The Ducks’ Frank Vatrano, left, and the Kings’ Alex Turcotte collide while battling for the puck during their preseason game on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ducks head coach Greg Cronin looks on from the bench during their preseason game against the Kings on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Kings’ Tanner Jeannot, left, is challenged by the Ducks’ Yegor Sidorov during their preseason game on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Kings’ Akil Thomas (26) slides on the ice as he scores a goal past Ducks goaltender Oscar Dansk, top right, during the second period of their preseason game on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Ducks’ Brian Dumoulin controls the puck during their preseason game against the Kings on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Kings’ Jordan Spence reaches for the puck during their preseason game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ducks goaltender Oscar Dansk makes a save on a shot by the Kings’ Andre Lee, not pictured, during the first period of their preseason game on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kings head coach Jim Hiller looks on from the bench during their preseason game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Ducks’ Brett Leason controls the puck during their preseason game against the Kings on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Kings’ Alex Turcotte skates with the puck during their preseason game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Ducks’ Yegor Sidorov skates with the puck during their preseason game against the Kings on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Kings’ Jacob Moverare skates with the puck during their preseason game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Ducks’ Mark Pysyk skates with the puck during their preseason game against the Kings on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The puck flies over the head of Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper after he makes a save during the first period of their preseason game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. Kuemper had 23 saves in a 4-0 win. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Ducks’ Brian Dumoulin controls the puck during their preseason game against the Kings on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The Ducks’ Frank Vatrano, left, and the Kings’ Alex Turcotte collide while battling for the puck during their preseason game on Monday night at Honda Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
ANAHEIM — The Kings dispatched the Ducks in a second straight preseason meeting, prevailing 4-0 on Monday night at Honda Center, where new and new-ish faces excelled for the visitors.
Trade acquisition Tanner Jeannot contributed a goal and an assist to match the total of aspiring forward Akil Thomas, while free-agent signing Warren Foegele had a spectacular secondary assist to aid the cause of another trade pickup, the re-acquired Darcy Kuemper, who turned in a 23-save shutout. The Kings also got goals from Quinton Byfield and Vladislav Gavrikov.
The Kings padded their lead and concluded the scoring a mere 46 seconds into the third period with a power-play goal. After sending three players to the wall to win a board battle, the puck moved high to Jordan Spence, whose shot was deflected by Jack Studnicka, generating a rebound for Byfield, who scored off a snap shot.
After a competitive opening 20 minutes, the Kings carried the second period, stretching their lead to three with two goals in the first 5:10 of the middle frame.
Just 1:22 into the period, Foegele displayed some wizardry with a backhanded outlet pass from the defensive zone to the red line that sprung Kevin Fiala. He found a trailing Gavrikov, who passed the puck back to Fiala, only to get it back for a goal off the rush that elicited his patented “call me” celebration.
At the 5:10 mark, Jeannot ignited a scoring sequence with his physicality, hammering Sam Colangelo into the boards and dispossessing him of the puck. Jeannot slipped it to Phillip Danault, who pivoted below the goal line and made a silky pass from the left corner to the right post for Thomas, who had beat Nikita Nesterenko to the net, where he redirected the puck home as he fell to the ice.
The early going was defined by near misses as three of the first four Ducks shot attempts were sterling chances including a hit post by Nesterenko, a short-handed breakaway for Frank Vatrano and a superb opportunity for Sam Colangelo that Kuemper denied.
After Kuemper took a rare interference penalty for a goalie, the Kings nearly opened the scoring when Alex Turcotte’s shot dribbled through Dansk, only to teeter on the goal line for a couple of seconds before it was cleared to safety by Brian Dumoulin.
The lone goal of the period belonged to Jeannot, who first sent the puck high to Jacob Moverare and then secured inside position thanks to the blase defense of Trevor Zegras. He tipped Moverare’s shot attempt and then stuffed the rebound past Dansk, 12:58 into the match.
