Kings look for duplicate effort (mostly)

Facing the second of back-to-back games tonight, the Kings, per usual, did not skate this morning but had team meetings in El Segundo before the bus ride to Anaheim. It’s no stretch that Terry Murray’s message to the team might have been something along the lines of, “Do exactly what you did in the first two periods last night.’’ The Kings were solid in all areas for 40 minutes, before the Ducks tied the game late in the third period.

MURRAY: “I liked a lot of the things that we did last night. We came out with a great attitude in the first two periods. We got pucks going north. The shot mentality was real good. I think there were 70-plus shots put at the net last night. They’re a team that block a lot. We have to give a little better focus on getting it through, maybe emphasize a pop-out forward to the side, where we can have him as a secondary option and continue to take it to the net. But overall, we’re just looking to bring the same kind of intensity.’’

Question: Did you see your guys backing off a little in the third period?

MURRAY: “They [the Ducks] picked it up a little bit. They started to, on their counters, swing four guys low, and they came with a lot of speed off their counters. So that, in itself, will back you off. And I’m sure they heard about their first two periods, between periods. When you’re down, you’re now having guys going to the net. Their defensemen are jumping in. You’ve got Brookbank down at the top of the crease, for crying out loud. So there’s a change in attitude, with, `Let’s get this tied up, if we can, and go for it.’ So it’s pretty common in the game of hockey, I think, to end up seeing what you saw sometimes.’’