ANAHEIM, CA — Corey Perry scored a breakaway goal and another in the shootout to lead the Anaheim Ducks to a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings in front of a standing-room only crowd of 18,494 fans at Honda Center in Anaheim on April 7.
Ducks forwards Kyle Palmieri opened the scoring at 2:54 of the first period after Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr was unable to clear the zone along the left wing boards. Ducks forward Matt Beleskey got the puck to Palmieri, who skated past Kings left wing Jordan Nolan, who got caught flat-footed. Palmieri went in alone on Kings goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who made the initial save. But the puck hit Palmieri’s skate, and bounced into the net.
At 5:59 of the second period, Kings defenseman Drew Doughty tied the game with his team on the power play. From left point, he fired a slapshot through heavy traffic, beating Ducks goaltender Viktor Fasth, who was hopelessly screened.
The teams traded goals late in the second period with Perry scoring his breakaway goal, taking advantage of the fact that both Kings defensemen on the play, Keaton Ellerby and Jake Muzzin got caught on left wing, leaving the right wing side wide open. Perry had a breakaway from the red line in, and beat Bernier with wrist shot between his pads.
Just 1:18 later, Kings center Mike Richards got the puck in the left corner and threw it in front of the net. With the puck still in mid-air, Kings forward Jeff Carter deflected it past Fasth and into the net, to tie the game.
Beleskey gave the Ducks a 3-2 lead at 4:54 of the third period after Bernier stopped a slapshot from left point by Ducks defenseman Sheldon Souray. The puck hit Bernier in the left shoulder and dropped in front of him, where Beleskey pounced on the rebound and put it into the net.
Video replay was inconclusive, but reports from the Kings dressing room indicated that Souray’s shot was deflected, which would explain why Bernier was unable to make the glove save.
Kings winger Dustin Brown tied the game at 18:15, after a great play by line mates Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar to win a battle for the loose puck along the left wing boards. Kopitar ended up with the puck, and carried it through the left circle, and to the front of the net. He got off a wrist shot from point blank range that was stopped by Fasth, but Brown was there for the rebound in the crease and whacked it into the right side of the net.
There was no scoring in overtime. The Ducks made the shootout look easy against Bernier, who was fooled badly by Bobby Ryan, Saku Koivu, and Perry.
Richards was stopped by Fasth, and Carter scored in the shootout for the Kings.
Despite the shootout loss, Bernier is 9-0-1 in starts this season.
Video Note: Don’t miss the interview with Doughty. When asked about the possibility of playing the Ducks in January 2014 in an outdoor game at Dodger Stadium, he has just a wee bit of trouble grasping the concept. It’s hilarious.
Frozen Royalty Video via FrozenRoyaltyNHL on YouTube – Interviews From Los Angeles Kings vs. Anaheim Ducks, April 7, 2013
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Game Highlights From KingsVision: Los Angeles Kings vs. Anaheim Ducks, April 7, 2013, Honda Center, Anaheim, California
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The look on his face… can’t beat it. He may not be the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes but his hockey IQ is off the charts so I’m not complaining. Thanks for sharing.