Minor Calls Add Up to Tough Loss

It was a stark reminder of the few times last season when the Ducks lost their focus.

It came in Monday’s exhibition game, when the Ducks held a 3-0 lead against the Kings and lapsed into a haze of foolish penalties late in the second period. And in the post-lockout NHL, where leads are no longer a sure reason for fans to leave early, the Kings made the Ducks pay, scoring consecutive goals on two-man advantages, and winning, 5-4, in a shootout.

Most of the 17 minor penalties called were of the hooking or holding variety, with the Ducks whistled for 10 of them.

“We’re the group that has to make the adjustments,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “The bottom line is the rules are there. They’re put in place and the strict enforcement is again in place. We were guilty of stick infractions that are blatant and you can’t do that.”

The Ducks were at a disadvantage 510 times last season to rank 22nd in the league. Scott Niedermayer said players have to realize that referees will continue to call games more tightly.

“Hopefully it’s just a real good reminder of the lessons we should have learned last year,” Niedermayer said. “It’s an important lesson to learn for sure.”

*

Another bleak statistic from 2005-06 was the Ducks’ record in the first year of the shootout format. They had only three wins in 10 tries, making only 25.8% of their attempts.

“These things are going to happen during the season,” goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. “It’s something that you need to work on.” Giguere gave up 12 shootout goals in 31 attempts last season.

*

The Ducks trimmed their camp roster to 27 by assigning 12 players to Portland (Maine), their American Hockey League affiliate. As expected, 2005 first-round pick Bobby Ryan was returned to his junior team.

eric.stephens@latimes.com