The Anaheim Ducks must have left all their good mojo from Wednesday's victory back in the locker room because when they came out for the first period of last nights game against the Los Angeles Kings they fell flatter than Dustin Penner after a big 'ol plate of flapjacks.
The Kings controlled the game from the outset by scoring three first period goals but none were more gut-wrenching than Justin Williams goal that came with just 7.1 seconds left in the period.
Corey Perry returned after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury only to find himself playing the role
goat. Perry was trying to free himself to get a shoot off on Kings goalie Jonathan Quick when he inadvertently tripped over Francois Beauchemin's skate. Perry went crashing to the ice creating a turnover that resulted in the Williams goal.
The Ducks fought back, picking up goals in the second and third periods but it wasn't enough as they fell 4-2 with the Williams goal standing up as the game-winner.
Anaheim's second goal was a beauty from Luca Sbisa who also returned to the line-up after missing a couple of games. He carried the puck from his end through the Kings and in on Quick. The Kings netminder stopped the first shot but Sbisa alertly picked up his own change and deposited in the back of the net.
That would be the end of the offensive pressure for Anaheim as the Kings heavily out shot Anaheim 42-20 for the entire game.
The loss meant more than just two points in the standings. With their playoff chances nearly extinct it meant an opportunity for the Ducks to play the role of spoiler. The Ducks never game themselves a chance and the Kings cruised to an easy win.
With the win, the Kings officially dominated the Freeway Faceoff series by winning five of the six games. A much different result from last season when the Ducks took both games of a season-ending home-and-home set with LA to clinch a playoff berth. It was the first time both the Ducks and the Kings qualified for the postseason in the same year.
It's all but certain there won't be a repeat performance this year. The Ducks have just ten games left to make up ten points following a 3-6-1 skid with two of those losses coming at the hands of the Kings.
Los Angeles is in a much better spot after they handled their business in Anaheim. They are among five teams fighting for the last two spots in the conference. The Kings, Flames and Sharks are all tied with 80 points while the Avalanche and Coyotes occupy the seventh and eighth spots with 81 points each.
The Ducks, 30-31-11 with 71 points, were once as close as four points to a playoff position, have fallen too far back to have any thing left to play for but pride and finishing over .500.
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The night wasn't a total loss for the Ducks. There were several positives to take away the 4-2 loss.
* As I stated earlier both Corey Perry and Luca Sbisa returned and played pretty well. I thought Sbisa really stood out offensively and not just on his goal. There were several times during the game where he jumped in on the forecheck to help out.
* If you thought Perry's 272 consecutive games played streak was impressive - think again. Andrew Cogliano played in his 400th straight game last night. Cogliano has never missed a game in his five-year NHL career since he made the opening-night roster for Edmonton in the 2007-08 season. Now that's impressive.
* Cam Fowler scored for the first time in 47 games last night. It was the fourth goal of the season for Fowler who has been mostly a disappointment offensively after tallying ten goals a year ago.
* The ageless wonder, Teemu Selanne picked up two assists against Los Angeles giving him 500 as a member of the Anaheim Organization. Selanne leads the team with 62 points.
* The Ducks snapped the Kings 32 consecutive penalty kills with Fowler's power play goal in the second period. Anaheim finished 1 for 3 while killing off all three Kings power plays.
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In my short time here at Hockeybuzz I have personally felt the wrath of Kings fans first-hand. I understand the Kings beat the Ducks five times this season, but a reader pointed something out to me that I'd like to share....
If the Ducks had managed to split the season series with LA the teams would have only been separated by one point. The Kings record would have been
32-27-12 for 76 points and the Ducks could have been
32-29-11 for 75 points.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way, but I thought it was worth pointing out anyway. I really don't care what Kings fans think, but I do love knowing that their team is nowhere near as good as they think they are. The Kings are marginally better than the Ducks AT BEST. It's as simple as that.
It is going to feel so good when LA misses the playoffs. I can't wait to watch the mediocre Kings play golf with the mediocre Ducks during the spring.
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