
THE ANAHEIM DUCKS defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Monday, but remain in seventh place in the NHL Pacific (Shutterstock).
The solution to the so-far-disappointing season for the Anaheim Ducks is clear. Play more games at home.
Oh, if only that was a possibility. The Ducks’ 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday at Honda Center underscored what’s become clear: like some teams, they play well on home ice and not well when away from home.
So far in 2019, Anaheim has an 8-5-2 mark at Honda Center, but only 4-7-2 on the road. By contrast, the top five teams in the National Hockey League’s Pacific Division have winning or break-even records at away games.
Against the Kings – the worst team in the division – the Ducks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Derek Grant and Jakob Silfverberg. They played the Kings even the rest of the way, giving up two scores and getting goals by Carter Rowney and Grant.
Ryan Miller had 24 saves in goal.
“Whoa, what a rivalry,” said Ducks coach Dallas Eakins. “There were six minutes in penalties.”
The Ducks will be back in action Friday hosting the Washington Capitals at Honda Center at 7 p.m. and then travel to Winnipeg on Sunday to play the Jets.
Top Ducks leaders:
- Scoring: Ryan Getzlaf 21 points, Jakob Silfverberg 19, Rickard Rakell 19.
- Goals: Silfverberg 10 goals, Getzlaf 9 goals.
- Assists: Hampus Lindholm 12 assists, Getzlaf 12.
- Goalkeeping: John Gibson 2.86 goals against average; Ryan Miller 2.99 GAA.
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