LOS ANGELES — Jakob Silfverberg scored in the second round of the shootout, and Frederik Andersen stopped all three Los Angeles attempts in the Anaheim Ducks’ 3-2 victory over the Kings on Saturday night.
Sami Vatanen tied it for Anaheim with 7:08 to play in the third Freeway Faceoff of the season. All three rivalry games have gone to overtime, and two went to shootouts.
Ryan Getzlaf scored his 14th goal for the Ducks, who reclaimed sole possession of the overall NHL lead after Nashville lost. Anaheim has won six of its last seven games.
Alec Martinez and Anze Kopitar scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who were outshot by an opponent for the first time since Nov. 29.
The Kings retired defenceman Rob Blake’s number in a pregame ceremony.
Jonathan Quick made 29 saves in the fifth loss in six games for Los Angeles, which has lost 11 of its 13 extra-time games this season. Silfverberg rattled a shot past him in the second round of the shootout.
Anaheim has won six of its last seven regular-season meetings with Los Angeles, but the Kings eliminated the Ducks from the post-season last spring in a thrilling seven-game, second-round series. The rivalry has carried a special spark this season, and the teams traded big hits throughout the night in front of a sold-out crowd celebrating a piece of the Kings’ history.
About 40 former players gathered before the game as the Kings retired the No. 4 jersey worn by Blake. The Hall of Famer spent parts of 14 seasons on Los Angeles’ blue line and served as captain for six, leading the franchise in goals and assists by a defenceman.
After the clubs traded big hits worthy of Blake in a scoreless first period, Martinez scored his second goal in 19 games when Anaheim’s Kyle Palmieri attempted to catch his shot. Palmieri only deflected the puck past Andersen, and Kings defenceman Jeff Schultz got an assist for his first point with the club.
Getzlaf tied it off a faceoff late in the period, following Corey Perry’s shot to the net for the All-Star centre’s 14th goal of the season.
The Kings got a four-minute power play late in the period, but didn’t manage a shot in the first 3 1/2 minutes. Kopitar finally got his 11th goal on a beautiful pass through the crease from Marian Gaborik.
But Vatanen tied it when his long shot deflected off Matt Greene’s stick and pinballed past Quick, ending the Finnish defenceman’s 12-game goal drought. Anaheim’s power play has scored in five straight games for the first time since late 2011.
NOTES: Forward Nick Shore made his NHL debut for the Kings. … G Martin Jones was out with back spasms, forcing Los Angeles to recall Jean-Francois Berube to back up Quick. … Kings F Tyler Toffoli missed his fourth straight game with mononucleosis, and D Robyn Regehr missed his 12th straight game with an upper-body injury. … Anaheim D Cam Fowler committed his first penalty of the season in the first period, getting whistled for hooking. The U.S. Olympian had played 44 games without any penalty minutes.
