SoCal NHL Capsules

ANAHEIM 3, NY ISLANDERS 0 -------------------------
UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 25 shots for his franchise-record 29th career shutout and Teemu Selanne recorded an assist in his season debut as the Anaheim Ducks snapped a six-game losing streak with a 3-0 victory over the New York Islanders. Defenseman Scott Niedermayer ended Anaheim's goalless drought at 177 minutes, 56 seconds when he scored early in the second period, and that proved to be enough for Giguere to lead the Ducks to their first win since January 18 at Minnesota. Todd Marchant and Doug Weight also tallied for the Ducks, who had gone 0-3-1 over the first four games of a nine-game road trip. The team will take to a detour to the nation's capital on Wednesday, when it will be honored by President George W. Bush for winning the championship last season in a ceremony at the White House. Rick DiPietro made 23 saves for the Islanders, who dropped their fifth straight game overall and seventh in a row at home. New York, which has netted just five goals in the five consecutive defeats, played without center Mike Sillinger, who is expected to be sidelined three weeks with a hip injury Giguere, who was credited with his third shutout of the season in a shootout loss at St. Louis on Friday, turned aside eight shots in the first period, seven in the second and 10 in the third en route to the blanking against the Islanders. He also received help midway through the second period when defenseman Mathieu Schneider prevented New York captain Bill Guerin from getting off a shot at a vacant net.
LOS ANGELES 4, NY RANGERS 2 ---------------------------
NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Alexander Frolov scored the game-winning goal just 64 seconds into the second period and also added an assist as the Los Angeles Kings continued their best stretch of the season with a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers. The Kings never trailed as they improved to 7-3-1 in their last 11 games and 2-1-1 on their season-high eight-game road trip. Los Angeles also won its third straight game here, although its last visit to Madison Square Garden came on October 25, 2002. Los Angeles recorded the first 10 shots of the game and took a 2-0 lead as Scott Thornton and rookie Brian Boyle tallied nearly three minutes apart midway through the opening period. Frolov provided the winner when his check on former King Sean Avery resulted in a turnover. After passing to a streaking Anze Kopitar, the Russian went to the net and converted a cross-ice feed from Patrick O'Sullivan for his 13th goal of the season. Frolov also set up Kopitar's insurance goal just 81 seconds into the third, when he forced defenseman Fedor Tyutin to cough up the puck behind the net.