The Anaheim Ducks staged a late comeback to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 5-4 in a shootout during the season's first Freeway Faceoff on Black Friday. Leo Carlsson scored the tying goal with 1:31 left in the third period and added two assists for three points. Goaltender Ville Husso made 23 saves in his season debut to secure the win.
Game Overview
The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Los Angeles Kings at Honda Center for a Black Friday matinee, marking the first matchup of the Freeway Faceoff series. Pre-game, the Ducks led the Pacific Division with a 14-8-1 record and 29 points, while the Kings held 28 points at 11-6-6. The Ducks improved to 15-8-1, and the Kings fell to 11-6-7.
First Period
Alex Laferriere gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 17:48, assisted by Trevor Moore and Brian Dumoulin. The Kings outshot the Ducks 9-7 and earned the first power play after Radko Gudas' holding penalty, carrying it into the second period. The Ducks won 63.2% of faceoffs and led in hits, blocked shots, and takeaways.
Second Period
The Ducks killed the opening penalty. Chris Kreider tied it 1-1 on a power play at 9:00, redirecting a pass from Troy Terry with Leo Carlsson assisting. Kevin Fiala regained the lead for Los Angeles at 2-1 just 1:03 later, scoring on a wrist shot assisted by Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke. Olen Zellweger tied it 2-2 at 11:02, sliding a one-timer past Darcy Kuemper after a deflection off Cody Ceci's skate, with assists from Alex Killorn and Carlsson. The Ducks outshot the Kings 11-5, but the period ended 2-2.
Third Period and Overtime
Alex Turcotte scored his first goal of the season at 3:23 to make it 3-2, redirecting Clarke's pass with Brian Dumoulin assisting. Joel Edmundson extended the lead to 4-2 at 6:53 from the right point, fed by Mikey Anderson and Moore. Pavel Mintyukov cut it to 4-3 at 10:42, assisted by Beckett Sennecke and Mason McTavish. With Husso pulled, Carlsson tied it 4-4 at 18:29 on a feed from Jackson LaCombe. Overtime saw four shots for the Ducks and two for the Kings, but no goals.
Shootout
Kuemper stopped Carlsson, and Fiala hit the post in the first round. Terry scored five-hole, and Adrian Kempe missed. McTavish's goal clinched the 5-4 win for Anaheim. Husso stopped both Kings' attempts, while Kuemper made 27 saves overall. Carlsson had three points, McTavish two assists plus the decider, and Dumoulin, Moore, and Clarke each had two assists for Los Angeles.
