FRUSTRATED KINGS TIED UP IN KNOTS SIMPSON SAVES DUCKS FROM DEFEAT KINGS 4, DUCKS 4.

Byline: Brice Nixon Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Even with five goals in the first period, Wednesday's game between the Kings and Mighty Ducks was bound to go down to the wire with the outcome in doubt.

The teams faced each other for the first time this season, and as usual, it was a barn burner.

Ducks defenseman Todd Simpson scored his first goal in more than a year to give the Ducks a 4-4 tie with the Kings in front of 17,174 at the Pond.

Simpson's goal came with 9:06 left in the third period. In overtime, Ducks defenseman Ruslan Salei missed a wide-open shot from the slot and goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped Joe Corvo and Lubomir Visnovsky.

The Kings received goals from unusual suspects in taking a 4-3 lead in the third period. Sean Avery scored his first goal in 22 games and Brad Chartrand scored his second goal of the season 7:31 into the third period.

Ducks rookie Michael Holmqvist scored his first two career goals as the teams traded scores in the first period before Sergei Fedorov gave the Ducks a 3-2 lead.

The Ducks extended the Kings' winless streak to nine games. The Kings, though, were seventh in the Western Conference coming into the game. The Ducks have two victories in their past nine games and a solid hold on last place in the Pacific Division.

Giguere finished with 24 saves and Kings goalie Roman Cechmanek stopped 15 shots in two periods of play.

The teams combined for five goals in the first period. Twice in the period, Holmqvist got the Ducks even after the Kings took the lead.

Trent Klatt scored after a Ducks turnover to give the Kings a 1-0 lead 1:56 into the game. Kings center Derek Armstrong got as assist on the goal, his first point since Nov. 13. Armstrong played in his second game since missing 22 with a broken finger.

Six minutes after Klatt scored, Holmqvist scored his first NHL goal. He went to the net and was alone in front when he got a pass from Vitaly Vishnevski. Holmqvist easily beat Kings goalie Cristobal Huet.

Alexander Frolov scored a power-play goal, his 12th goal of the season, for a 2-1 Kings lead with fewer than eight minutes left in the period. Luc Robitaille has his first pass blocked but got the puck back and passed to Frolov on the right side of the crease, where he easily beat Giguere.

It was the first power-play goal give up by the Ducks in six games.

Holmqvist scored his second goal 18 seconds later. He picked up the puck at the blue line and wristed a shot that went off Huet and trickled in.

Fedorov gave the Ducks their first lead less than three minutes later. Vaclav Prospal carried the puck behind the Kings' goal but slipped a pass back to Fedorov near the right post. He scored his team-leading 14th goal of the season and the last one Huet faced Wednesday.

Cechmanek was in goal for the Kings at the start of the second period. He played in just his second game since injuring his hip Dec. 11 against Nashville.

Another turnover by the Ducks led to a tying goal for the Kings late in the second period. Jaroslav Modry hit the post with a shot from the blue line, and the rebound bounced behind Giguere, where Avery pushed it in.

Thirty-three seconds before that, Giguere stopped Robitaille after he got the puck alone in front.

The Ducks had two power plays in the period but one quality scoring chance.

Brice Nixon, [phone]

brice.nixon(at)sgvn.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Ducks' Michael Holmqvist, left, and the Kings' Mattias Norstrom battle for a puck in the first period at the Pond.

(2) Derek Armstrong of the Kings falls to the ice as the Ducks' Steve Rucchin looks on Wednesday.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press