Kings trade Quick to Blue Jackets for Gavrikov, Korpisalo

Associated PressMar 1, 2023, 11:33 PM EST

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LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings achieved their goal of adding a quality defenseman near the trade deadline. It came with a heavy cost.

The Kings acquired defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in a trade with Columbus Blue Jackets. In return, Los Angeles sent two-time Stanley Cup winning goaltender Jonathan Quick, a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick and a third-rounder in 2024.

“The team’s performance over the last month put us in position that we felt as a staff we needed to go out and address needs that we had identified previously to help this team continue to push for the playoffs,” Kings vice president and general manager Rob Blake said during a conference call on Wednesday.

Los Angeles is tied with Vegas for most points in the Pacific Division with 76. The Kings got to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2018 but lost in seven games to Edmonton in the first round. They have not won a postseason series since winning the Cup in 2014.

The first-rounder is conditional on the Kings making the playoffs, as expected. If they do not, Columbus – which has a league-low 46 points – gets a second-round pick from L.A. each of the next two drafts as part of the trade completed late Tuesday night and announced Wednesday.

Quick found out about the trade in a phone call from Blake after Tuesday night’s 6-5 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Blake was not with the team during the five-game road trip.

“There was shock and disappointment,” Blake said. “The setting wasn’t perfect because of the time. That was not an easy decision and I’ll reiterate how important he (Quick) is to the franchise and the organization.”

Blake added that he talked to captain Anze Kopitar and defenseman Drew Doughty after his call with Quick to let them what happened.

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said they had tried to reach an extension with Gavrikov, but were unable to come to terms. Korpisalo was also in the final season of his contract.

“Both of them are pending unrestricted free agents and where we are in our process and in the season right now, we felt that it was a necessary move for our future,” Kekalainen said.

Quick backstopped the Kings to their Cup titles in 2012 and ’14. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2012 after recording three shutouts in 20 starts. He also allowed only seven goals in the six-game finals victory over the New Jersey Devils.

Quick is in the final season of a 10-year, $58 million contract but had been supplanted as the Kings No. 1 goaltender by Pheonix Copley. It’s unclear if Columbus will keep Quick or flip him to a contender before the trade deadline Friday.

The 37-year old Quick had started three of the last six games. He made 16 saves in last Friday’s 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders to pick up his 370th career win, which surpassed Tom Barrasso for third place on the wins list by a U.S.-born goaltender in NHL history.

He is 11-13-4 on the season with a 3.50 goals-against average, .876 save percentage and one shutout.

Quick – a third-round pick by the Kings in 2005 – also holds the franchise records for goalies in games played (743) and shutouts (57).

Gavrikov and Korpisalo are expected to arrive in Los Angeles before Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Quick is remaining in Los Angeles, since there is a possibility he could be moved again before Friday’s trade deadline.

Gavrikov has three goals and seven assists in 52 games, but has not played since Feb. 11. He was expected to be dealt last week to the Boston Bruins before that fell through.

Gavrikov was among Columbus’ leaders in ice time. He also is a left-handed shooter and a quality penalty killer, which are two areas where the Kings have been lacking.

“I think he fits the mold of a bigger player who is very solid defensively, can play a lot of minutes, can penalty kill and check top players,” Blake said.

Korpisalo had won three of his last four starts along with posting a .921 save percentage. He made nine starts for the Blue Jackets during the 2020 playoffs.

Copley is 18-4-2 since making his debut on Dec. 6. The wins are tied with Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for the most during that span, but Copley’s .899 save percentage is 24th among 31 goalies who have played 18 or more games over the past three-plus months.

Korpisalo’s .915 save percentage since early December is ranked 11th. His overall record this season is 11-11-3 with a 3.17 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.

Quick’s trade leaves Kopitar and Doughty as the only remaining players from the Kings’ Cup-winning teams.

Sizzling Pastrnak’s hat trick sends Bruins past Ducks, 7-1

Associated PressJan 9, 2023, 2:26 AM EST

Jason Parkhurst/USA TODAY Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. — David Pastrnak had three goals and an assist, Hampus Lindholm scored a goal in his Anaheim homecoming, and the Boston Bruins completed a perfect three-game road trip with a 7-1 victory over the Ducks on Sunday night.

David Krejci had a goal and two assists before Brad Marchand, Lindholm and Charlie Coyle added third-period goals for the first-place Bruins. Boston has won four straight overall after trouncing California’s three NHL teams by a combined 16-5 over the past four days.

“Our defense is playing well, and all four lines are rolling, and we’ve got two great goaltenders,” Pastrnak said after the Bruins (32-4-4) boosted their overall NHL lead to 11 points over Toronto and Carolina. “We’re doing great and playing for each other.”

Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves to back Pastrnak, who has 32 goals in 40 games this season after securing his 13th career hat trick. He scored a whopping seven goals in the Bruins’ three West Coast games, and this outburst in Anaheim was yet another indication the Czech winger is about to get a monster contract, either before or after he hits unrestricted free agency this summer.

“I had some good looks and I was able to capitalize,” Pastrnak said. “Unbelievable trip for us. Now let’s go home.”

Trevor Zegras scored and John Gibson stopped 35 shots for the Ducks, who failed to secure their first three-game winning streak since November 2021. Last-place Anaheim dropped to 3-4-1 on its franchise-record, 10-game homestand.

“In the first two periods, I was OK with the effort,” Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. “In the third, we just unscrewed our brains.”

After Pastrnak secured the sixth 30-goal season of his career with a first-period score, he wrapped his hat trick with two goals 17 seconds apart in the second period. He put a power-play goal between Gibson’s legs and followed it with a breakaway goal, sending dozens of hats flying onto the Orange County ice from Bruins fans.

Boston coach Jim Montgomery said Pastrnak is “elite. Creative. He’s like an artist in the different ways he scores. … I would have broke my ankle if I was the goalie (on the third goal).”

Pastrnak is no stranger to prolific performances against the Ducks: He scored a career-best four goals on Anaheim in Boston in October 2019.

Ducks fans gave a warm welcome home to Lindholm, the longtime Anaheim defenseman who was traded to Boston last spring when new general manager Pat Verbeek decided not to sign him to a long-term contract. Lindholm, the sixth overall pick by the Ducks in 2012, is third in franchise history among defensemen in points, goals, assists and blocked shots.

Lindholm immediately got an eight-year, $52 million deal from the Bruins, and the Swede has been worth it: He left his homecoming game with an impressive 28 points and a plus-29 rating.

“It was a great moment,” Lindholm said of the tribute video and standing ovation for him in the first period. “This place is special to me, but now I’m on to a new chapter that I’m really excited about.”

Pastrnak put the Bruins ahead less than four minutes in from the top of the left circle with a quick wrist shot past Gibson, who was screened by teammate John Klingberg.

Zegras, who scored 36 points in his one season at Boston University, scored his 12th goal of the season on a nasty one-timer late in the first.

UP NEXT

Bruins: Host Seattle on Thursday.

Ducks: Host Edmonton on Wednesday.

Filip Forsberg racks up 3 points, Predators rout Ducks 6-1

Associated PressDec 30, 2022, 9:58 PM EST

Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists in his 600th career game, and Colton Sissons added a goal and an assist in the Nashville Predators’ 6-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.

Yakov Trenin, Thomas Novak, Roman Josi and Nino Niederreiter also scored in the Predators’ third win in 11 games. Juuse Saros made 26 saves as Nashville opened a quick two-game West Coast road trip by snapping a two-game skid.

“We’re almost halfway through the season, and I don’t think we’ve played our best hockey yet, but this is a step in the right direction,” said Forsberg, who produced his sixth multi-point performance in 21 career games against Anaheim. “Our offensive zone work was good, especially in the second period. There’s been something missing there this season, so it was good to get that going.”

After his three-point performance in Orange County, Forsberg is just two points shy of becoming the third player in Predators history to score 500 points. His goal on the doorstep off a defensive misplay put the Predators up 3-1 in the second period, blowing open a previously tight game with his 11th goal of the season.

Sam Carrick scored and John Gibson stopped 37 shots in another dismal effort by the Ducks, who have lost four of five.

Anaheim dropped to 1-2-1 on its franchise-record, 10-game homestand, and the beleaguered club finished the 2022 calendar year with a dismal record of 24-51-11.

“It’s no secret that we’re in a rebuild,” Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. “We’re trying to develop players on the fly. We’re doing our best to compete every night, and … when you are a team like that, you can’t make mistakes, and you certainly cannot do things by yourself. We can’t have guys being single contractors. You need your teammates, and you have to play the system so we can have some success. That’s where it got away from us tonight.”

Sissons put the Predators ahead in the first period when he was left unmarked in the right circle and whistled a wrist shot past Gibson for his fifth goal in 17 career regular-season games against Anaheim.

“We made it hard on them,” Sissons said. “They could barely catch their breath for a while there while we rolled (lines) on them.”

Sissons has been an unlikely offensive threat against the Ducks for most of his career. The depth-line grinder with just one 10-goal season in his decade in Nashville had the greatest game of his NHL life against the Ducks, posting a hat trick in the Preds’ clinching Game 6 victory in the 2017 Western Conference finals.

