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Kings-Ducks Preview

Nov 30, 2009 - 10:10 PM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Los Angeles (15-10-2) at Anaheim (10-11-4), 10:30 p.m. EDT

Beating one of the top teams in the NHL has given the Los Angeles Kings some confidence after a sluggish stretch. A visit to the Anaheim Ducks, however, may prove to be another stiff test.

The Kings will try to carry some momentum from another shootout win as they face the Ducks on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles (15-10-2) was one of the biggest surprises early, getting off to a 10-4-2 start before cooling off with a 4-6-0 stretch that included two shootout wins.

The Kings, though, hope another win via the tiebreaker can help them regain that early season form.

They won 2-1 in a shootout over Central Division-leading Chicago - one of the stingiest teams in the league - on Saturday, as Anze Kopitar and Jack Johnson converted their attempts.

"We did all the little things today and it paid off in the end," said Jonathan Quick, who made 32 saves through overtime before stopping two shootout chances. "The team played great in front of me, blocked shots and cleared out rebounds. It was a good game, and we just have to build off of it."

Wayne Simmonds has been a bright spot for Los Angeles of late. The right wing, a second-round pick in the 2007 draft, has scored a goal in each of the last three games, giving him eight overall to rank third behind left wing Ryan Smith (nine) and Kopitar (14).

Simmonds had nine goals as a rookie last season, with three coming in the final four games.

"He looks like he did the last 10 games last year. He's really jumping and he's got a lot of power in his game," coach Terry Murray said. "I love what he's doing and I love his attitude."

The Kings went 3-2-1 against the Ducks (10-11-4) last season, but have dropped six of seven (1-4-2) at Anaheim.

The Ducks have been playing well at Honda Center, going 4-1-1 during a seven-game homestand. That is part of a 7-2-1 stretch as hosts after they lost five of their first six.

Anaheim, though, is looking to rebound from Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss to Phoenix as Jim Vandemeer scored 1:18 into the extra session.

Despite the defeat, the Ducks were feeling positive after left wing Bobby Ryan helped them salvage a point by scoring with 1:54 to play in regulation.

"It's important to focus on the positives," said Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who made 23 saves Sunday. "We found a way to get a point at the end in the last two minutes, so we should be happy about that. The game didn't go exactly the way we wanted, but we know what we did wrong and what we did well."

Corey Perry has been red hot of late. The right wing set a franchise record by extending his point streak to 18 games with an assist on Ryan's goal, eclipsing the previous record set by Teemu Selanne in 1999.

Perry has accumulated nine goals and 15 assists during his streak, and leads the Ducks with 31 points while ranking second with 13 goals.

He has five goals and nine assists in 12 home meetings with Los Angeles.