Mason McTavish finished with a shootout goal in the third round for the Ducks, who rallied from an early two-goal deficit for their second straight win after a nine-game skid.
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Tim Washe scored his first NHL goal and Ryan Strome got his first goal in a month for the Ducks as the two Southern California NHL teams opened a back-to-back home-and-home chapter of the Freeway Faceoff rivalry by moving to their second shootout of the season. Lukas Dostal saved 26 times.
Joel Armia had a goal and an assist in his return from a five-game injury absence for the Kings, who have lost five of six.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 26 shots, but the Canadian Olympian couldn’t stop the famously deliberate style of McTavish, one of the NHL’s most successful penalty scorers.
Quinton Byfield put the Kings ahead with their first shot on goal 98 seconds after the opening faceoff, past Dostal for his ninth goal off a run set up by Armia.
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Neither team mounted a consistent offensive attack over two periods, but Armia made it 2-0 Kings midway through the second on a single backhand pass from Andre Lee.
Strome responded 39 seconds later, shooting past a Sennecke screen for his second goal in 22 games.
Less than three minutes after that, Washe alertly located a rebound off the boards and beat Kuemper from a tight angle for his opening goal in his sixth NHL game. The 24-year-old undrafted forward won an NCAA title last spring with Western Michigan.
The Ducks played without their two leading scorers due to injury. Leo Carlsson received treatment earlier in the day for a thigh injury that could jeopardize his participation in the Olympics, while Troy Terry (upper body) went on injured reserve before missing his fourth consecutive game.
Next
A rematch in Anaheim on Saturday night.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL