LOS ANGELES – It was very much a preseason finale that could have been written off and called off before the final buzzer sounded, as the Los Angeles Kings held a 4-0 lead and a heavy shot advantage over the Anaheim Ducks.
Then the visiting Ducks got a spark to surge into the regular season, even if they didn’t claim the final result.
The Ducks erased a four-goal deficit over the final 10 minutes of the third period, including two goals by Leo Carlsson and an assist on Chris Kreider’s game-tying marker with 49 seconds to play, but the Kings pounced on an overtime turnover to earn the victory, 5-4, on Saturday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena.
Mikael Granlund scored on a review-assisted goal midway through the third period to start the Ducks comeback.
“We could have easily said, four-nothing, we have no chance here and then gone away, and then got ready for the regular season,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “But I love the way we came back and battled and got rewarded on some nice plays because we were at the net, screened the goalie or go off guys.”
“It would have been a great point in the regular season.”
Kevin Fiala blasted the overtime game-winner for the Kings. Phillip Danault scored two goals, and Quinton Byfield and Warren Foegele registered power-play strikes in the first period.
The Kings outshot the Ducks by a wide margin for the majority of the game and finished with a 31-22 advantage
Lukáš Dostál made 26 saves and Darcy Kuemper stopped 18 shots.
The Ducks have a day off on Sunday before the regular season rosters are due on Monday, and Anaheim will get three days of practice before the 2025-26 season-opener in Seattle on Thursday.
The scoreboard and the shot clock over the first 50 minutes of the game would have led to the conclusion that this fully operational Kings line-up was more than ready to start their real campaign this week, and after a lot of training camp work, the Ducks still needed to iron things out.
A look inside the wider numbers show the Ducks weren’t so far off in terms of shot attempts with 60.71% of the even-strength shots in the first period, but the Kings capitalized on power play attempts.
“Early in the game there, we directed a lot of pucks,” Quenneville said. “They blocked a lot. We missed the net on a lot of shots. Started getting some through. But, you know, I think there’s some balance in our lines that we should be generating, no matter who’s out on the ice.”
The Kings were also getting the more dangerous looks with 62.16% of the even-strength expected goals in the game, including 70.79% of them in the second period.
However, with the four-goal comeback, that did erase the pain of the early results.
“It’s better to finish the game like that,” Carlsson said. “Good game overall, just need a better start and we’ll be fine.”
Even with the Kings getting the overtime tiebreaker, the comeback shows what the team can do when it locks in.
“At the end of the day, it shows that we’re capable of scoring and generating if we keep it simpler and get it to the net,” Quenneville said. “You could say that if you won you would have been happy, but the way it ended, I mean, it shows that we can play. Let’s make sure we don’t wait for the last 20.”
Ultimately, it’s still just the preseason. Playoff spots are not won or lost in preseason match-ups, no matter how dramatic the swings of play. Everyone–reporters included–are ready for the real thing to start this week.
“It’s been a good training camp,” Granlund said. “Obviously, everybody’s just really excited to get to play the real games here. That’s going to tell way more when you actually start playing the real games. It’s been a good atmosphere, and I think we’re on the right path here.”
Mason McTavish Makes Preseason Debut
Despite three full practices and two morning skates under his belt, it’s certainly not enough to knock all the rust off for McTavish, who missed the first half of training camp due to his contract dispute.
“You gotta play a game speed,” McTavish said. “You can practice as much as you want, but you really need that game speed. And it was a good test today.”
McTavish played just under 16 minutes and earned an assist and a plus-2 rating with a block and two hits.
“It was good. Kind of better than I expected, which is nice,” McTavish said. “I think a little rusty still, but I’ll continually get better with a couple practices here and be ready to go.”
As he did all week in practice, McTavish centered a line with Cutter Gauthier on the left wing and Mikael Granlund on the right wing. The line contributed a goal, but more time is needed for a full assessment.
“It’s been good,” Granlund said. “He’s a really good player. He’s really strong with the puck. He’s a smart player. We’re going to play more games, so you get more used to his tendencies. ”
Beckett Sennecke to start season in NHL, and on the fourth line?
The final make-up of the Ducks’ roster will be decided on Sunday with rosters submitted on Monday, and with that decision, the combination of the fourth line will be determined.
There are six players in camp for the three spots on the line and the two extra forward slots.
Saturday’s fourth line was Ryan Poehling centering veteran bruiser Ross Johnston on the left and top prospect Beckett Sennecke on the right. Sam Colangelo, Nikita Nesterenko and Tim Washe were among the healthy scratches.
Poehling is certainly on the roster as the other half of the Trevor Zegras trade, and Johnston seems set to make the team as well.
Colangelo and Nesterenko proved their worth last season, but their spots aren’t necessarily secured. Washe got two games in at the end of last season with Anaheim, but the utility center might need more minutes in San Diego.
Then there’s Sennecke, who has been a major focus in camp and the preseason with plenty of opportunities to show if he should start the season in the NHL or be sent back to junior hockey.
Based on his inclusion in Saturday’s line-up and Quenneville’s postgame comments, it seems Sennecke will make the roster in a more versatile role.
“I think probably where he started at today is likely going to be where he’s going to be,” Quenneville said. “And I see him being like a wild card where you can use him in all situations, and he can play with anybody.”
“You’re sitting there if you’re playing in that role on that line, you think that you’re not going to get enough ice time. But I still think he’s useful in other ways where he can play with top players and be a threat and be productive as well. He’s a good asset for us, and I think the way he played in training camp there, he gives us a lot of options as a coach.”
Sennecke was with the fourth line most of the game, but he did see a smidge of power play time. Maybe more tellingly, when the Ducks pulled their goaltender, Anaheim put out the top line of Leo Carlsson, Chris Kreider and Troy Terry, Jackson LaCombe as the lone defender and the extra attackers were McTavish and Sennecke.
Anaheim will find use for his skill, and Sennecke said earlier in the week that he can adapt to the bottom-six physicality.
“I think I have that kind of hard forechecking aspect of my game as well,” Sennecke said, “and then I can kind of play that role as well and I mean, those guys are fun to play with because you get the puck back pretty fast because they forecheck hard. It’s fun.”
It remains to be seen what his playing schedule will be, if the Ducks do a full-season rest plan like in Leo Carlsson’s rookie year or a hybrid like Seattle did in 2022 with Shane Wright.
Either way, Sennecke will start the year in the NHL.
Special Teams Speculation
Just as the game was a back-and-forth and flipped on a dime, so too did the special teams play.
The Kings scored two power play goals early, while the Ducks’ power play could barely set up. Carlsson then scored on the power play in the third period as part of the Anaheim comeback.
There could be plenty written on the special teams, but for now, we’ll leave that to the regular season, as Quenneville is too.
“That’ll be a work in progress through 82 games coming up. I assure you that,” Quenneville said. “That’s always something that you’re gonna be talking about.”
Regular season starts Thursday.
Anaheim Ducks Line Combinations:
Chris Kreider-Leo Carlsson-Troy Terry
Cutter Gauther-Mason McTavish-Mikael Granlund
Frank Vatrano-Ryan Strome-Alex Killorn
Ross Johnston-Ryan Poehling-Beckett Sennecke
(Tim Washe, Sam Colangelo, Nikita Nesterenko)
Jackson LaCombe-Radko Gudas
Olen Zellweger-Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov-Drew Helleson