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 Winger Tyler Toffoli and center Anze Kopitar scored in a two-minute
span late in the second period, leading the Kings to a 3-2 victory
over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night in front of a
standing-room-only crowd of 17,227 at the Honda Center.
Center Vincent Lecavalier added his second goal in two games, and
goalie Jonathan Quick stopped 30 shots for the Kings (28-13-3), who
extended their lead in the Pacific Division over the second-place
Arizona Coyotes to 10 points.
"We took care of the puck a lot better," Kopitar said in reference
to Los Angeles' 5-3 loss Saturday to the Ottawa Senators, who scored
four goals in the third period to nullify a 3-1 deficit.
Anaheim left winger David Perron, acquired from the Pittsburgh
Penguins on Saturday with defenseman Adam Clendening for left winger
Carl Hagelin, remembers the Kings from his days with the St. Louis
Blues.
"They're the toughest team to play against, pretty much," Perron
said. "They just grind you down for 60 minutes."
Perron scored in his first game for the Ducks (19-18-7). Fellow left
winger Rickard Rakell also scored, while goalie John Gibson made 23
saves.
Toffoli used his team-leading 22nd goal to break a 1-1 tie at 15:44
of the second period. As Gibson sprawled on the ice, Toffoli
received Kopitar's pass at the right post and banked a wrist shot
off Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen, who was standing in the crease.
Kopitar earned his team-leading 25th assist.
Kopitar followed at 17:40 with his 13th goal. Left winger Milan
Lucic began the sequence by sending the puck from the right corner
to defenseman Brayden McNabb, who dragged a wrist shot from the top
of the slot that Kopitar deflected between Gibson's pads for a 3-1
advantage.
Perron, playing on Anaheim's second line, scored his fifth goal of
the season when he converted a wrist shot from the blue line near
the left boards 5:33 into the third period.
Roughly four minutes later, the Ducks had the tying goal disallowed.
Center Ryan Kesler's behind-the-back shot from the right post hit
right winger Andrew Cogliano's right skate as Cogliano was standing
in the crease, and the puck ricocheted into the net at 9:43. The
referee ruled on the ice that Cogliano kicked the puck into the net,
a call that video review upheld.
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"It's tough in that situation in the heat of the play," Cogliano
said. "I think it's how your momentum carries your foot. Sometimes,
you just move your foot a little bit. If I had just planted my
skate, it maybe just would've redirected in. But it was really
close. If the ref didn't call a non-goal on the ice, it could've
went the other way."
Lecavalier, acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 6, gave
the Kings a 1-0 lead 57 seconds into the second period. With Los
Angeles on a power play, Lecavalier received center Jeff Carter's
pass from the right circle and sent a soft forehand from the right
post between Gibson's legs.
Lecavalier, who led the NHL with 52 goals for the Tampa Bay
Lightning in 2006-07, had not scored this season until Saturday
night.
"Ever since he came in, he's done a lot for us, those little plays
that don't necessarily show on the score sheet," Kopitar said. "He
takes a lot of faceoffs, especially in our zone, which usually turn
out to be very, very big plays."
Just 33 seconds later, Rakell tied the score. Rakell registered his
ninth goal when he redirected defenseman Shea Theodore's shot from
the blue line over Quick's right shoulder.
NOTES: Kings RW Dustin Brown needs one point to tie Mike Murphy for
11th on the club's all-time list. ... Los Angeles scratched D
Christian Ehrhoff and C Nick Shore. ... Anaheim scratched G Frederik
Andersen, LW Jiri Sekac, D Clayton Stoner and D Adam Clendening, who
came from the Pittsburgh Penguins with LW David Perron early
Saturday in a trade for LW Carl Hagelin. ... Ducks D Cam Fowler
skated Saturday for the first time since spraining his right knee
Dec. 27 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Fowler was leading the
Ducks in playing time when he sustained the injury. ... Anaheim
recalled G Anton Khudobin from AHL San Diego.
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