Cloutier Gets Extension

The Kings expressed their confidence in goaltender Dan Cloutier Wednesday, giving him a two-year, $6.2-million contract extension before he played a regular-season game for them.

Cloutier, acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks in July, was brought in to be the Kings’ No. 1 goaltender, a position he held in Vancouver until a season-ending knee injury last November. He has a 2.67 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in two exhibitions.

“I think it was important to us to stabilize ourselves in goal,” General Manager Dean Lombardi said. “When we traded for him it wasn’t only as a goaltender, it was for the leadership and character he brings. The only issue was the injury, and it wasn’t a serious injury. Once we were convinced he was healthy, we wanted to get ahead of the curve. We didn’t want to be sitting here next year with a goaltender who was an unrestricted free agent.”

The Kings are banking on Cloutier to solve their problems in net. They’ve had 17 goaltenders in the last 10 seasons. Mathieu Garon had good numbers last season but was inconsistent.

Cloutier, 30, had three solid seasons as the Canucks’ starter before 2005-06, winning at least 31 games in each. He was deemed expendable after the Canucks acquired Roberto Luongo from the Florida Panthers in June.

“It’s nice to have the contract behind me,” said Cloutier, who will make $2.55 million this season, the last year of his current deal. “I really didn’t think about an extension until after the trade. It makes me feel welcome and that they show the confidence in me is nice.”

The Kings have about $25 million tied up in eight core players for the 2007-08 season -- Cloutier, Rob Blake, Alexander Frolov, Craig Conroy, Alyn McCauley, Scott Thornton, Tim Gleason and Dustin Brown.

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Three for 39.

Those two numbers haunted the Ducks all off-season. They represent their lack of success on the power play in their five-game loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference finals.

The Ducks weren’t a whole lot better during the regular season, which is one of the many reasons why they acquired Chris Pronger from the Oilers in July. The theory is with Pronger alongside Scott Niedermayer quarterbacking the power play, they can’t help but be better.

“Any time you add that type of potential to your lineup that can play in that situation, it’s a huge positive,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said of Pronger’s impact.

In the four exhibitions that Pronger has played, the Ducks have converted on eight of 42 chances with the big defenseman factoring in four of the goals.

But the Ducks were virtually powerless Wednesday night in their 3-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes at the Arrowhead Pond, with Niedermayer getting their only man-advantage goal in 14 situations.

Center Andy McDonald said Pronger’s booming shot from the point gives the Ducks options they didn’t have a year ago.

“It’s no secret what type of shot he has,” McDonald said. “It shows when other teams are on the penalty kill. They tend to play up pretty high on him and stay in his lane, trying to prevent the one-timer.”

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Teemu Selanne left the game with 17:16 remaining in the first period as a result of a cut to the mouth when he was hit by the stick of Phoenix winger Tyson Nash on his follow through. Selanne took 20 stitches in his mouth and did not return.

chris.foster@latimes.com

eric.stephens@latimes.com