Erik Portillo made 28 saves to pick up the win in his NHL debut as the Los Angeles Kings rallied to edge the host Anaheim Ducks 2-1 on Friday afternoon.
Alex Laferriere had a goal and an assist and Alex Turcotte also scored for Los Angeles, which won for the second straight game and for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings with Anaheim in their Freeway Face-Off rivalry series.
The 24-year-old Portillo, a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, did get an assist from David Rittich in picking up his first win. Rittich came off the bench to make two saves in 1:23 of action midway through the third period when Portillo encountered a right skate blade issue that forced him to return to the locker room for repairs.
Ryan Strome scored a goal and John Gibson, making his sixth start after missing the first month of the season following emergency appendectomy surgery, made 16 saves for Anaheim. The Ducks suffered just their second regulation loss (4-2-1) in their last seven games.
Anaheim took a 1-0 lead at the 2:48 mark of the second period on Strome’s fifth goal of the season. Drew Helleson drew the primary assist with a shot from the left point that Strome deflected into Portillo’s pads. Strome then backhanded the rebound over a sprawling Portillo.
Los Angeles tied it midway through the period, taking advantage of an Anaheim turnover in the neutral zone. Laferriere led an odd-man rush and passed to Alex Turcotte coming down the left wing. Turcotte roofed a wrist shot short-side for his second goal.
The Kings took a 2-1 lead 78 seconds into the third period on Laferriere’s 10th goal, a rebound of a Phillip Danault shot from the low slot that he slapped through Gibson’s pads.
Anaheim pulled Gibson for an extra attacker with 1:30 remaining and nearly tied it with 20 seconds left, but Portillo stopped Troy Terry’s point-blank try and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov swept away the rebound from the edge of the crease.
–Field Level Media
