“We were OK for the first few periods of the game,” head coach Greg Cronin said. “They played a simple game of going deep, recovering it and putting the pucks in the net. I thought that's why they controlled the game… In the second period we kind of did the same thing to them that they did. “For us, it's a good teaching moment for the group.”

Anaheim's lineup will shift again from Sunday's group as the club continues to include its NHL veterans ahead of its season opener Oct. 12 in San Jose. Tonight's projected lineup includes veteran defenseman Brian Dumoulin, making his unofficial Ducks debut, as well as young players Olen Zellweger and Tristan Luneau on the back end. Anaheim will also shake up its veteran forwards for the first time in training camp, including Trevor Zegras, Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome, who are expected to play tonight.

“In the next few games we’ll do it and see what combinations work,” Cronin said. “We stuck with the same guys in training camp as far as the NHL guys in the lineup. We're going to start moving more NHL guys through the lineup (for games three and four) and then hopefully settle for five and six.”

The Ducks are now 1-1-1 in the preseason with games remaining against the Kings, Sharks and Utah Hockey Club.

On the other hand, the Kings go 2-0-1 in the exhibition season heading south. After tonight's game, LA embarks on a nearly three-week road trip, playing two preseason games in Quebec before beginning the 2024-25 season with seven straight away games.