The Kings have beaten the hated Anaheim Ducks in 4 of 6 games this season, but no win over the Ducks in recent memory is quite as momentous as this one. The Kings at one point trailed this game 3-0 and later 4-1 before roaring back in the third period to tie the game at 4. Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov, Justin Williams (a highlight reel goal) and Michal Handzus (off a beautiful pass from Williams) had the Kings’ regulation goals.
The overtime period was end to end action, with Erik Ersberg (who relieved Jon Quick after goal #3, in attempt to park the team, not because Quick was stuggling) making the bulk of the great saves before the Kings Jack Johnson scored to tie the shootout (Anaheim scored in the first frame at one). Ersberg stopped Saku Koivu to set up Anze Kopitar’s game winning shootout goal.
Kopitar came in on Cutis McElhinney and gave him the “Forsberg” move, introduced by the legendary Swede back in the 1994 Olympic Goal Medal Game shootout against Canada. The dramatic goal was the perfect exclamation point – The Kings had won and eliminated Anaheim from playoff contention. It wasn’t the prettiest, or the most dominating win over the Ducks in recent years, but no Kings’ victory ever meant more to the fans than this – a humiliation of the team’s most hated rival, and a fanbase that the majority of Kings’ fans flat out don’t like.
Honda Center was probably 65% Kings’ fans Tuesday night, and they were well heard during the TV broadcast. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable parts of having to deal with the Ducks’ Bush League broadcast team was hearing them about choke on every word as the Kings closed the gap on Anaheim, and eventually put them away.
This season, the Kings dominated their “Freeway Faceoff” series with the Ducks, going 4-1-1 against the foul fowl. While I thought the Kings were the better team – winning the season series narrowly – last season, this season, it really wasn’t close.
And the end result is evident of that. The Kings will be part of the postseason. The Ducks, will not. One day, both teams will qualify for the postseason in the same year, and perhaps at some point, epic playoff battles will happen. This year, is not that year.
A few hundred more just fell off the bandwagon in Anaheim…
Go KINGS!
-JS
Tags: anaheim sucks, los angeles kings
Jeremy Smith