ANAHEIM -- Meet Sammy Pahlsson, power-play specialist.
OK, not quite. The Anaheim forward has 52 goals in 534 regular-season games, and his third-period score Tuesday -- the tiebreaker in a 3-1 victory over the Kings that saw the Ducks add a late empty-netter -- was just the fourth on the power play in an NHL career that dates to the 2000-01 season.
"It's fun to get one," said Pahlsson, who couldn't remember his previous power-play score. "That's got to have been a long time ago. I'm usually not out there on the power play. But I've got a couple of chances here, and it's fun."
Those chances are coming with the Ducks shorthanded because of the injury to Teemu Selanne and the four-game suspension to Corey Perry.
Given his history as a defensive specialist -- one of the first called on when the other team has the extra man -- it's an unlikely role. And something of an accidental one, admits coach Randy Carlyle.
"It actually was a fluke," said Carlyle. "(Ryan) Getzlaf got a five-minute major in Vancouver, and we had a four-minute power play. ... Sammy went to the front of the net and took all the offensive zone face-offs on the two goals we scored on the power play, so it wasn't really any rocket science to go back to it." (For the record, Pahlsson was on the ice when Scott Niedermayer scored a power-play goal in that 4-3 loss, but Pahlsson's goal a minute and a half later was actually at even strength.)
It was driving to the net that created Pahlsson's goal Tuesday, as he redirected a perfectly placed pass from the far boards by Scott Niedermayer.
"I tried to get on the far post," said Pahlsson, "and (he) hit my stick, I think. It was in the air, but it went in, and that's all that matters."
It was no accident, though, that the Ducks were making use of Pahlsson's willingness to drive to the high-traffic area in front of the net.
"We had talked a little bit about getting the puck into him," said Niedermayer, "because he was doing a good job in front. You're not going to get that one every time, but we got lucky. ...
"He does a lot of the tough work that isn't all the glory. But now he's out there on the power play. It's nice to see him get rewarded with a goal.
"You know, he's doing a good job. He's a gifted player, good a good wrist shot, a big, strong guy."
It was assistant coach Newell Brown who told Pahlsson he'd get some power-play time. "I told him, 'Finally, I get a chance,' " Pahlsson said.
He's under no illusion he's carving a permanent spot on this side of the special-teams equation.
"It's going to be tough when we get some guys back here," he said. "But I'm trying to help out when I get my chance."
And if he helps out enough, well, who knows? Maybe he can help provide a spark the Ducks have sometimes lacked.
"If he continues to win face-offs and goes to the front of the net" said Carlyle, "and we execute to that level, he's going to be hard to move out of that position."
The kids were all right: The Kings had four players in the World Junior Championships, and all four left the tournament in Ottawa with medals:
Thomas Hickey and Colten Teubert winning gold with Canada, Oscar Moller taking silver with Sweden, and Viacheslav Voynov claiming a bronze with Russia.
Moller -- the one player who is part of the Kings' present, rather than their future -- had a goal, three assists and was minus-two as Sweden's team captain. Kings coach Terry Murray has no doubts he'll benefit from that experience.
"It should have a real positive effect on him from the leadership side of things, I think," said Murray. "He was the captain of the team, an impact player for that team that was one of the favorites to win, and they did get to the final. So I think the overall effect on his view of the game and his leadership skills, it's gonna definitely be a positive for him. ...
"Obviously, when you go to the final you did a good job. I'm sure it's something he'll look back on and something he'll continue to grow with, with his country."
Moller, who has six goals and seven assists in 30 games with the Kings, could rejoin the team for Thursday's game with the Ducks.
"He's a young guy and I know he's going to say he feels OK," said Murray. "But we'll just decide."
Hickey and Teubert played together as the shut-down defensive pair for Canada -- meaning they were sent against the other team's top forwards -- which might have something to do with why Hickey was minus-four and Teubert was minus-three on a team that outscored opponents 45-12. Hickey had three assists in Canada's six games, and was named the player of the game in the Dec. 29 game with Germany, while Teubert had no points in the six games.
Murray, understandably more concerned with the present than the future, didn't see much of the junior tournament.
"I watched a couple of games, sporadically," he said. "A period, two periods.
"I know they were important players for the team, Teubert and Hickey. I was watching TSN" -- Canada's version of ESPN -- "one morning and they had a segment on those two players in particular and the importance they were going to play for that hockey club, in shutting down top lines on the opposing team. This was in the middle of the tournament. So I know they were key players.
"Hickey's the captain of the Canadian team, and Teubert's a big strong guy that's gonna play hard and did play hard in the games I saw. His matchups were almost overwhelming at times in the battles along the boards. It was a great experience for those kids."
The fourth Kings property, Voynov, finished with a goal and three assists in seven game and was plus-one.