Kings stay in third with win over Ducks Kings are three points clear of Vegas

In Los Angeles, the Kings scored twice in the middle frame on Saturday to help them to a 3-1 win over the visiting Anaheim Ducks.

David Rittich made 28 saves in the win.

“He just comes in and plays well,” LA coach Jim Hiller said. “So that’s a really, really strong attribute by a goaltender that you don’t have to be in rhythm to be able to play well. So, give him credit, he made some saves tonight and was probably the difference in the game.”

LA improved to 43-26-11 off their fifth win in the last six matches.

The Kings are three points clear of the Vegas Golden Knights for third in the Pacific Division.

“We have a good team, we have a lot of depth, and when you’re not concentrating on getting the right matchup every time, the whole bench can feel good,” LA’s Pierre-Luc Dubois said. “Every line contributed, everybody played well. We played seven D, 11 forwards, but I thought everybody really played a good game tonight.”

After a scoreless first period, Dubois staked the Kings to a 1-0 lead at 2:45 of the middle frame, scoring off the power play from the crease crease area.

“I’ve never really played on the half-wall in my career, so to get back netfront is more what I’ve done basically my entire life,” Dubois said. “There’s an area of comfort, I think. To get back to what you’ve done for the past nine years of your life, it feels good.”

Matt Roy pushed the lad to 2-0 midway through the second period, scoring off a wrister through a tangle of legs, and sticks, and bodies.

The Ducks dropped to 26-50-5.

“They’ve got good, high-end players that can score if you give them chances,” Anaheim forward Troy Terry said. “You don’t want to give up power plays, and I think that’s kind of the difference tonight.”

Trevor Zegras  trimmed the deficit to 2-1 at 11:18 of the third period, scoring off a wrister from the left circle.

“Smart change by Leo (Carlsson),” Zegras said. “I don’t think they saw me coming off the bench. I had a little bit of space and just threw it on net.”

Kevin Fiala gave the Kings some breathing room when he scored at 17:42 to make the final, 3-1.

“The shift before we scored, I think the Dubois line was out there for about a 40-second shift in the O-zone,” Hiller said. “I thought that was probably the most important shift of the game. And then [Blake Lizotte] came out and those guys got on the face-off, ‘Kev’ scored the big goal.”

Lukas Dostal made 25 saves in the loss.