QUACKED UP: DUCKS DEFEAT KINGS THIRD-PERIOD GOALS HELP ANAHEIM HOLD OFF LOS ANGELES DUCKS 4, KINGS 3.

Byline: RICH HAMMOND  Staff Writer

ANAHEIM -- Hope abounded Friday night, as the Ducks began what they hope will be the most successful season in franchise history while the Kings hoped to start down the path to respectability.

The crosstown rivals opened a season against each other for the first time ever, and although it will take six more months for their fates to be determined, both teams had reason for optimism after Friday night.

The Kings, who presumably will have trouble generating offense this season with a young group of forwards, made Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere work all night, but the Ducks asserted their authority in the third period and beat the Kings 4-3 in front of 17,174 at Honda Center.

Ryan Getzlaf and Chris Kunitz broke a 2-2 tie with third-period goals and Giguere, locked in a battle with Ilya Bryzgalov for the Ducks' No. 1 goalie position, had a strong game and made 41 saves.

Anze Kopitar, the Kings' 19-year-old center, scored two goals in his NHL debut and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky made it 4-3 with a power-play goal with 5:07 left, but the Ducks held on.

``I thought we did a lot of things pretty well,'' Kings coach Marc Crawford said. ``The poise was probably the difference. Those guys had a little more poise in scoring situations than we did.''

The game opened a big season for both teams. The Ducks, fresh off a trip to the Western Conference finals and bolstered by the summer acquisition of former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Chris Pronger, have their sights set on the Stanley Cup, while the Kings' objectives are a bit more modest.

Simply making the playoffs would be an accomplishment for the Kings, who flushed their front office, coaching staff and a decent portion of the roster during the offseason.

Through two periods Friday, it seemed difficult to distinguish the favorites from the underdogs. The Kings peppered the Ducks with scoring chances and outshot them 22-10 in the first period.

The Ducks broke through in the third period against Dan Cloutier, who made 28 saves. Getzlaf scored 6:45 into the third period and Kunitz added a power-play goal 2:15 later.

``They weathered that early,'' Kings defenseman Rob Blake said of his team's strong start, ``then they proceeded to play the game you saw in the third period.''

Crawford shuffled his forwards throughout the game, trying to find a good mix. The team's style of play was noticeably more up-tempo from previous years, with more aggressive forechecking and players jumping into the fray, and the youngest King made the biggest impact.

Kopitar, the Kings' 19-year-old rookie center, stole the show with two goals. The second was a fluke, knocked in by Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin, but the first featured jaw-dropping skill.

The Kings trailed 1-0 nineminutes into the second period when Kopitar took a pass in the neutral zone from Dustin Brown and pushed down the right side of the Ducks' zone, with Pronger in chase.

At the right faceoff circle, Kopitar turned and made a power move toward the net.

Niedermayer, known for his excellent coverage skills, flailed. Kopitar had the patience to wait for Giguere to commit, then held onto the puck and flipped it over the top of the prone goalie to tie the score at the 9:14 mark.

``Before the game I tried not to get too nervous,'' Kopitar said. ``I just imagined it was a like a preseason game. I was nervous at first but after a couple of shifts, everything was fine. ... It's just one night. I try to be consistent every night. Obviously it's nice to get two goals but I have to keep working hard.''

Kopitar's second goal came 2:12 later, when he flipped a centering pass toward the net from near the right boards. Beauchemin, trying to deflect the puck away, instead sent it directly into the net.

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Kings goalie Dan Cloutier can't stop this goal, scored by the Ducks' Andy McDonald, during the second period.

(2) The Kings' Michael Cammalleri, left, fails to get the puck past Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Gigure during the first period.

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

Box:

(1) KINGS vs. ST. LOUIS

(2) DUCKS at PHOENIX

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