Kings 2, Ducks 2, end of 2nd period.
The preseason non-rivalry between the Kings and Ducks at Honda Center, across the street from the postseason Angels-Red Sox rivalry at Angel Stadium, is getting about as hot as the cup of coffee I poured a half-hour ago in the press box. That is to say, I could use another cup.
The Kings scored 2:20 apart on back-to-back power plays, and the Ducks' lack of effectiveness killing penalties in the preseason is starting to remind some in these parts of the dark days of last year. Michael Handzus officially did the honors on the first goal, though Drew Doughty's stick was in the same jumble in front of Jean-Sebastien Giguere and any time an 18-year-old can score on Jiggy, he'll take it. Brian Boyle redirected a Tom Pressing slapshot - the way they practiced it 1,000 times, I'm sure - for the second goal.
Chris Kunitz had the equalizer on a Ducks power play at 13:40, getting a textbook 5-on-4 goal when Kent Huskins fed Brendan Morrison behind the net, and Morrison fed Kunitz streaking through traffic in front of Erik Ersberg. A good sign for the Ducks: it took Morrison all of 33 minutes, 40 seconds to get on the stat sheet with his new teammates.
However, I give the highlight of the period to Kent Huskins. With 4:13 to play, he got lazy in his own zone and watched Kyle Calder pick him clean at the blue line. That set up a 2-on-1 breakaway with Boyle that could easily have produced the Kings' third goal. Instead, Huskins sprinted back into position, then dove head-first (in the preseason, mind you) then extended his stick out to break up Boyle's pass back to Calder. Goal averted. Huskins continues to impress.
About J.P.
J.P. Hoornstra has been covering the Anaheim Ducks since 2007. Eight months after the University of Wisconsin won its third NCAA hockey championship, he was born in a frigid Madison winter. He betrayed his blue-blooded beginnings by graduating from UCLA in 2003, and welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
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