Early Balance Shattered
The Anaheim Ducks entered Saturday’s matchup at crypto.com Arena with a 1-2 record, seeking to avoid another loss against their California rivals. The visitors actually established an early lead, but the Los Angeles Kings quickly responded to take control of the ice. In the first period, Nikita Nesterenko opened the scoring for Anaheim with a snap shot, assisted by Tim Washe and Judd Caulfield.
The Kings answered immediately through Scott Laughton, who scored on assists from Erik Haula and Cody Ceci to tie the game. Beckett Sennecke then gave the home crowd a 2-1 lead, assisted by Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier. Adrian Kempe leveled the score at 2-2 with a wrist shot, receiving help from Brian Dumoulin and Drew Doughty.
The first twenty minutes ended in a dead heat, setting the stage for a decisive back half.
Kings Take Control
Mats Zuccarello broke the deadlock in the second period with a wrist shot goal, assisted by Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe. This made the score 3-2 in favor of Los Angeles. The Ducks failed to score in the remainder of the second period, allowing the Kings to build momentum heading into the final frame.
The home team’s depth and offensive variety began to show as they pressed the puck into the Anaheim zone with increasing frequency.