{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Hockey League
Anaheim 4, Los Angeles 3
When: 8:30 PM ET, Sunday, April 9, 2017
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Referees: Kevin Pollock, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen: Trent Knorr, Kiel Murchison
Attendance: 16564

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A 22-year-old defenseman who spent most of the season shuttling between the NHL and AHL enabled the Anaheim Ducks to win the Pacific Division championship on Sunday night.

Shea Theodore scored 53 seconds into overtime to give the Ducks their fifth successive division title with a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings at the Honda Center.

Patrick Eaves, Antoine Vermette and Nate Thompson also scored for the Ducks, who received three assists from captain Ryan Getzlaf. Goalie Jonathan Bernier stopped 15 shots.

The Ducks are the seventh team in NHL history to win five consecutive division championships. The Vancouver Canucks, who captured the now-defunct Northwest Division from 2009 to 2013, were the last to accomplish the feat.

"These are not easy things to do," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We had a lot of turnover from our club last year and we tried to integrate some younger players. In the end, we found a way to achieve it. But in the end, our most important games are coming."

Anaheim (46-23-13) will open the postseason this week against the Calgary Flames (45-33-4). The Ducks have won 25 consecutive regular-season home games against Flames -- the longest such streak in NHL history.

"Every night, we feel confident that we can go against any team," Bernier said. "We've just been really focusing on getting better every game and making sure that we're sharp for the playoffs. Our battle level is really high, we want to pay the price defensively and we score some big goals."

Defenseman Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown and Kyle Clifford scored for the Kings (39-35-8), who received 20 saves from goalie Jonathan Quick. Jarome Iginla also recorded his 1,300th career point.

"We just didn't have enough in our lineup," said Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter, whose job status is a source of speculation despite signing a contract last May. "We lost a lot of goals out of our lineup and we put kids in who weren't really looked on as goal scorers. Some guys didn't work out, that's for sure."

Getzlaf began the scoring sequence for the winning goal by shooting the puck between the legs of Los Angeles' Tanner Pearson on a faceoff from the right circle in Anaheim's zone.

Rickard Rakell outraced two defenders to the puck along the left boards and passed to a wide-open Theodore, who fired a rising wrist shot from the slot that banked off the right post for his second goal of the season.

"I knew how bad the ice was, so I knew just how to shoot the puck and hope for the best," said Theodore, who was shuffled back and forth from the Ducks to their AHL affiliate in San Diego 14 times this season.

Brown broke a 2-2 tie at 7:55 of the third period. Derek Forbort one-timed a rising slap shot that Iginla deflected to Brown, who redirected it inside the left post for his 14th goal.

Iginla acknowledged the 1,300-point milestone was a goal as he finished his 21st year.

"The guys were great, and for the last few games have been trying to help me get there," said Iginla, who was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in a trade March 1. "Everyone feels good about it. It's one you think about a little bit. It's important and it's a neat milestone and the guys were great and pulling for me.

But nearly four minutes later, Thompson forced a 3-3 tie with his first goal of the season. From the right post, Thompson redirected Brandon Montour's pass from the right corner. The puck deflected off Quick's glove and slowly slid inside the post at 11:34.

Thompson missed the season's first 3 1/2 months after tearing his Achilles' tendon during the summer.

The Ducks exploited a turnover to take a 1-0 lead 28 seconds into the game. A pass from Doughty hit the back of teammate Anze Kopitar's skates. Getzlaf pounced on the loose puck and passed to Eaves, whose wrist shot from the right circle deflected off Quick's right shoulder and the underside of the crossbar.

Eaves' 32nd goal was his ninth in the past 12 games and his 11th since coming to Anaheim from the Dallas Stars in a trade on Feb. 24.

But the Kings, who registered just one shot on goal in the first 11 minutes, used Doughty's power-play goal to tie the score with 8:40 left in the first period. Doughty fired a slap shot from the right point for his third goal in the past four games and his 12th of the season.

Anaheim had a chance to tie the score with 3:42 remaining in the period. Andrew Cogliano poked the puck inside the right post but Quick gloved the puck while flat on his back. Since Quick extended his glove behind the goal line, the play led to a video review, which determined that the puck did not completely cross the goal line.

Loud booing followed the decision's announcement.

The Ducks regained a 2-1 lead when Vermette scored on a power play at 9:53 of the second period. Positioned behind the net, Rakell made a behind-the-back pass to Getzlaf at the right post. Getzlaf passed quickly to Vermette, who scored his ninth goal on a wrist shot as he fell in front of the crease.

Clifford's sixth goal tied the score with 4:04 left in the period. While in front of the crease, Clifford used the blade of his stick to make a backhanded deflection of Kevin Gravel's shot from the top of the slot inside the right post.

Quick again kept Anaheim from moving ahead 2 1/2 minutes into the final period, using his right skate while falling to stop Rakell's shot at the left post after Rakell skated past three defenders.

NOTES: Play-by-play announcer Bob Miller, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000, broadcast his final game after 44 years with the Kings. Miller, 78, announced his retirement in March after suffering a mild stroke in January. ... Los Angeles scratched C Jonny Brodzinski, LW Adrian Kempe, D Paul LaDue and C Jordan Nolan. ... Anaheim LW Nick Ritchie served the first of his two-game suspension for punching Chicago Blackhawks D Michal Rozsival during Tuesday night's 4-0 win. Ritchie also will miss the first game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. ... Besides Ritchie, the Ducks scratched D Cam Fowler, D Korbinian Holzer RW Jared Boll and D Jaycob Megna. ... Ducks LW Rickard Rakell ended the season leading the NHL with 10 game-winning goals. ... Ducks D Hampus Lindholm and C Nate Thompson returned to the lineup.
Top Game Performances
 
Los Angeles   Anaheim
Dustin Brown 1 Points Ryan Getzlaf 3
Dustin Brown 1 Goals Patrick Eaves 1
Nic Dowd 1 Assists Ryan Getzlaf 3
Drew Doughty 1 Power Play Goals Antoine Vermette 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jonathan Quick .833 Save Percentage Jonathan Bernier .833
Jonathan Quick 20 Saves Jonathan Bernier 15
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Los Angeles 18 3 1-4 4-5 10 28
Anaheim 24 4 1-5 3-4 10 31
Upcoming Games
  • Anaheim will play their next game at home against Calgary. The Ducks have a W/L % of .457 after a win and .694 after a loss.