By ,
Published January 08, 2015
(SportsNetwork.com) - Well-rested from their last encounter with the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks try to defeat their Pacific Division rivals for the second time as the clubs clash on Saturday afternoon at Staples Center.
The Ducks have been out of action since a 6-5 shootout win over the Kings on Wednesday, the first meeting between the teams since Los Angeles' seven-game second-round victory in last season's playoffs.
Los Angeles netted a pair of first-period goals on Wednesday and led 5-3 following Justin Williams' goal with 8:59 left in regulation, but Ryan Kesler scored his second goal of the frame with 5:40 on the clock and Ryan Getzlaf forced overtime on his tally with 1:39 to go.
Jakob Silfverberg and Kesler then scored in the shootout, while Jason LaBarbera stopped Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar after yielding a first-round score to Marian Gaborik.
LaBarbera took over for an ineffective Frederik Andersen midway through the second period and made 14 saves. Andersen yielded three goals on 10 shots.
"That was the loudest regular season game I've ever heard," said LaBarbera. "It felt like the playoffs out there."
Anaheim went to a shootout for a third game in a row and snapped a three-game slide while extending its point streak to six straight (3-0-3).
Jonathan Quick made 44 saves in the loss, but the Kings fell for the sixth time in their last eight games.
"If it wasn't for Jonathan, it wasn't even close," said Kings head coach Darryl Sutter. "They're a much better team than we are. They proved it last year."
Anaheim played without forward Corey Perry for a fourth game in a row and was without defenseman Francois Beauchemin for a second straight contest. Both skaters contracted the mumps, though Perry returned to practice on Thursday.
However, Anaheim's leading goal-scorer will need to regain some strength and conditioning, leaving him unlikely to play today or Sunday versus Florida.
The Kings, who got a goal and an assist from both Kopitar and Doughty versus the Ducks, followed up the loss to Anaheim with a 2-0 setback to the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves to keep Los Angeles off the board.
Martin Jones allowed both goals on 27 shots for the Kings, who have lost seven of their last nine games.
"We had a couple good chances there, but for the most part (Lehtonen) was seeing all of the shots," said Kings center Tyler Toffoli.
Los Angeles' defeat came in the opener of a four-game homestand and snapped an eight-game point streak at Staples Center (7-0-1).
The Kings also lost another defenseman in Alec Martinez, who exited with an undisclosed injury after blocking a shot. The cap-strapped Kings are already playing without blueliners Slava Voynov (suspension) and Robyn Regehr (lower body).
Anaheim's win earlier this week was its fifth straight and seventh in its past 10 versus the Kings in the regular season. That includes three consecutive victories in Los Angeles.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/kings-aim-for-revenge-in-rematch-with-rival-ducks