Not long after that, the longtime Ducks-Kings animosity emerged in a brawl behind the net Anaheim that produced a number of penalties (including three 10-minute misconducts), a fitting end to the rivalry for another season.
As bad as things have gone for the Ducks most of this year, the Kings have been worse, and it's the first time since 2004 that both the Anaheim and LA have missed the playoffs the same season.
"That's the hardest thing in sports," said Getzlaf on the lack of meaningful games down the stretch. "We've gotten used to playing in the playoffs and having those stretch drives late where we're competing for spots. When you're out that early, and that far behind, that's a tough way to play hockey at the end of the year."
The Kings finish their season with the rest of the league tomorrow, and both teams have Tuesday's NHL Draft Lottery to took forward to now. The Ducks (35-37-10) will finish 12th or 13th in the in the Western Conference (depending on what happens tomorrow), while the Kings (30-42-9) will end the season dead last in the conference and 30th in the league. And yet, tonight was the first time the Ducks defeated the Kings in four games this season.
"I think we ended this thing on the right note in the last 20 games," assistant coach Mark Morrison said. "There was a big change. We were harder to play against. Good on the guys in the room. They did a good job to finish it off. I know we're not in the playoffs, and that's a sad point for us, but we played the right way in the last 20-25 games."