Carter scores twice, gets 600th point; Kings beat Ducks 3-2
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Now that Jeff Carter has 601 career points, it's time to aim a little higher.
Carter scored twice and reached a scoring milestone, Peter Budaj made 28 saves and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Sunday night.
Carter assisted on Drew Doughty's score early in the second period and then added power-play goals 71 seconds apart to make it 3-0. The first goal got him to 600 points.
"It's cool," Carter said. "I'll shoot for 700 now."
Antoine Vermette and Rickard Rakell scored for Anaheim, and John Gibson made 26 saves.
The Kings dominated the first two periods, sustaining offensive pressure for long amounts of time and outshooting the Ducks 26-13. Anaheim pushed back in the third, scoring twice and generating more offense, but two lackluster periods ultimately doomed them.
"Usually these games are full of emotion, but we just didn't have any response," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "Pucks were going through our sticks. We couldn't execute a complete pass. We didn't get involved physically until the third period."
Anaheim pushed back late, starting when Vermette scored Anaheim's goal at 3:34, deflecting a shot from Hampus Lindholm on the power play to make it 3-1.
On another power play a few minutes later, Anaheim's Ryan Kesler appeared to punch in the puck on a goalmouth scramble, but it was waved off. With 2 seconds left on the man advantage, Rakell banked one in from the slot to make it 3-2.
"We attacked with a little bit more speed," Rakell said. "Just tried to get to the net and not be as sloppy as we were in the first two periods."
The Ducks got a late power play but failed to capitalize and the Kings hung on for the win.
"They really brought it to us but we just stuck with it and played desperate hockey," Doughty said. "Kind of just did whatever it took."
Carter scored his first goal at the 12:21 mark of the second, finishing a tic-tac-toe sequence with linemates Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. Just over a minute later, he caught a bouncing puck at the edge of the crease and stuck it behind Gibson.
"I didn't have to do a lot there," Carter said. "It hit me in the chest and I think I got it before it crossed the line but it was going in."
Doughty scored 2:15 into the second period when he sniped one top shelf over Gibson.
NOTES: The Ducks recalled D Shea Theodore from San Diego of the AHL prior to the game. Theodore was scratched. ... Ducks LW Joseph Cramarossa and D Clayton Stoner were both out with lower-body injuries. ... Kings captain Anze Kopitar missed his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury. . Carter has six points in the last three games.
UP NEXT
Kings: Begin a three-game homestand against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night.
Ducks: Host the Islanders on Tuesday night.
