PRESEASON FINAL – Kings 3, Ducks 0 – Malott, Kuemper, Hiller

The LA Kings improved to 3-0-0 in the preseason, following a 3-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday evening at Honda Center.

The Kings opened the scoring late in the first period, taking a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes of play. Attacking off the rush, forward Jeff Malott was the facilitator through the center of the ice, feeding Martin Chromiak in stride to his right in a dangerous area. Chromiak made no mistake as he shot underneath the crossbar and in for his first goal of the preseason and an early advantage for the visitors.

After a scoreless second period, the Kings doubled their advantage as Malott made it a multi-point night with his first goal of the preseason. Defenseman Kyle Burroughs got a hard shot through from the right point, with Malott stationed in the slot. The 6-1 winger got a high deflection on the puck, redirecting it past new Anaheim goaltender Calle Clang for a 2-0 lead.

The Kings made it 3-0 as forward Kevin Fiala opened his account for the preseason in his first exhibition game of 2025, cashing in on a trick pass from forward Alex Laferriere. Laferriere rounded the net with a head of steam and as he went to come around the other side, he passed the puck behind his back to Fiala at the back post, where the Swiss winger scored the game’s final goal.

Hear from Malott, goaltender Darcy Kuemper and Head Coach Jim Hiller following tonight’s victory.

Jeff Malott

Darcy Kuemper
On getting his first game of the preseason out of the way
Yeah, I think it’s always nice to get the feel back of playing and get some tape on on your game to kind of go over. I find you always feel better in practice after that first game and you kind of build off that. Nice to play the first one and nice to get a win.

On going the distance tonight versus his first preseason game last fall, when he only played two periods
Personally, I think it’s just figuring out how to get everyone as much action as possible with limited games, so a little bit easier just to go right into full games and that’s what we did this year.

On if he has a preferred number of games to play during the preseason
It doesn’t matter to me, I would be happy to start right now. Just coming to work every day and make sure you have a good focus, whether it’s a practice day or a game day, and put yourself in a good spot to hit the ground running when the season starts.

On the play of the group in front of him
They were awesome. We didn’t give up a whole lot all night, a lot of that’s our d-men and then also the forwards for tracking back and taking away any time on the rush. I think just as a unit, we were great defensively, which we always are, but it’s nice to see it so early in the season.

Jim Hiller
On Jeff Malott’s game tonight and throughout the preseason
Yeah, he’s played well. Obviously we liked him at the end of last year, we played him a fair amount. I think he put on – I talked to him a little bit about it – he’s really a fit guy, but he put on about seven or eight pounds of muscle. I think I’m noticing some of that. I think he’s a strong guy to begin with, I think he’s a little stronger out there, a lot of confidence, and yeah, playing really well. Looks like an NHL player.

On his thoughts from tonight’s game, compared to others
I’ll tell you what, I thought the first two games, we have younger lineups and usually young guys are hungry and they’re out there skating. So tonight, with our top six forwards in, you get your top d-pair in, you worry that it’s preseason and you sag a little bit, but I thought guys just went out and played like the young guy, they skated and did the right things. That’s what was really encouraging for me, is the veteran players who sometimes ease it their way into this thing, they played like we want to play.

On giving the five-forward power play some preseason game reps
We finished the season with Edmonton, who trapped down, played a different penalty-kill style and our power play adjusted for that. Now, we’re back to teams playing a little more like diamond-style, so now they get some reps against that again. So, it had been some time since they’ve done that. It was okay tonight. I didn’t think it was great, we had a lot of possession but I didn’t think we were that dangerous, but that’s the least of my concerns. The most important part is just coming out and playing the game right. That’s what the guys did.

On seeing Drew Doughty looking more like himself tonight
I would say more like his old self. Yeah, I think it’s a notable, noticeable difference. I think you guys watch a lot of us too and I’ve said this many times, you know what he went through to even play last year. Now, he’s had a great summer, I think he’s feeling good about the shape he’s in. He’s feeling good about where his foot’s at. I just think he’s going to continue to get better and it’s good to see him doing some of the stuff that we’re used to seeing him do.

On Brandt Clarke’s play and his evolution as a defender and a player
Really good. We talked the other day, I had a hope and an expectation that he would be here and for me, what he’s shown is he’s here [pointing higher]. Coming into this camp, I was hoping he was here and he showed me he’s here [pointing higher] and that’s both ways. So it’s just one of the great things about coaching is winning, but the other one is to see a guy like Brandt, with all that talent and promise and emotion come in and see him in 12 months to see where he is today. It’s really, really cool to see, really see him mature and confidence and understanding the game at a high level and the details defensively and we know he’s just going to go [up] offensively, but it’s just really impressive, and it’s a fun part of the job when it goes that way.

The Kings are scheduled to hit the ice tomorrow morning at 11 AM at Toyota Sports Performance Center for Day 8 of training camp.