Recap: Penalty Killing Struggles Cost Ducks in 2-1 Preseason Loss to LA

The Ducks took an early lead for the second straight preseason game but could not overcome two Kings power-play goals, falling 2-1 to their Southern California rivals tonight at Crypto.com Arena.
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The setback dropped Anaheim to 3-2-0 in the preseason, with two exhibition games left on the slate, both against the Kings.
"We learned a lot tonight," head coach Dallas Eakins said. "The pace of the play turned up quickly. LA had a number of their vets that can play at pace and we got to see some guys that are battling for spots and how they can handle it."
Rocco Grimaldi scored the lone goal for the Ducks just 42 seconds after the initial puck drop. Max Comtois and Dmitry Kulikov added assists.
"I thought the last five or six minutes of the second period, we started playing better," Grimaldi said. "For the first half of the game they kind of hemmed us in and had their way with us. Then we started generating a little more jam. Just wouldn't go in for us...Wasn't our night."
John Gibson turned in a terrific goaltending performance in his first full game of the preseason, stopping 31-of-33 shots and keeping Anaheim in it all night long despite what was a heavy LA edge on the shot counter through two periods.
"He's one of the best," Grimaldi said of Gibson. "I played with him 10 years ago and he was always the best back then. He's still the best now...He kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win."
Grimaldi continued his stellar preseason in the game's opening moments, giving Anaheim a quick edge before the action was even a minute old. Comtois took a stretch pass on left wing, cutting to the slot before feeding a backdoor pass right on the crashing Grimaldi's tape for a tap-in goal.

"It was a play we drew up this morning," Grimaldi said. "We wanted to get some speed on the outside. Great play by [Adam Henrique] to put it in an area. Comtois went down the wing and made a great pass. All I had to do was tap it in. Great play by those guys."
Grimaldi, who is in camp on a professional tryout, leads Anaheim with five points in three preseason appearances. Comtois, looking to bounce back after a difficult 2021-22 season, has found the scoresheet in each of his last two games (1-1=2).
"I'm trying to work hard and do whatever I can to help the team win," Grimaldi said. "It's been a good preseason so far, but still some things I want to clean up and get better at. Just take the good things and doing more of that."
The Kings would be unfazed by the early deficit though and responded with a couple of power-play goals to take the lead they would not release.
Kempe scored the tying tally, taking a cross-seam pass from Anze Kopitar and beating Gibson just inside the near-side post.
A 2014 first-round pick, Kempe has 11 goals in 26 career regular-season games against the Ducks, including four in as many apppearances last season.
Kaliyev put LA ahead in the final minute of the opening frame. As the Ducks tried to clear the zone, two-time American Hockey League MVP T.J. Tynan got to a loose puck in the slot and fed the big winger for a shot from the right faceoff circle that Kaliyev buried up top over a stretched Gibson.
The two goals snapped a strong start to the preseason for the Anaheim penalty kill, which had begun the exhibition slate 13-for-14 (92.7%) through three games.
The Ducks survived an early second-period push by LA in which the Kings controlled the bulk of play for five-plus minutes, thanks to a couple near misses and a few timely saves by Gibson.
Anaheim came inches from tying the game late in the period when Grimaldi redirected Benoit-Olivier Groulx's shot from the high slot, but the tipped attempt hit the post and bounced wide to the corner.
Gibson made maybe his best save of the night with three minutes to play in the second, robbing Kings offseason acquisition Kevin Fiala with a glove save as the forward tried to beat him with a backhand bid alone in tight.

The Kings rang some iron themselves early in the third when Alexander Edler's point bid snuck through traffic on its way to Gibson but hit the left post and stayed out of the net.
Anaheim's best chances in the third to level the score came on consecutive power plays about halfway through the period, but Quick made a couple of strong saves each on Grimaldi and Isac Lundestrom to help preserve a 2-1 Kings victory.
The Ducks continue their preseason schedule Tuesday against the Kings at Honda Center.