Kings Beat Ducks 3-2 In 99th Meeting Of Rivals

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Willie Mitchell scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, giving the Los Angeles Kings a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night in the 99th meeting between the rivals.

Mitchell snapped a 2-2 tie with just his second goal of the season and first since Oct. 28 at Dallas. His slap shot from the top of the left circle sailed through traffic and found the top right corner of the net at 6:45.

It allowed the Kings to close their 10-game road trip with a 6-1-3 record, moving ahead of the Ducks in the tightly bunched Western Conference playoff race. The Kings are tied with Minnesota, Nashville and Calgary with 70 points each.

The Kings twice took one-goal leads only to watch the Ducks tie it up.

Goaltender Jonathan Quick made 25 saves for his 28th victory. Curtis McElhinney stopped 15 shots for the Ducks, who lost their fourth in a row.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)