Nate Thompson blocked a shot with his knee. A prone Derek Forbort punched the puck out of harm’s way with his glove after he lost his stick.
The element that had been missing in the Kings’ game — desire, desperation — came alive during a first-period penalty kill Tuesday.
Other parts unfolded well. They got goals by three of their four lines, namely Dustin Brown, Kyle Clifford and Ilya Kovalchuk, against probably the best goalie in the NHL this season in the Ducks’ John Gibson. It wasn’t a season-defining performance, but a 4-1 win at Staples Center properly kicked off the tenure of new Kings coach Willie Desjardins.