Jeff Carter powers Kings past Ducks

ANAHEIM -- Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist to help the Los Angeles Kings defeat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 at Honda Center on Sunday.
Carter earned his 600th NHL point with his second goal and assisted on Drew Doughty's goal to give him three points on the night and six in the past three games. Both of Carter's goals were scored on the man-advantage, jumpstarting a power play that was ranked 28th in the NHL entering the game.

"I'd bet he has another 100 in the playoffs too," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "We need Jeff. It's a tough challenge in this building. They can put (Ducks centers Ryan Getzlaf) and (Ryan) Kesler and (Antoine) Vermette out on the ice every faceoff, every shift if they want. It's a lot of experience, a lot of size there."
WATCH: All Kings vs. Ducks highlights
Peter Budaj made 28 saves for the Kings (10-9-1), who have won a season-high three straight games, all without captain Anze Kopitar, who remained out because of an upper-body injury for the fourth straight game.
Vermette and Rickard Rakell scored for the Ducks (9-7-1) and John Gibson made 26 saves. Anaheim had won its previous four home games.

"I liked that we had a response, but I didn't like the first two periods," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We didn't play anywhere near what we're capable of. They did a good job of outworking us. They outworked us for two periods and got the two points. If you're not prepared to play 60 minutes, you're not going to have success."
After a scoreless first period, the Kings dominated the second, scoring three goals and limiting Anaheim to eight shots. The Ducks were outshot 26-13 through the first two periods, but scored twice in the third to make it 3-2.
"They basically just dominated that third," Doughty said. "We were in our own zone for long periods of time, which caused long shifts and made us tired. When you're tired, you can't perform to the best of your ability."
Doughty opened the scoring with a top-shelf snipe 2:15 into the second period.

Pearson found Carter at the edge of the crease to finish off a tic-tac-toe sequence to make it 2-0 at 12:21. A little over a minute later, Carter caught a loose puck and easily tipped it behind Gibson to give the Kings a 3-0 lead.
Vermette scored a power-play goal 3:34 into the third period when he deflected a shot from Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm.

After a power-play goal was waved off, Rakell scored on a one-timer from the slot with two seconds left on the same power play to make 3-2 at 8:36.
"It was a huge game," Carter said. "They really dug in and made it interesting at the end, but two points is two points."

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Goal of the game

Carter's second goal was almost too easy and it was too much for the Ducks to overcome. Anaheim is 0-6-2 when trailing after two periods.
"I didn't have to do a lot there," Carter said. "It hit me in the chest, I got it before it crossed the line and it went in."

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Save of the game

Carter would have had a hat trick had he scored on a shorthanded breakaway in the first period, but Gibson gloved it to keep the game scoreless.

Unsung moment of the game

Pearson may not have gotten an assist on Carter's second goal, but he helped out by screening Gibson. The goalie was so focused on Pearson, he failed to notice Carter on the doorstep right behind him.

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Highlight of the game

Jakob Silfverberg went low and fed Rakell high, who one-timed it from his knees and banked it in off the far post.

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They said it

"I thought the building had a lot of energy. Usually when you play the night before, you're going to come out like you finished your game the night before and that's what we did, but you're also going to know at some point the tank's going to start heading down -- the needle's going to go the other way with you a little bit, and that I think was evident." -- Kings coach Darryl Sutter
"They dominated us in the first two periods, but I wish we would've played the whole game like we did in the third period. Maybe it would've been different. We have to move forward and make sure it doesn't happen again." -- Ducks forward Rickard Rakell

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Need to know

The Ducks recalled defenseman Shea Theodore from San Diego of the American Hockey League prior to the game. Theodore is expected to Clayton Stoner's spot on the roster. Stoner is out because of a lower-body injury. … Carter has four multipoint games this season.

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What's next

Kings: Host the New York Islanders on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-W, MSG+,
NHL.TV
)
Ducks: Host the Islanders on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; SN, PRIME, MSG+,
NHL.TV
)