DUCKS ARE KINGS OF SOCAL MIGHTY DUCKS 4, KINGS 2.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

When they joined the NHL in 1993, the Mighty Ducks were little more than a curiosity, if not a joke, given their cartoon logo, Disney ownership and roster filled mostly with has-beens and never-weres.

The Kings ruled SoCal then, but who's laughing now?

With their 4-2 victory over the Kings before 17,242 at Staples Center on Saturday, the Ducks edged closer to a playoff berth, while the Kings simply added another embarrassing defeat to their ledger.

Chris Kunitz scored two goals for the Ducks, who tallied twice in the first eight minutes of the game. Craig Conroy scored for the Kings and Nathan Dempsey capped the scoring with 2:08 remaining.

"I think our effort was above average today," Ducks winger Teemu Selanne said. "The good thing is that we won this game and we weren't at our best. That is what makes some teams better than others. Everyone can win when they play perfect, but winning these kind of games is a good sign."

Barring a total collapse, the Ducks will make the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history. They reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003 and have won a total four playoff series. In that same period, the Kings have made the playoffs four times and advanced past the first round only once.

The Kings still draw more fans, and the county line seems to prevent much of an overlap when it comes to fan bases, but based on results, the Ducks would have to be considered Southern California's team.

"It's pretty obvious that we haven't done the job here," Kings center Michael Cammalleri said.

Saturday's game ended the eight-game season series for the rivals, and the Ducks won four, lost one in regulation and three others in overtime or shootouts and recorded 11 points out of a possible 16.

The Ducks have an outside shot to catch Nashville for the fourth playoff spot in the Western Conference and home-ice advantage in the first round, but without a miraculous final week, the Kings will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season and put GM Dave Taylor's job in jeopardy.

The Kings did little Saturday to boost their hopes or appease their booing home fans.

"It's just a lack of confidence," Kings center Jeremy Roenick said. "We have no confidence in our ability and no confidence that what we're doing is right. We're afraid of failure and afraid of doing something wrong. We have to play to win. We can't play being afraid to lose."

Just 2:45 into the first period, Ducks center Rob Niedermayer deflected a slap shot by defenseman Francois Beauchemin, and the puck went by goalie Mathieu Garon for a 1-0 Ducks lead.

Five minutes later, on the first power-play chance of the game, the Ducks extended their lead. Selanne shot from the right side and Joffrey Lupul came in from the left and tapped in the rebound.

"We talk about effort a lot," Kings captain Mattias Norstrom said. "You can lose games one way, or you can lose games the way we have lost the last couple. -- It's about being a professional."

After Lupul's goal, the Kings failed on six of their next seven power-play chances, although they did pull within 2-1 when Conroy tapped in a rebound for a power-play goal 8:15 into the second period.

At that point, the Kings had outshot the Ducks 9-1 in the period, but their chance at momentum vanished 32 seconds after Conroy's goal, when Kunitz scored at 8:47 to put the Ducks up 3-1.

Kunitz added his second goal, on the power play, 9:09 into the third period, and Dempsey pulled the Kings within two with his second goal of the season. The Ducks scored two power-play goals in six attempts, while Conroy's goal was the only power-play goal in nine opportunities.

The Kings, down 3-1, had a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:32 late in the second period but didn't score.

"In the second period, we took a lot of penalties and the Kings didn't score on the power plays," Selanne said. "I think that was the turning point."

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The Mighty Ducks' Joffrey Lupul, right, scores past Kings' goalie Mathieu Garon during the first period of Saturday's game.

Niklas Larsson/Associated Press

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