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The Anaheim Ducks have played well in games they have lost early on in the 2024-25 season. However, that may not apply to their performance against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. The Ducks allowed four third-period goals against their California rival as they fell to 2-2-1 on the season.
The Ducks are still a rebuilding team, but performances like this certainly aren't encouraging. Anaheim head coach Greg Cronin wants to see more from his team moving forward. He spoke about his team's lack of a complete effort on Sunday following their loss to the Kings on home ice.
“The last two games we've just been on cruise control. We're just watching the game,” Cronin said of the performance, via NHL.com. “They've got to take ownership. The NHL is a fast game. If you don't skate to the finish line every time you're backchecking, forechecking, neutral zone regroups, you're not going to get the puck. It's that simple.”
Kings ride third-period outburst to win over Ducks
Greg Cronin certainly hoped to see more from his team after losing to the Colorado Avalanche their last time out. However, they could not hold off a talented Kings team on Sunday. Neither Los Angeles nor Anaheim could get on the board through the first two periods. But the Kings broke through in the third period.
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Los Angeles opened the scoring around three minutes into the final frame. Adrian Kempe found the back of the net for the third time this season to make it 1-0. Five minutes later, Alex Laferriere scored his fourth of the year to make it a 2-0 game. The Ducks did get on the board thanks to Ryan Strome. But Kevin Fiala and Mikey Anderson scored later on to put the game out of reach.
“It's the never-ending battle of trying to make the play when it's there, and when it's not there, get in and put pressure on them because nobody likes to play under pressure,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said, via NHL.com. “I think the second half of the game we started to do that, and that's when we started to tilt the ice.”
The Kings have won two straight games following a three-game losing streak. Los Angeles will certainly look to keep the momentum going in their next contest. Fans can catch the Kings in action again on Tuesday as they close out their season-opening seven-game road trip against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Ducks, meanwhile, have lost three of their last four games. Anaheim is hoping to turn some of their more promising performances into wins moving forward. They take to the ice again on Tuesday as they play host to the San Jose Sharks before leaving town for a four-game road trip on the East Coast.
