A Quick exit for the Kings, lopsided victory for Ducks
Goaltender is pulled in second period as Anaheim continues post- Christmas surge.
Apparently, David Perron just needed to get out of Pittsburgh.
One of the newest Ducks was the difference- maker in the latest chapter of the Ducks- Kings rivalry Thursday night, producing his first three- point game of the sea- son to lead the Ducks to a 4- 2 win at Staples Center.
The winger, acquired last month in a trade with the Penguins, combined with center Ryan Getzlaf for f ive points. Getzlaf scored his f irst even- strength goal of the season and set up Perron in the f irst period for the 500th assist of his career. Perron has eight points in six games with the Ducks.
“I think it’s all about him, to be honest with you,” Perron said of Getzlaf. “Finding me all over the ice. Making the right plays.”
Kings Coach Darryl Sutter rarely makes a goalie switch in the midst of a period but he did so Thursday, pulling starter Jonathan Quick for backup Jhonas Enroth after the Ducks’ Ryan Garbutt made the score 3- 0 at 2: 41 of the second period.
Quick gave up three goals on nine shots. The f irst Kings goal came on a f luke, on the power play, as de-
fenseman Drew Doughty’s shot bounced off Tyler Toffoli’s leg and popped over Ducks goalie John Gibson.
It was Toffoli’s 23rd goal, matching a career high. Defenseman Alec Martinez had the other goal for the Kings, scoring with 23.8 seconds remaining in the game.
“The whole game wasn’t the way we wanted it and I’m pretty sure it showed to everybody in the arena and [ everybody] watching saw that,” Toffoli said.
“We just didn’t play the way we wanted to play. We were turning pucks over and when you’re down, 2- 0, 10 minutes into the game, it’s tough to come back.”
For the Kings, it was their fourth loss in six games and teams are creeping into view of their rear- view mirror in the Pacific Division. The race tightened again with the San Jose Sharks and the Ducks winning and the Arizona Coyotes grabbing a point in an overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Anaheim is on a 12- 3- 1 run since Christmas and leads the Coyotes by a point for the third and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Kings’ lead has dwindled to seven points over the secondplace Sharks.
Perron and Getzlaf have established the chemistry that Ducks fans are used to seeing from the long- established duo of Getzlaf and Corey Perry.
But Ducks General Manager Bob Murray, who seems to be working all hours, pulled off a trade on Jan. 15 close to the midnight hour, sending underachieving Carl Hagelin to the Penguins for Perron.
The new surroundings seemed to work almost immediately for Perron, who had gone 19 games without a goal in Pittsburgh before the trade. He scored in his f irst game with the Ducks, a loss to the Kings on Jan. 17, and Coach Bruce Boudreau put him with Getzlaf near the end of that game and they’ve been together since then.
“He’s a puck- handler,” Getzlaf said. “He [ Perron] hangs on to the puck. He’s strong on it. He plays a lot like Pears [ Perry] to tell you the truth and they’re both kind of pests out there.”
Said Perron: “For all those years, they played together: Getzy got his 500th assist. Probably it was Pears [ Perry] that would be on the plaque for the 500 assists … for all the goals they scored together. It’s an unreal moment. That was a great pass from him.”
The game marked the return of Kings left wing Kyle Clifford, who had been sidelined since suffering concussion symptoms following a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 6.
Clifford played on the fourth line, logging 11 minutes of ice time. He was able to get in some action at the American Hockey League level, appearing in two games with the Ontario Reign over the weekend.
“We’ve got 14 guys now, touch wood,” Sutter said after the morning skate. “Everybody gets an opportunity. It’s not like you’re taking any opportunities away. We’re trying to give everybody an opportunity.”