Kings 4 - 2 Ducks
Final
  for this game

Kings down Ducks for third straight win

Mar 17, 2012 - 5:17 AM Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Justin Williams scored and added an assist as the Los Angeles Kings used a three-goal first period to down the Anaheim Ducks, 4-2, on Friday at Honda Center.

Alec Martinez. Anze Kopitar and Mike Richards scored and Matt Greene added a pair of helpers for the Kings, who have won three straight games. Jonathan Quick made 18 saves in the victory.

The win gives the Kings 80 points and pulls them to within one point of Colorado for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

"We're playing pretty good hockey right now, it's desperation time for us," Kopitar said. "When you get a couple of goals ahead early, it's easier to play."

Cam Fowler scored and had an assist, Luca Sbisa scored and Teemu Selanne chipped in with two assists for the Ducks, who have lost four of their last five games and are buried in 12th place in the West with 71 points.

Jonas Hiller gave up three goals on 42 shots in defeat.

Los Angeles opened the scoring just 2:40 into the contest after Martinez took a cross-ice pass from Greene at the left point, and wristed a soft shot on net that got past a screened Hiller for the 1-0 lead.

The Kings extended the lead to 2-0 at 9:33 of the first frame after Kopitar accepted a feed in the neutral zone from Williams and gained the offensive blue line with speed. Kopitar moved to the left circle and ripped a wrist shot over the glove of Hiller.

Williams made it 3-0 Los Angeles when he went in on a 2-on-1 with defenseman Drew Doughty and backhanded it home with just 7.1 seconds showing on the clock.

Anaheim pulled within 3-1 with a power-play goal 3:41 into the second frame after he took a pass from Ryan Getzlaf at the point and blasted it through traffic and past Quick.

The Ducks struck again just 12 seconds later while skating 4-on-4 after Sbisa gained the line and fired a shot on net that was stopped by Hiller, but he left the rebound right out in front and Sbisa popped home his own rebound to make it interesting down the stretch.

Anaheim, though, could never find the tying goal and Richards iced the victory with an empty-netter with 10.9 seconds left.

"I told our guys they've been getting off to very fast starts, and that's what they did," Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau said. "But we worked hard and nearly came back."

Game Notes

It was Richards' first goal in 26 games and the Kings improved to 19-3-5 when he records a point...LA improved to 22-1-2 when scoring three-plus goals in a game, and 27-5-6 when scoring first...Greene?s two assists and two points tie single-game career highs...It was Quick's 30th win of the season...Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano played his 400th consecutive game...Los Angeles went 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Ducks went 1-for-3.






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