What we learned from the Kings’ 4-1 win over the Ducks

The Kings needed a win. The Ducks probably needed a breather.

Boosted by the return of goalie Jonathan Quick, the Kings erased a one-goal deficit late for a 4-1 win against the Ducks on Saturday at Staples Center.

The Kings pulled to three points out of a playoff spot while the Ducks are stuck in win-loss mode.

Here’s what we learned:

Perhaps the best moment was before the game. The roar of the crowd when Quick led the Kings out for warmups marked a special moment, about five months in the waiting, as fans welcomed back the man who backstopped the team to two Stanley Cups.

“I think the fans we’re more excited than the the guys on the ice were,” Tyler Toffoli said of Quick.

Quick was his usual subdued self after the game, but his coach expounded on having him back.

“It was exciting for everybody,” Darryl Sutter said. “Players, coaches, fans. It was fun to see.”

Even for a Ducks-Kings game, this ranked high on the testy scale. Bad blood overflowed in a game that counted 66 hits by the teams, two fights, countless testy play and a few dangerous plays.

Normally calm Ducks wing Jakob Silfverberg went after Dustin Brown at one point in a second period that reached a boiling point when Corey Perry upended Anze Kopitar, which forced Jordan Nolan to go after Perry.

A 10-player scrum ensued, and it took several minutes to sort it out.

The Ducks could use a break. One of the last teams to get the bye week, they will have four days off before they play 14 games in 31 days in March.

They didn’t necessarily look tired but they couldn’t match the fire that the Kings showed in their comeback. The Ducks’ defense was also admittedly slack at crucial times.

“I know guys in here will welcome the break,” Cam Fowler said. “If there’s nothing bothering them physically, at least it’s just a little bit of a mental break. I’m looking forward to a little bit of downtime and then being refreshed for the last leg of the season.”