3 major takeaways from Anaheim Ducks’ 4-1 loss to Los Angeles Kings

Sunday night featured another edition of the Freeway Face-off, the noted rivalry between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks. They play exactly 34 miles away in their respective venues, Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and Honda Center in Anaheim.

The division rivals hit the ice at Honda Center looking to gain the upper hand in the 2024-25 edition of the series. But both teams got off to a slow start offensively.

The ice wasn't broken until the third period, when Kings captain Anze Kopitar's pass landed on the stick of Adrian Kempe, who beat goaltender Lukas Dostal.

Barely five minutes later, the lead was increased to two goals thanks to a tally from Alex Laferriere.

The Ducks pressed to get back into the game, pulling Dostal for the extra attacker, and managed to cut the Kings' lead. All thanks to Ryan Strome's tip-in goal with 1:07 remaining, spoiling the shutout bid for goaltender David Rittich:

However, the Kings would seal their victory thanks to the subsequent empty net tallies from Kevin Fiala and Mikey Anderson. The Kings improved to 3-1-2, while the Ducks fell to 2-2-1 through five games.

Rittich had a relatively light workload, facing only 15 shots. Meanwhile, Dostal made 33 saves on the 35 shots he faced.

Here are three biggest takeaways from the Ducks' loss at the hands of their cross-town rival Kings on Sunday.

#1. The Ducks managed only 15 shots

While the Kings ultimately fired 37 shots on net, they held the Ducks to a mere 15 on Rittich.

While Rittich isn't regarded as one of the more feared goaltenders in the NHL, registering 15 shots isn't going to produce a victory in most cases - regardless of who straps on the pads.

#2. Another strong performance from Lukas Dostal went for naught

Meanwhile, Dostal's strong play in the net was once again for naught. He turned in a gem of a performance late last week, making 45 saves against the Colorado Avalanche in what eventually became a 4-3 overtime loss.

Against the Kings, he received little to no help from the rest of his teammates despite making 33 stops.

#3. Trevor Zegras was held in check by the Kings

One of Anaheim's top players, Zegras, registered exactly zero shots on goal with no points.

The Ducks will conclude their two-game homestand on Tuesday night by hosting their other in-state rival, the San Jose Sharks.