Postgame NotesAnaheim 1 vs. LA 2Dec. 12, 2019Honda Center13-15-4, 30 points
The Ducks suffered a 2-1 loss to the LA Kings tonight at Honda Center, evening the 2019-20 Freeway Faceoff at one game apiece (1-1-0). The Ducks outshot the Kings by a 37-27 margin, including 17-6 in the third period.
Derek Grant scored his fourth career power-play goal (all with Anaheim) to cut the Ducks' deficit to one at the 5:12 mark of the third period. Grant has seven goals in his last 12 games (7-0=0) and ranks tied for the third on the Ducks in goals (9) with Rickard Rakell and Adam Henrique.
Jakob Silfverberg and Max Comtois collected the assists on Grant's goal. With the helper, Silfverberg has points in three straight games (1-2=3). Silfverberg ranks second on the Ducks in points (11-11=22).
Cam Fowler led all skaters with seven shots on net, only one shy of his single-game career high established Mar. 22, 2017 vs. Edmonton (8).
John Gibson stopped 25-of-27 shots in his 24th start of the season.
Tonight's attendance was 16,008. Anaheim concludes its two-game homestand Sunday, Dec. 14 vs. the New York Rangers (1 p.m.).
Postgame Notes and Quotes - Dec. 12 vs. LA
Postgame Quotes
Anaheim Ducks
Jakob Silfverberg
On the lack of scoring
Any time you score one goal in a game, it's tough to win. Gibby [John Gibson] gave us an opportunity tonight. You have to score more than one goal if you want to win most the games in this league.
On a lack of a net-front presence
A lot of times, that's how you score. In order for those to go in, you need someone in front [of the net]. That's the thing the was missing tonight. They scored one like that. We score on the power play. They got a greasy one. Nothing fancy. We didn't get that tonight.
Cam Fowler
On consecutive games with a power-play goal
It can be the difference in hockey games. It's been something we've bene working on all year, very hard and very diligently. It was a big goal for us. It gave us some momentum and kept us in the game. It was nice to see a couple go in in two straight games.
On the lack of scoring
We know we're going to score by committee. We need to be a team that has all four lines contributing. We know we have to play stingy defensively, which we've been doing. We're in these games. We need to find a way to tip the scales and get on the right side of them. You can talk so much about being so close and being right there, but eventually you need to get results.
Derek Grant
On his role on the power play
It's something I've done in other times in my career in different leagues. It's a job I enjoy. Just trying to get in the goalie's eyes and make the skilled guys make the plays. Try to make things difficult for [goalies]. The goalies are so good in this league. We need get pucks there, and we've done a better job with that recently.
Head Coach Dallas Eakins
On the positives from the game
It was a good team effort, but we need to find a way to not just get the puck to the goal line a couple times, but over it. It's something we'll continue to work on.
On the game plan against Jonathan Quick
Traffic, number one. Try to get those second chances. Even the goal we scored, he still got a piece of it. He was certainly on his game tonight.
LA Kings
Drew Doughty
On their faster start tonight opposed to last time playing Anaheim
They outplayed us in the first last game and we were chasing the game after that. I thought we outplayed them, even though we lost, in the second and third period. Then tonight, it was kind of the other way around. First period was kind of even, we just had the score on our side. Second period, I thought was ours and the third was kind of theirs. So, pretty even game this time.
On starting to win some of the close games and the team buying in
We are still not scoring enough goals. I mean, two goals a game in this league [isn't enough] any more. I know we did it in the past, but it was a 2-1, 3-2 league back then. Now, it seems to be more of a 4-3 league so we need to score more goals. Instead of it being 2-0, we would like to get up 3-0 and really put the game away, but at least we battled this out and got the win tonight. It's better than letting the team back in it and having to go to overtime, which we have done in the past.
Matt Luff
On keeping confidence being called up or scratched
I don't really take it to heart. There's a lot of guys here, a lot of good guys that should be playing and if they're not and I'm not, I don't take it to heart. It's the NHL, I'm pretty happy to be up here whether I'm playing or not. Of course you want to be in the lineup, but if we're winning games and I'm not in, at the end of the day it's about the team and if we're winning and I'm out then I'll just wait for my turn. When I get in there, it's just about winning games.
On continuing their momentum from last game to start their road trip
It's the start of a road trip and in Anaheim, of course. They're a fast-paced team. They like to come straight off the hop and they did. I think we played our system really well. We got pucks past the lines when we needed to and I think we used our forecheck really well, and to win that game is huge. Especially, like I've been saying, we've got a huge road trip coming up and I think we get a good streak going here it will be good going into Christmas [break].
Head Coach Todd McLellan
On what he liked from tonight's game
Well, one it was on the road. That's been said, and written, and talked about as far as road [games] goes. It was a good road win for us, grind it out, it was a good road win from us. A lot more checking than cheating which is always a good thing too. Got a power play goal. I thought the face-offs down the stretch, after the first period, went our way and we had the puck a little bit more than we did in the first and that helped us as well. Again, a good team effort. Great goaltending. You need all of those things to win, especially on the road.
