Ducks get it done in shootout to beat the Kings, 4
HOCKEY
They paid tribute to his 'class and charisma,' and the Kings sent Finnish icon Teemu Selanne of the Ducks off with a whimsical gift in a pregame ceremony honoring Selanne's career.
A standup paddleboard.
Selanne is not going off into the sunset on his board - where he can presumably hang with buddy and former teammate and avid surfer, Paul Kariya - just yet.
BOX SCORE: Ducks 4, Kings 3 (SO)
The Staples Center fans may not have seen the last of Selanne, who will be retiring after the season and did not play against the Kings on Saturday. After all, the Kings and Ducks could meet in the second round of the playoffs.
This finished as an appetizer for the playoffs after what had been a muted start. The Ducks won, 4-3, in the fourth round of a shootout Saturday at Staples Center, with Anaheim goalie Frederik Andersen outdueling his Kings counterpart Jonathan Quick.
The pace had picked up in overtime and in the final five minutes of regulation as the Ducks and Kings traded goals in rapid succession in the third period. Anaheim's Matt Beleskey made it 3-2 at 15:13 and Anze Kopitar scored his second of the game just 1:35 later, making it 3-3.
For the Kings, it was their regular-season finale. Anaheim plays one more game, against Colorado, on Sunday at Honda Center.
Plenty was on the line for the Kings and the Ducks. Anaheim clinched first place in the Western Conference by simply getting to overtime and the Ducks will play Dallas in the first round of the playoffs.
Also scoring for Anaheim were Nick Bonino in the first period and Devante Smith-Pelly in the second. Smith-Pelly also scored the deciding goal in the shootout.
Quick became, at least, the co-winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy.
The award goes to 'the goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it.' It has never been won by a Kings' goalie.
Boston had been the only real threat and the Bruins are tied with the Kings, having allowed 174 goals this season. Boston, by the way, finishes its regular season on Sunday. If the Bruins allow a goal, Quick wins the Jennings outright.
Returning to the lineup for the first time in four games was Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr, who had been out of the lineup with an unspecified injury. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty has an injured shoulder, and has been out since getting hurt in the first period at San Jose on April 3.
He said he will be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs against San Jose.
'It was just an opportunity to rest some bumps and bruises,' Regehr said. 'We couldn't move up or down as a team with our playoff positioning. Really could do nothing that affected the opponent we were going to play, so it was a very good opportunity to have a little bit of rest and get as ready as possible.'
SUNDAY VS. COLORADO
When: 5 p.m.
On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 710
Update: Teemu Selanne will play the final regular-season game of his career Sunday against Colorado. There is a movement spawned on Twitter by fans to give Selanne a standing ovation every shift in the third period. The campaign even has a motto: #thankyouteemu
lisa.dillman@latimes.com Twitter: @reallisa
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