Kings G Jones debuts with shootout win over Ducks
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Martin Jones delivered in a debut fitting for a King.
"It was awesome," the goalie said.
Jones made 26 saves and followed that effort by blanking the Anaheim Ducks in nine rounds of a shootout as the Los Angeles Kings earned a 3-2 victory at the Honda Center on Tuesday night.
"He's a pretty poised guy," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "This is something he can build on."
Left winger Dwight King scored on the Kings' ninth attempt. Jones then stuffed Anaheim center Mathieu Perreault on the Ducks' final shootout attempt, propelling the Kings (18-7-4) past the Ducks (18-7-5), the only NHL club that hasn't loss in regulation at home.
All the postgame buzz centered on the performance of the Kings' 23-year-old goalie.
"He's a great goaltender," Kings center Jarret Stoll said. "He's a player. He started to make saves, and he had to do that for us. Whether it was on the penalty kill or in the shootout, he was reading guys, reading their shots very well. He passed the test with flying colors."
Jones got the start over Ben Scrivens, who was filling the starting role since Jonathan Quick went down with a groin injury last month.
"The first 25 minutes or so of the game, I barely had any shots," Jones said. "The (defense) did a great job."
Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller recorded a season-high 49 saves, but it wasn't enough.
"It's tough to lose that way," Hiller said. "I don't know if (King) missed a shot a little bit, but it kind of caught me right between the pad and my glove. It's a tough one."
The Ducks had opportunities to win. Their best occurred during a five-on-three advantage 27 seconds into overtime after Los Angles defenseman Willie Mitchell was penalized for slashing. However, they failed to take advantage, and Ducks left winger Dustin Penner was sent to the box for interference at 1:24.
"Our division has five teams in the top nine in the West," Anaheim center Nick Bonino said. "It's a tough division to get out of. It's a fun division to play in because of that. But games like these, tight games, we need to close out if we have a lead in the third or if we have chances to win in a shootout."
Right winger Corey Perry gave the Ducks a brief 2-1 lead with a power-play goal at 2:14 of the third period when he picked up a loose puck just outside the Kings' net and scored his 16th goal. Perry also had an assist, giving him 31 points on the season.
The Kings equalized just over three minutes.
Kings left winger Dustin Brown ripped a shot that Hiller got a glove on, but the puck bounced over his shoulder and into the net for a 2-2 tie at 5:43 of the third.
Center Jeff Carter gave the Kings a 1-0 lead when he corralled a turnover by Anaheim center Ryan Getzlaf and slapped it past Hiller for an unassisted goal at 7:05 of the second period. For Carter, it was his seventh goal of the season.
The Ducks answered 46 seconds later when Getzlaf knocked home the rebound of a miss by rookie defenseman Hampus Lindholm, sneaking the puck by Jones to knot the score at 1 at 7:51. It was the 14th goal for Getzlaf and allowed him to extend his point streak to the past 11 games he played.
NOTES: The Kings are 0-for-25 on the power plays over the past seven games. ... Ducks LW Dustin Penner was tied for second in the league with a plus-17 rating in 22 games entering the game. He had an even rating Tuesday. ... Los Angeles C Anze Kopitar had five points (two goals and three assists) in the previous seven games before being held without a point Tuesday. Kopitar has a club-high 24 points (7 goals and 17 assists) overall. ... Anaheim D Bryan Allen returned after missing the last three games with a lower-body injury. ... The Kings allowed two goals or fewer (excluding shootouts) in a club-record 14th consecutive game. ... Anaheim has a 49-41-24 mark against the Kings, including 29-13-15 at home. ... This was the first of five meetings between the clubs. They play twice next month, including a Jan. 25 clash at Dodger Stadium.
