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Visnovsky, Kings exact revenge on Ducks in shootout

Feb 19, 2007 - 6:20 AM ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky exacted a measure of revenge for the Los Angeles Kings against their division rivals.

Visnovsky scored in the sixth round of the shootout and recorded a goal and an assist as the Kings posted a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in the second game between the squads to be decided in the bonus format in as many days.

Corey Perry scored in the fifth round of the shootout to give Anaheim a 3-2 win over Los Angeles on Saturday in the first of the home-and-home series.

"The shootout really wasn't the story," Kings coach Marc Crawford said. "This was a hard-fought series and a determined battle. I'm really happy that our guys played well. We really looked at it as a playoff series for our guys. We prepared for it like it was a playoff series.

"These types of games are invaluable, and it's good to see that we have a lot of guys who are really responding well to that type of effort."

Goaltender Sean Burke was happy to get the win.

"It's a moral victory, obviously," Burke said. "Any time you're playing your rival, a team that's lumped you a little bit through the course of the year, you want to stand up and be counted. I thought we showed a lot of pride tonight."

With the teams trading tallies in the bonus format, Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer was stopped by Burke to open the sixth round, setting up Visnovsky's heroics. The lefthanded defenseman slid a backhander between the pads of Ducks star netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere to secure the victory.

"It was apropos for (Visnovsky) to score the winner," Crawford said. "He took a hard hit there, and that shows that he has a lot of good determination. A lot of teams will go after good players all the time, and we do the same thing. Those great players stay with it and they persevere. This is a great player. So, it's nice to see him get the winner."

The game was sent to the extra session on a spectacular play by Ryan Getzlaf, who slid a no-look pass to Teemu Selanne, who then fed Getzlaf on a stellar give-and-go. Getzlaf buried the puck in the right corner with Burke out of position to tie the game, 3-3, with 9:26 left in the third period.

"I just tried to hit his stick," Selanne said. "It was a nice bit of chemistry.

While Visnovsky's shootout goal was the difference in the game, he fired a slap shot that provided the game's ugliest sequence. After he nailed Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger with a shot from point-blank range, Pronger ran off the ice and directly to dressing room clutching his face.

"The majority of the puck hit him in the chin, so we were fortunate in that respect," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "It didn't do as much damage as we thought it did at first. But it was pretty awful when we first saw it."

Michael Cammalleri had a goal and two assists for the Kings, who are 3-1-3 in their last seven games. Los Angeles also is 2-0-1 vs. Anaheim in the last three games after losing the seven previous contests.

"They've all been close games, everyone's been one goal," Crawford said. "We're good cross-town rivals, the rivalry was here long before I was."

Just one minute into the third session, Selanne became the Ducks' all-time leading goal scorer with his 301st career tally. The goal tied the game, 2-2, just one minute into the third period.

"Obviously, it's an honor with all the great players who have been here," Selanne said. "It's a really nice bonus. I'm happy with every goal I get, whether or not it's a franchise record. It was nice to get it on (an important) goal."