Ducks gain in Pacific with 2-1 OT win over Kings

In Anaheim Friday night, the Ducks hosted their rivals, the Los Angeles Kings, and skated off with a playoff style 2-1 win in overtime.

At this point in the season, every game is a playoff game for the two clubs.

Rickard Rakell ended the game when he scored with 19 seconds left on the clock in the extra session.

“I just saw there wasn’t much time left,” Rakell said. “I just tried to build speed and beat somebody up the ice. Try to get the shot through. It was a great feeling.”

The loser’s point kept the Kings in third place ahead of the Ducks by just a single point.

Nick Ritchie scored for the Ducks in regulation and now hold the first wild card spot in the Western Conference.

“That was our game plan, get the puck to the net,” Ritchie said. “When we’re in the offensive zone, go to the net. We did a good job of that as a team. We got rewarded once. There were a lot of close opportunities other than that one.”

John Gibson made 28 saves to pick up the win.

“We showed some resiliency, but so did they,” Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said. “This is typical L.A.-Anaheim game. It could’ve went either way. We were fortunate enough to find one in overtime.”

Drew Doughty staked the Kings to a 1-0 lead in the first period.

“I think if we win out our games, we should be able to make it to the playoffs,” Doughty said. “We got that one point, which is big, but we basically have to win out.”

[WATCH: All Kings vs. Ducks highlights]

Jonathan Quick made 31 saves in taking the loss.

“We were confident that we could win that game going into the third,” Doughty said. “We had a breakaway with like 30 seconds left (in regulation), and that could have sealed the deal right there. We didn’t play good enough for the full 60 minutes to win a hockey game tonight. In order to beat that team, you have to play a lot better.”