What we learned from the Kings’ win over the Ducks

The Ducks punched. The Kings counterpunched.

One was quite literal, in the form of Kevin Bieksa’s knockout blow to the Kings’ Andy Andreoff. The other was a gritty, low-scoring win the Kings needed in a season that was sinking fast.

They prevailed, 2-1, in the fourth round of a shootout at Staples Center in a game between two struggling teams that got better the longer they went.

Here’s what we learned:

The Kings won’t put this on their mantle

They were on the verge of a regulation loss to a vulnerable rival that was missing its leading scorer (Rickard Rakell), top two centers (Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler) and fielding a lineup heavy on minor league players. A regulation loss would have put the Ducks only two points behind the Kings in the Pacific Division.

That’s not really a confidence builder for the Kings, but considering their 1-6-1 stretch before Saturday, they needed it before a four-game trip.

“We got a lot of work, quite honestly,” Dustin Brown said. “We got off to a good start (at 11-2-2), and I think we’ve had a big serving of humble pie, really. Now we go on the road where we can hopefully get that workman mentality. We have a good team. We have a good group. It’s just a matter of playing the right way and getting that swagger.”

Ryan Miller didn’t have much rust

The Ducks goalie was on point with 33 saves in his first start since Nov. 9. Miller’s best came in the third period, with stops on Marian Gaborik and Drew Doughty.

“Millsie played really well for them, I think, throughout the game, really,” Brown said. “He made a lot of huge saves.”

Miller allowed goals to Anze Kopitar and Trevor Lewis in the shootout to take the loss. But one goal allowed in regulation and overtime should have been good enough for the Ducks to get a win for their 37-year-old netminder who has fought back from wrist and lower-body injuries this season.

Miller lamented the shootout because of a mistake on Kopitar’s goal.

“It’s unfortunate,” Miller said. “I thought I could have ended it on Kopitar [in the third round]. I missed my [skate] edge completely. I thought I did exactly what I wanted to do. Then I just didn’t execute the edgework.”

Don’t mess with Bieksa

The Ducks defenseman’s one-and-done punch to Andreoff sent ripples through the arena and made for a scary moment when Andreoff struggled to stay on his feet. He went to the trainer’s room and didn’t return.

Bieksa, who has unveiled his so-called “Superman” punch before, downplayed it afterward.

“I think if you’ve been in a lot of fights before, you don’t really celebrate the wins too much, because you know with the wins come the losses,” Bieksa said. “Fighting’s a tricky thing, right? It’s bare knuckles. I hope he’s OK. I’m glad to have won the fight, but I hope he’s OK.”