ANAHEIM, Calif. Cheap Vans Shoes . -- Two days before Anaheim visits the Los Angeles Kings for their high-profile showcase under the stars, the Ducks showed theyre willing to get just as gritty as their rivals to grind out a win. Patrick Maroon scored the tiebreaking goal on a wraparound late in the second period, and the Ducks beat the Kings 2-1 on Thursday night in the prelude to the clubs landmark outdoor game this weekend. Frederik Andersen made 30 saves and Dustin Penner scored a power-play goal in the 20th victory in 23 games for the NHL-leading Ducks, who dialed down their high-octane offensive game and matched the Kings usual grit in a hard-hitting, bad-tempered meeting. Offence was scarce when the Southern California clubs warmed up for their visit to Dodger Stadium on Saturday, and the high-scoring Ducks didnt mind at all. "We can play any style," Ducks defenceman Ben Lovejoy said. "We can play with speed teams because we have that speed and skill, and we can match up with the big, physical teams like L.A. I dont think we beat them at their own game. I think we imposed the kind of game we wanted in the second and third." After a scoreless third period, Anaheim improved to 21-1-2 at Honda Center two days after its first home regulation loss. The Ducks are rolling into the first warm-weather outdoor game in NHL history with a five-point lead over Chicago in the overall standings and a 17-point margin over third-place Los Angeles in the Pacific Division. A few minor skirmishes in the third period suggested tempers will run high in the rematch -- exactly the NHLs intention in scheduling back-to-back meetings. The Kings and Ducks will hold separate workouts Friday on the new rink in the middle of the historic baseball park. "Theres nothing we see out of them that we dont already know," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "Theyre a good, strong team that plays physical hockey ... but we can play that, too." Anze Kopitar scored early in the first period and Jonathan Quick stopped 19 shots for the Kings, who have lost four straight. Los Angeles hasnt won since officials in Detroit blew the call on an obviously illegal tying goal by Niklas Kronwall in an eventual shootout loss to the Red Wings last Saturday. "I think everybody in this room knows we can and weve got to play better," Kopitar said. "So the pressure is a little bit bigger, for sure, but were going to get through this together. ... In the third, it was more like us -- pressing, puck possession, spending time in their zone. But we came up short. Its something we have to learn from. We cant give up soft goals and easy goals." Just 3:13 into this meeting, Kopitar ended a personal 10-game goal drought when the Ducks left him alone near the net to bang home a cross-ice pass for his 14th goal. Kopitar is the only NHL player on Slovenias first Olympic hockey team, and he leads the Kings in scoring for the seventh consecutive season. Neither team mounted much offence in the first 30 minutes, but Penner hurt his former teammates by shoving home a rebound 10 seconds into another power play late in the second period. Penner scored 11 goals in parts of three seasons with the Kings before scoring 12 goals already this season for the Ducks, who re-signed him last summer. Maroon then put the Ducks ahead, forcing a bad pass by Willie Mitchell before getting the puck down low and wrapping it around for his fourth goal -- just his second since late October. "Weve got to try to take a few positives out of tonight and come back Saturday," Kings forward Trevor Lewis said. "We obviously need the points more than they do. After a loss like this, you always want to get right back after them, so its good that weve got them again in two days." Until Winnipegs 3-2 victory on Tuesday snapped the Ducks 22-game home points streak to open the season, Los Angeles was the last visiting team to win at Honda Center, taking a shootout victory Dec. 3. NOTES: The Ducks scratched forwards Daniel Winnik and Kyle Palmieri. Coach Bruce Boudreau also gave a day off to starting goalie Jonas Hiller, who acknowledged being distracted by the looming outdoor game in Tuesdays loss to Winnipeg. ... Los Angeles D Matt Greene missed his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury. ... Andersen leads the NHLs rookie goalies with 13 wins. Vans Old Skool Black Sale .Y. -- Mark Steenhuis scored four goals and added two assists to lead the Buffalo Bandits over the Toronto Rock 12-10 in National Lacrosse League action on Saturday. Vans Sk8 Hi Reissue . Scotlands Greg Laidlaw made one of two penalty kicks and all three conversions, and Stuart Hogg added a try in the second half. "The most important thing to come out of the game is that we did not get scored against," Laidlaw said. http://www.vansshoesclearancesale.com/vans-old-skool-sale.html .C. -- Panthers offensive tackle Jordan Gross is saying goodbye