3 reasons why Los Angeles Kings won 4-1 against Anaheim Ducks

The Los Angeles Kings beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 in their divisional matchup on Sunday night at the Honda Center. The Kings got four third-period goals, including two empty-netters, to seal the win.

Adrian Kempe scored his third of the season, with Alex Laferriere, Kevin Fiala, and Mikey Anderson scoring the rest for Los Angeles. Ryan Strome got the Ducks on the board to make the game 2-1 before the Kings iced it.

So, let’s take a look at the three reasons why the Los Angeles Kings won on Sunday night against the Anaheim Ducks.

3 reasons why Los Angeles Kings won against Anaheim Ducks

#3. The Kings got a solid start from David Rittich

The Los Angeles Kings deployed backup David Rittich on Sunday night. The decision paid off as Rittich surrendered just one goal on 15 shots. While he wasn’t overly tested, Rittich provided solid goaltending to keep the Kings in the first two scoreless periods.

Rittich held the fort in the third period as the Ducks pushed after scoring to make the game 2-1. Rittich’s start was crucial as the Kings have given up a high number of goals in previous outings.

#2. The Kings shut down the Ducks’ offense

Overall, the Los Angeles Kings played a tight defensive game, holding the Ducks to 15 total shots. Additionally, the Ducks lacked any quality scoring chances until they finally got on the board in the third period.

As the game came down to the wire, the Kings did a very good job of locking the game down. Despite the Ducks’ pressure, the Kings added two empty-net goals to seal the win.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Kings stayed out of the penalty box, committing three total penalties. As such, the penalty kill was not overly tested given the Ducks' lack of skilled forwards on the power play.

#1. The Kings outlasted the Ducks

Sunday night’s game was a bit of a slow, tight-checking affair. Neither team overly dominated the matchup, though the Kings outshot the Ducks 37-15.

The Ducks managed to keep the game close through two-plus periods, but they just couldn’t keep the Kings at bay. Anaheim goaltender Lukas Dostal played a great game. However, the Kings kept coming, eventually breaking past the Ducks' strong defensive play.

For the Kings, winning a hard-fought game after several high-scoring games bodes well for Los Angeles as they look to get back into the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture.

The Kings will face a much tougher test on Tuesday when they face off against the Vegas Golden Knights.