Ducks Best Kings in Shootout to Increase Pacific Division Lead

Photo Credit: bridgetds / flickr

Overview

The Ducks took on rival LA Kings for part 3 of the Freeway Faceoff last night. The Ducks struck first, then the two teams were alternating goals on the scoreboard. Ducks would score, Kings tie it up, Ducks would score, Kings tie it up again, etc. The good news is the Kings never took the lead away from the Ducks despite outshooting them and generally outplaying them for a generous portion of the game. The game ultimately needed a shootout to decide the winner, and all 3 Ducks shootout attempts got past Bernier for the victory, and more importantly, the 2nd point. The 2nd point helped the Ducks increase their Pacific Division lead on 2nd place Kings by 9 points, instead of letting LA inch closer. The Ducks and Kings have one more game in their series remaining, and that takes place Saturday night in LA. Also something worthy to note, the win helped bring the Ducks within 3 points of clinching their playoff spot. If all goes well, we can have the spot secured Wednesday night.

Goals For

1. Kyle Palmieri; Assists: Matt Beleskey & David Steckel at 2:54 of the 1st period.
2. Corey Perry; Assists: Andrew Cogliano & Sheldon Souray at 18:12 of the 2nd period.
3. Matt Beleskey; Assists: Sheldon Souray & Saku Koivu at 4:54 of the 3rd period. (Power Play)

Goals Against

1. Drew Doughty; Assist: Dustin Brown at 5:59 of the 2nd period. (Power Play)
2. Jeff Carter; Assists: Mike Richards & Brad Richardson at 19:30 of the 2nd period.
3. Dustin Brown; Assists: Anze Kopitar & Justin Williams at 16:15 of the 3rd period.

Shootout

• Bobby Ryan – GOAL
• Mike Richards – No goal.
• Saku Koivu – GOAL
• Jeff Carter – GOAL
• Corey Perry – GOAL… DUCKS WIN!

3 Stars of the Game

1. Corey Perry – 1 goal, game winning shootout goal – ANA
2. Matt Beleskey – 1 goal, 1 assist – ANA
3. Dustin Brown – 1 goal, 1 assist – LAK

Game Notes

• The Ducks have gone 4-1-1 in their last 6 contests and 11-5-2 in their last 18.
• Last night was the first time since 07-08 that the Ducks went undefeated at home against the LA Kings in the series.
• Corey Perry is now tied with Ryan Getzlaf (go figure) for the team lead in goals at 13.
• Last night was Viktor Fasth’s fifth shootout victory this season. He is 5-1 in shootouts this season.
• Andrew Cogliano is on a 3 game point streak.
• Matt Beleskey had his 2nd multi-point game of the season.

Player Quotes

“We knew it was going to be an emotional game out there,” Perry said. “They’ve been playing well. Everybody knows they’re hitting their stride. When you can come away with a big win like tonight, it’s huge.”

“It was just a fast-paced game,” said Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau. “People wouldn’t call it playoff hockey because there were too many goals, but I’d tell you, there were two teams that were giving it everything they had and they didn’t leave anything on the ice.”

“It starts right with [Fasth] and right on out,” he (Perry) said. “[Beleskey] had some big hits and got that power play goal and the big assist at the start of the game. When you have everybody going, it’s a special thing.”

When asked if it felt like a playoff atmoshpere, Ducks defenseman Sheldon Souray said, “It’s getting there. They’re a team that’s playing well and we’re playing well. There aren’t a lot of games left for both. We’re both fighting for a spot in the standings. With two good teams going at it, the competition is going to be better in a game like tonight than maybe some other ones.”

Source for notes & quotes: ducks.nhl.com

Coming Up

The Ducks get right back into action tonight for their 1st game of the season with the Edmonton Oilers, which also means Justin Schultz (#19) is in town to experience how Ducks fans feel about him. Trust me on this one, they have some strong aggressive feelings, and he’ll know.