to the NFL after 11 seasons. When Hockey Canada needed a coach for its womens hockey team less than two months before the Sochi Olympics, Kevin Dineen stepped up. Not long after he won gold, the phone rang again for a job leading the under-18 mens team. "One call to him at the under-18 level, he just said yes right away," Hockey Canadas Scott Salmond said. On Monday, Dineen began the next chapter of his coaching career as he was named as an assistant on Joel Quennevilles staff with the Chicago Blackhawks. "He doesnt care if hes coaching women or men or kids or what it is. Hes a coach, and thats what he loves to do," Salmond said in a phone interview. "To me, great coaches like challenges and they want to coach, they want to be busy, they want to work and Kevins a great example of that. It wasnt a surprise to me that someone in an organization like Chicago would recognize that and his value and what hell bring there." The Toronto native will return to the NHL less than a year after being fired as head coach of the Florida Panthers, armed with plenty of international experience. Salmond, Hockey Canadas senior director of hockey operations and national teams, enjoyed how much energy and passion Dineen put into his work with the national womens and under-18 mens teams, even though he had no previous connection to either. "I think that the players realized right away that he cares," Salmond said. "He really cares about them. And one thing he talked about with the under-18s the whole time was just trying to make them better and trying to have them leave with something. And yeah we wanted to have team success, but if they could gain something from the experience, then that was great." From those experiences, Salmond expects Dineen to be an even stronger coach as he returns to dealing with professionals with the Blackhawks. "I know he spent a lot of time one-on-one both with the women and the men and communicating with them and sharing ideas and having them buy in and share their ideas as well," Salmond said. "The communication side, I think, is huge. Good coaches have that, and certainly its a strength for him." Dineen conceded in Sochi that he was learning on the fly how to communicate differently with women than he did men in previous jobs, joking that he wasnt using the F-word nearly as much. He was not made available by the Blackhawks, who have a policy of not allowing assistant coaches to speak to reporters. Dineen wrote on Twitter that he was "excited about the opportunity to work with this group of people. Vans Old Skool White Sale. World class players and organization." The 50-year-old replaces Jamie Kompon, who became general manager and coach of the WHLs Portland Winterhawks, filling the void left by Mike Johnston when he took the head-coaching job in Pittsburgh. "I am thrilled to join Joel Quenneville, a future hall of fame coach, and (assistant) Mike Kitchen, as we strive to reach the ultimate goal in professional hockey," Dineen said in a statement released by the Blackhawks. "The measure of success is very high in Chicago. I look forward to supporting the coaching staff and working with some of the best players in the National Hockey League." During his playing days, Dineen spent time as a linemate of Quennevilles with the Hartford Whalers. In total he played 1,188 NHL games, finishing with 355 goals and 405 assists. "Kevin brings proven leadership qualities, having served as an alternate captain and captain for several of his teams during his 19-year NHL career," Chicago general manager Stan Bowman said in a statement. "He will bring another well respected voice to our coaching staff and we look forward to his contributions to our team." Dineen represented Canada in international competition six times as a player, including the 1984 Olympics and 1987 Canada Cup. He only added to his international resume with his most recent international coaching jobs, and Salmond called Dineen "a great friend to Hockey Canada." Salmond credited Dineen for changing "a bit of the culture" with the womens team after taking over for Dan Church, who resigned in December, and capturing the nations attention with the gold-medal run. With the under-18 mens team, which won a bronze medal, Salmond said Dineen did a fantastic job by helping Canada play to a level it hadnt reached in recent years. "I think we are very grateful for what he was able to bring," Salmond said. "Hes obviously a professional, a former professional player and I think he brings that kind of mentality to coaching. He was great for our program, kind of gave us another perspective and helped us with some things both on the womens side and on the mens side that hell leave behind." Dineen coached the AHLs Portland Pirates for six years before taking over the Panthers. Florida made the playoffs in one of his two full seasons behind the bench, and Dineen was fired 16 games into 2013-14. ' ' '