Anaheim Ducks’ Jonas Hiller Shuts Out Kings In Stadium Series Win

Jan 25, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks players clear the bench as they defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-0 in the Stadium Series hockey at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

An outstanding defensive performance from the Anaheim Ducks and a shutout, 36 save performance from Jonas Hiller propelled the Ducks to a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings tonight from Dodger Stadium. The Ducks got on board early when a Ryan Getzlaf wrist shot would get through Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and sit in the crease behind him, but Corey Perry pounced on the loose puck, 1-0 Ducks. About 5 and a half minutes later, the Ducks would make it a 2-0 game with a goal from Matt Beleskey. Teemu Selanne and Nick Bonino cycled the puck and then Bones sent it towards the front of the net from the corner and it deflected off Matty B, who was crashing the net.  Later in the opening period, Anze Kopitar would be given a penalty shot after dancing around Ben Lovejoy who would eventually hook him. Kopitar would go five hole on his penalty shot, but Hiller closed the door.

The Kings controlled a lot of the play in the first period, but Hiller stopped everything and the Ducks kept the Kings to the perimeter. The second period was much more balanced with each team getting their chances. Kopitar had arguably the best chance of the period for the Kings in the second, coming in on his own on the wing, but Hiller denied him yet again. The second was relatively uneventful compared to the first game. The Kings would come into the third period and take over like they did in the first period. The Ducks collapsed and really sat back. They blocked a metric ton of shots. Hiller made save after save, including a big one on Dustin Brown going post-to-post. Also in the third, Kyle Palmieri drove to the net and Alec Martinez would give him a little encouragement into the crease and knock Quick over. Martinez wound up injuring his arm on the play and Palms ended up in the corner and Quick skated over from the crease to share his displeasure with Palms crashing the crease. Palms would of course get called for goaltender interference, obviously the wrong call, but the Ducks killed off the two minute minor. After more big saves from Hiller and more blocked shots and some good face off wins, the Ducks would seal the win with an empty netter from Andrew Cogliano, his 100th NHL career goal. Bones made an excellent decision taking the puck in the zone and drawing King defenders his way and then throwing some sauce to Cogs who cashed in.

Jan 25, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller (1) looks to make a save as Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin (23) and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell (33) look on during the Stadium Series hockey game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Overall, I thought it was a great defensive performance from the Ducks. With the lineup the Ducks turned in, you had to realize they were going to try and play a more defensive, physical style of game. Especially with guys like Mathieu Perreault and Jakob Silfverberg scratched. The defensive style worked pretty well and it was perfect with the Ducks getting 2 goals early. The Ducks kept the Kings to the perimeter and many of the Kings shots were shots from the point that Hiller would easily turn away or get blocked. This was an absolutely great result for the Ducks and the way they did it is definitely a promising sign going forward.

Scoring Breakdown by Period:

• : Perry (28), Beleskey (5), Cogliano (17)
• : NONE, HAHAHAHAHA

Shot Breakdown by Period

Powerplay Efficiency:

Other Statistics:

Three Stars:

Up next are the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night from Honda Center.

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