Carrick got credit for evening it early in the second period when Urho Vaakanainen‘s shot into traffic ricocheted sharply off Carrick’s hip, resulting in only his second goal of the season.

But Nashville reclaimed the lead when Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler‘s giveaway set up a quick shot by Trenin for a goal in his second straight game.

“Nashville has an excellent team,” Eakins said. “I’m not sure their record shows exactly what they have there. … The one thing I do think Nashville does very well is they play with each other. They play a very good team game, and every shift is almost the same.”

Novak got his second goal of the season – the third of his NHL career – early in the third period. Josi then scored on a long shot during a power play, and Niederreiter tacked on his 12th goal with 13 seconds to play.

UP NEXT

Predators: At Vegas on Saturday.

Ducks: Host Philadelphia on Monday.

Ducks’ Jamie Drysdale out 4-6 months with shoulder injury

Associated PressNov 1, 2022, 10:07 AM EDT

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jamie Drysdale has a torn labrum in his left shoulder, possibly sidelining him for the rest of the season.

Drysdale injured the shoulder during the Ducks’ loss at Vegas, and he will have surgery soon, the team announced. He is expected to be out for four to six months.

The 20-year-old Drysdale is a promising playmaker chosen sixth overall by Anaheim in the 2020 draft. He has no points with a minus-3 rating in eight games this season for the rebuilding Ducks, who snapped a seven-game skid by beating Toronto.

Drysdale recorded four goals and 28 assists as one of the NHL’s youngest players last year. He made his league debut as an 18-year-old in March 2021, scoring eight points in 24 games to finish that season.

Hagel’s late power play goal sends Lightning past Ducks, 4-2

Associated PressOct 27, 2022, 10:27 PM EDT

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Brandon Hagel scored the tiebreaking power-play goal with 4:27 to play in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 4-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.

Mikhail Sergachev and Nikita Kucherov scored early goals, Nicholas Paul added an empty-net goal and Victor Hedman had two assists in Tampa Bay’s third win in four games. Brian Elliott made 19 saves for the three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Lightning, who rebounded from a loss at Los Angeles one night earlier during their three-game California road swing.

“It was tough, (because) there’s not a lot of flow on my end,” Elliott said. “They got a lucky break in the second (period) to tie it, and then we’re in a battle.”

Hagel scored a goal in his third consecutive game for the Lightning when he fired a shot past Corey Perry‘s screen and over the glove of John Gibson, who stopped 26 shots in rebuilding Anaheim’s sixth consecutive loss (0-5-1) since a season-opening win over Seattle.

“Felt good. I don’t think I’ve had a game-winner in a while,” Hagel said. “When I got the puck, the defenseman was really low and I was able to walk in. Perrs did an unbelievable job screening.”

Troy Terry had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, and Trevor Zegras scored his fourth goal as the Ducks returned from an 0-4-1 road trip with another loss. Terry and Zegras both also took high-sticking penalties in the third period.

“That’s an elite team,” Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. “They’re multiple champions for a reason, and they don’t need you to make five mistakes to score a goal. They just need you to make one. It’s amazing to watch how they play. They’re rattled by nothing. … It’s a good team to play and learn those lessons.”

Zegras put the Ducks ahead late in the first period with a vicious one-timer on a pass from Dmitry Kulikov. But Sergachev evened it later in the first with a wrist shot through traffic, and Kucherov claimed the lead for Tampa Bay 1:26 after that with a one-timer off a clever cross-ice pass from Hedman.

Anaheim struggled for shots on goal and mere possession throughout the first two periods, yet Terry still tied it late in the second when he stole the puck from Philippe Myers in the circle and whipped a quick shot for his fourth goal.

POWER OUTAGE

The Ducks went scoreless on two power play opportunities, stretching their drought to 0 for 19 since the season opener, yet Eakins saw improvement.

“Our power play looked way better, much more dangerous, and moving the puck quickly and efficiently,” Eakins said.

LINEUPS

Tampa Bay defensemen Haydn Fleury and Cal Foote were healthy scratches, with Myers and F Cole Koepke returning to the lineup from one-game absences in Los Angeles.

Anaheim F Pavol Regenda and D Nathan Beaulieu were healthy scratches, with Brett Leason and Simon Benoit drawing in. Regenda has two assists in five games after surprisingly making the Ducks’ roster out of training camp.

PERRY RETURNS

Perry returned to Honda Center for his fourth career game against the Ducks. The 2011 NHL MVP spent his first 14 seasons in Anaheim, winning a Stanley Cup ring in 2007. He is second in franchise history with 372 goals and 988 career games, and he is the Ducks’ career penalty minutes leader with 1,110.

UP NEXT

Lightning: At Sharks on Saturday.

Ducks: At Golden Knights on Friday.