ANAHEIM –– For a second straight game, the Ducks were out-shot handily while leaning heavily on their goaltender, and the Kings once again pulled away late as they broke a scoreless tie in the third period to end up with a 4-1 victory at Honda Center on Sunday. The Ducks managed to come away with a point in Colorado on Friday but created less intrigue on Sunday. The Kings, whose two late tallies made Thursday’s 4-1 win in Montreal appear comfortable, put in 43 scoreless minutes before breaking through Sunday and then adding two empty-net goals. “That was the most patient we’ve been in a long time, not only this year, but even going back to last year,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “As the game wore on, we started getting a little bit more offensive.” Ducks coach Greg Cronin’s patience had worn thin by the end of a night that, for a second straight match, belied the Ducks’ respectable start to the season. “The last two games, we’ve just been on cruise control. We’re just watching the game,” Cronin said. “You can’t bring a band onto the bench and try to generate some sort of energy. They’ve got to take ownership.” Goalie Lukáš Dostál turned in another valiant effort after his 45-save performance on Friday, but a breakaway and a turnover in the most prime scoring area imaginable turned into Kings goals, with Dostál stopping 33 other shots. Forward Ryan Strome scored a goal. Defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, who had tallied twice in the Ducks’ home opener, was out with an illness. Wingers Adrian Kempe, Alex Laferriere and Kevin Fiala each scored a goal for the Kings, while defenseman Mikey Anderson contributed a goal and an assist. David Rittich denied 14 of 15 bids. With 1:07 to play, the Kings cemented a regulation victory when Fiala, who had been thwarted on several solid opportunities, deposited the puck into the vacated cage. Thirty-one seconds later, Anderson tacked on another empty-netter. Just as Dostál was skating to the bench for a sixth attacker, the Ducks halved their deficit when Frank Vatrano and Troy Terry, who very nearly connected on a backdoor play earlier in the third period, set up Strome’s tip-in tally with 1:44 showing on the clock. That trio has accounted for three of the Ducks’ last four goals. “(The other forwards) should probably watch that line, watch how they skate and how they get pucks back. If they can copy that, we’ll probably be in better shape,” Cronin said. The Kings had picked up a vital second goal with 11:02 to play. Defenseman Jackson LaCombe, who made his season debut after recovering from an illness, made an ill-advised pass that ended up right between the hash marks and became a de facto first assist on Laferriere’s gift-wrapped goal. LaCombe also factored significantly into the Kings’ first goal, though his partner Radko Gudas said he felt LaCombe managed a tough assignment against the Kings’ top line admirably and made sound decisions overall, an opinion shared by Cronin. “He played really well and then he had two shifts that weren’t good. But I thought his other shifts were fine,” Cronin said. With another early barrage spearheaded by defensive defenseman and new dad Joel Edmundson, the Kings opened up a 22-10 shot advantage and then finally scored the game’s first goal on shot No. 23, 3:06 into the closing stanza. Anže Kopitar banked a stretch pass off the right-wing boards, which Kempe skated down as he left LaCombe in the dust en route to a five-hole goal off a partial breakaway. Kempe has scored seven more points against the Ducks, 30, in his career than against any other franchise and now has 20 points in his past 13 Freeway Faceoffs. “It gives me a little confidence, I know that I’ve played (well) here and against Anaheim [overall]. Tonight, I don’t feel like I had my best game, but usually with a couple chances I can put one in the back of the net,” Kempe said. The Kings had emerged with a purpose for the second period, carrying play analytically early in the frame. Dostál was sharp, stopping Tanner Jeannot’s clever chance off the rush as well as Laferriere’s redirection, Trevor Moore’s one-timer and three more threatening shots during a pair of Kings power plays. “If our whole team personified the way he plays the game, which is 120%, we’d be undefeated,” Cronin said. In the opposite net, Rittich handled his workload through 40 minutes with the same aplomb, most notably stoning Mason McTavish’s wraparound bid during a stretch where the Ducks had generated some offensive momentum. Related Articles Anaheim Ducks | Ducks host Kings in first Freeway Faceoff of the season Anaheim Ducks | Troy Terry’s late goal forces OT before Ducks fall to Avalanche Anaheim Ducks | Ducks ride energy of thrilling home-opening win into Colorado Anaheim Ducks | Leo Carlsson scores in OT as Ducks edge Utah to win 9th straight home opener Anaheim Ducks | Ducks celebrate Emma Melin as their ’21st Duck’ at home opener A low-event first period sent the game to intermission with no score. The Ducks drew a pair of penalties but hit the net just once on two power plays, with the Kings generating a shorthanded bid as well. Overall, the Ducks went 0-for-3 with the extra man. They are now one of just two teams without a power-play goal this season, the other being the Buffalo Sabres. “The power play was kind of a microcosm of our game,” Cronin said. “They pressure really hard out to the points, they pressure down low, they force you to make decisions under pressure and we were slow getting to our spots to try to relieve some pressure.