LOS ANGELES — The Ducks rallied from two goals down to upend the Kings, 3-2 in a shootout, on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena to take a 2-1 lead in the season series.
The Ducks now trail the Kings by just one point in the standings but are two back of San Jose for the final wild-card playoff berth.
After losing nine straight games, the Ducks won consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 9. The Kings have stumbled in five of their past six efforts and lost 15 of their past 22, a funk that has encompassed more than a quarter of their season.
Joel Armia scored a goal and set one up for Quinton Byfield for the Kings. Darcy Kuemper made 26 saves. Corey Perry (personal reasons), Anže Kopitar (lower-body injury) and Trevor Moore (upper-body injury) were again unavailable to the Kings.
Ryan Strome and Tim Washe each tallied for the Ducks, with Beckett Sennecke factoring into both goals. Lukáš Dostál matched Kuemper’s save total. While Cutter Gauthier returned from an illness, Chris Kreider missed the match suffering from one. Leo Carlsson underwent surgery on his left thigh and will be sidelined three to five weeks, putting his Olympic participation in some question, while Troy Terry (upper-body) was placed on injured reserve.
In the shootout, Brandt Clarke moved to 2 for 2 in his career but it was Sennecke and Mason McTavish converting back to back to win it for the Ducks. Sennecke gave a hard forehand fake that opened an easy backhand goal, and McTavish’s patented hesitation move opened up a backhander of his own.
A scoreless third period gave way to a measured overtime, though Clarke and Sennecke exchanged chances near the end of the bonus session.
In the middle frame, the Kings extended their lead to 2-0 and then retroceded it, heading into the final frame tied.
Armia carried over his impactful play from the first period and scored 11:33 into the second. Andre Lee bested Gauthier for the puck, gliding forward for a backhand dish that set up Armia’s one-timer from the left circle. He played for the first time in six games and hit double digits in goals for the season.
Yet 39 seconds later, the Ducks halved their deficit and then tied the score at 14:56.
Washe, who captained Western Michigan to a national championship last season, recorded his first NHL goal and point to make it a new game. First, he absorbed contact from Drew Doughty behind the cage to keep the play alive down low, and then he beat Doughty to the net front to sweep in a puck that slammed off the end boards.
Strome scored for the first time since Dec. 16. Sennecke opened up for a one-timer but instead cut to the net as Strome and Jackson LaCombe executed a give-and-go play. Strome’s slap shot went far side through a screen by Sennecke, who earned the secondary assist on each of the Ducks’ first two goals. Sennecke’s blast from the left side late in the period tested Kuemper.
The Kings, who have the second-fewest first-period goals in the NHL, not only struck first but struck early, a mere 1:38 after the opening whistle.
Pavel Mintyukov’s short, floating pass missed Gauthier and hit Armia. He passed to Byfield at the red line, allowing the hulking pivot to drive all the way to the right faceoff dot for a short-side wrister and his ninth goal of the season.
During the game’s first power play, Mintyukov and Armia were once again at the center of the action. Mintyukov’s hesitation at the blue line sent Armia off on a shorthanded breakaway, resulting in a backhand that was narrowly saved by Dostál.
Armia would set up Byfield for another chance off the rush and Adrian Kempe hit the crossbar, but the score remained 1-0 after 20 minutes.
More to come on this story.