Kings Stay One Step Ahead by Edging Ducks Again, 3-2

Think goal-scoring and the names of the Kings’ best quickly come to mind. There’s Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Luc Robitaille and Tomas Sandstrom.

But Pat Conacher?

“I’m always shocked when I score,” Conacher said.

So, he was shocked twice on Sunday, scoring two goals in the Kings’ 3-2 victory over the Mighty Ducks before a sellout crowd of 17,174 at Anaheim Arena.

How unexpected was that?

Conacher hadn’t scored since Oct. 27 at Detroit, his only road goal in 16 previous games this season.

Sure, he started the season by scoring goals in each of the Kings’ first four games, but that was a fluke and he acknowledged as much Sunday.

“I’m kind of streaky aren’t I?” he said after the Kings’ second-consecutive road victory.

On a night when the Ducks won so many small battles, particularly along the boards, the Kings needed an extra shove in the right direction.

“Let’s face it, we’ve been on a terrible skid, slump, slide, whatever you want to call it,” said Conacher, whose goal at 6:12 of the third period was the game-winner.

It gave the Kings, shadowed all game by the Ducks, some much-needed breathing room in the form of a 3-1 lead. Bob Corkum pulled the Ducks to within 3-2 with a goal at 11:29 of the third period.

King Coach Barry Melrose knew what to expect from the Ducks, but that didn’t make things any easier.

“They force you to beat them,” Melrose said. “They don’t make mistakes. They work like hell. If you’re not prepared, they’ll beat you.”

It fell to Conacher to provide the knockout blow for the Kings.

Taking a pass from Doug Houda, Conacher lifted a backhander at Duck goaltender Guy Hebert, who stopped it easily. But Hebert didn’t smother the rebound and Conacher took another swipe at the puck and knocked it into the net.

Duck Coach Ron Wilson could only shake his head and wonder what might have happened if his team had clicked better.

“We had our chances,” he said. “Sometimes it was Kelly Hrudey making a big save. Sometimes we just missed the net. We out-chanced the Kings tonight. We played a solid game.”

The Kings led, 2-1, after two periods, but it was difficult to figure out how or why. The Ducks had more good scoring chances and outshot the Kings, 19-16. For the game, the Ducks held a 34-24 advantage.

Shawn McEachern’s goal at the 17:32 mark gave the Kings a 2-1 lead. And it took a bit of luck for that to happen.

Warren Rychel picked up a loose puck and tried to unleash a slap shot from point-blank range. But he fanned and the puck flew to a trailing McEachern, who fired a shot past Hebert.

Conacher gave the Kings a 1-0 lead when he scored on assists from Tim Watters and Phil Crowe 2:58 into the game. It was Crowe’s first NHL point.

The Ducks tied the score on Terry Yake’s 13th goal of the season, a slap shot from the left circle, at 16:03.

Moments later, Peter Douris had a couple of whacks at a loose puck in the crease, but couldn’t connect.

Earlier in the first period, defenseman Alexei Kasatonov slipped through the King defense and hit the right goal post with a quick shot.

King-Duck Notes

Duck right wing Jim Thomson will undergo surgery on his left shoulder today at Anaheim Memorial Hospital. Thomson, who hasn’t played since Dec. 2, will be sidelined indefinitely. He has played in only six games this season. . . . Jari Kurri returned to the King lineup after missing Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Dallas with a groin injury. Mark Hardy missed his second consecutive game with a shoulder injury. Jimmy Carson, who has one goal and two assists in his last seven games, was scratched Sunday. He has 11 points in 25 games.