KINGS EMERGE VICTORIOUS ALLISON ANSWERS DUCKS WITH GAME-WINNER KINGS 4, DUCKS 2.

Byline: Brice Nixon Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Dan Bylsma's first-period goal gave the Mighty Ducks the start they had been looking for, but the Kings made sure there wasn't a similar finish.

Jason Allison scored less than a minute after the Ducks had come back to tie the game, and Jamie Storr made 31 saves in his first start of the season as the Kings held on for a 4-2 victory in front of 11,332 at the Pond on Wednesday. And they did it without injured forward Ziggy Palffy.

``We have a pretty talented team,'' Storr said. ``We were without Ziggy tonight and scored four goals. What does that say?''

Ducks coach Mike Babcock reiterated to his players before the game they had to outwork their opponents at home. They failed to do that early in the first period but managed to break their streak of three consecutive games allowing the first goal.

< The Ducks were outworked at the start of the game, when they were outshot 5-0. Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere had to make three tough saves to keep the Kings from scoring early, as the Red Wings' Brendan Shanahan did in Detroit's 4-2 victory at the Pond on Sunday. Giguere finished with 34 saves.

``The team that works the hardest wins 95 percent of the time,'' Babcock said. ``If you get outcompeted, you're not going to win.''

Bylsma scored the Ducks' first first-period goal of the season with just 6.1 seconds left in the period. The Ducks had given up the first goal in each of their three games this season.

That streak might have continued if not for Giguere, who stopped two breakaways earlier in the period.

The Kings had a five-on-three advantage for 45 seconds, but the closest they came was Mattias Norstrom's shot off the post.

With 9:35 left in the period, Adam Deadmarsh took a pass near center ice and skated in alone on Giguere, who made a sprawling save. On a Ducks power play with 2:22 remaining, Bryan Smolinski had another breakaway opportunity, but Giguere again made the stop.

After the first period, Babcock switched up his team's line combinations. But the second period started much like the first for the Ducks.

``A lot of standing around on our part,'' Ducks center Steve Rucchin said. ``Every time there was a loose puck, they had it. And we were a step behind them the whole game. Just a poor effort.''

The Kings tied the score just 1:31 into the second period. Norstrom hit the post again, and the rebound bounced behind Giguere and trickled across the goalmouth before Smolinski poked it in.

The Kings almost took the lead five minutes later, but Allison's shot hit the post.

Adam Deadmarsh scored to give the Kings a 2-1 lead 3:10 into the third period. Jaroslav Bednar had the puck to Giguere's right. He then dropped it back to Deadmarsh, who beat Giguere high to his glove side.

The Ducks tied it fewer than three minutes later. Paul Kariya backhanded a pass to defenseman Keith Carney, who had trouble gathering the puck in front of the Kings' goal. His shot hit the post, but Rucchin put in the rebound as he fell to the ice. It was Rucchin's second goal of the season.

Allison answered with his third goal in the Kings' first three games. Mikko Eloranta passed to Allison, who scored from right in front of Giguere. Eric Belanger added an empty-net goal with 18 seconds to play.

``We just can't seem to gain any momentum from big goals that we score,'' Rucchin said. ``It definitely needs to be fixed. There were some guys working. Some of us just didn't get the job done.''

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Mighty Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere (35) blocks a shot by the Kings' Adam Deadmarsh in the first period Wednesday.

(2) The Ducks' Marc Chouinard (32) shoots past a defender at Kings goalie Jamie Storr (1).

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press