ducks would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game.

Over halfway into the second period, Getzlaf made an amazing pass to set up Ryan for his second goal of the game. The puck was held in at the point and sent to Getzlaf behind the net. Getzlaf then, without ever looking, gave a backhand pass to Ryan in the slot who slapped the puck past Jonathan Bernier, who replaced Ersberg at the halfway point of the game. This goal was the highlight of the night.

Giguere then gave up a very bad-angled goal to Smyth on a Kings power play. Kopitar passed the puck to Smyth, who was standing on the goal line near the boards, before Smyth put the puck in Giguere’s feet and into the net.

The scoring in the third period picked up a bit after a “quiet” two-goal second period. With the Ducks on the power play, Ryan skated in and took a shot that was deflected to the side of the net. Getzlaf was there waiting for the puck and banged it home to give the Ducks a 4-2 lead.

The Kings wouldn’t give up though as they scored another power play goal. Smyth had the puck at the left circle before passing it over to Kopitar for a one-timer. The shot beat Giguere clean to pull the Kings within one goal, 4-3.

The Ducks finally got some help from the second line on an odd-man rush with under three minutes to play in the game. Teemu Selanne swung wide to the right side as he skated in with Joffrey Lupul on a two-on-one, but Selanne dropped the puck to a late-coming Saku Koivu. Koivu then feathered a pass to his left to Lupul who quickly snapped the puck past Bernier for a goal on a pretty passing play.

The Kings just wouldn’t give up and played until the end. Smyth shot the puck on net and Giguere gave up a rebound. Kopitar was all alone on Giguere’s left and kept banging away at the puck until it went in. The Ducks could have, and should have, cleaned him out of the crease area but no one stepped up.

NOTES

– Ducks winger Erik Christensen played his first preseason game and was on the ice for just under 12 minutes. He had no points and was minus-1.

– Wisniewski played over 24 minutes and had two assists while playing to a game-high plus-3 rating. He was paired with Ryan Whitney, who was also a plus-3 for the game. The pair looked good together.

– Evgeny Artyukhin would get SO MUCH more ice time if he just stayed out of the penalty box. He finished with three more minor penalties.

– The Ducks had a much more difficult time than they should have with a full NHL roster, while the Kings had several regulars that sat out of the game.

– Troy Bodie was assigned to San Antonio of the AHL just prior to the start of the game, leaving the Ducks with two more cuts to make.

– Andrew Ebbett, Logan MacMillan, Nick Boynton, and Petteri Nokelainen were healthy scratches for the Ducks. Ebbett and MacMillan are fighting for the final forward spot, though MacMillan will probably be sent down. The final spot will be a battle on defense.