Final
Kings tally first win of season
Jan 27, 2013 - 5:02 AM Glendale, AZ (Sports Network) - Anze Kopitar scored twice to help the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings get their first win of the season in a 4-2 final over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday.Jake Muzzin had a goal and an assist while Jeff Carter also scored for the Kings, who won for the first time this season in their fourth game. Jonathan Quick made 32 stops.
Shane Doan and Mikkel Boedker each had a goal for the Coyotes, who have dropped four of five to start the shortened season. Jason LaBarbera gave up four goals on 31 shots in the loss.
"We've felt like we control these games for 15 or 20 minutes at a time, but we have to find ways to play a full 60 minutes," said Doan. "It's frustrating, I'm frustrated, nobody likes the way things are going right now.
The first period went scoreless, but the Kings took a 1-0 lead just 64 seconds into the second as Dustin Brown sent a pass from the left boards to the slot where Kopitar one-timed it home.
Phoenix tied the game less than three minutes later on the power play when Boedker found the back of the net with a wrister, but Kopitar's second of the period at the 5:08 mark made it a 2-1 contest.
Carter scored his second goal in as many games with 8:27 to play in the middle stanza to give the Kings a 3-1 advantage.
The Coyotes cut their deficit to one just 22 seconds into the third period as Lauri Korpikoski tried a wraparound from the right side that was stopped, but the rebound came out to the slot and Doan buried it.
Los Angeles, though, got an insurance goal eight minutes later when a simple shot by Jake Muzzin at the left point handcuffed LaBarbera to his glove side for his first NHL goal.
"It was one of those hope wristers that floated through and made it through," Muzzin said.
Game Notes
Los Angeles hosts Vancouver on Monday ... Phoenix hosts Nashville on Monday ... Each team won three games in the series last season ... Phoenix went 1- for-6 on the power play while Los Angeles went 0-for-4.
- LOS ANGELES: 4
PHOENIX: 2
Final
Jan 26 10:41 PM - LOS ANGELES: 3
PHOENIX: 1
End of 2nd
Jan 26 9:46 PM - Los Angeles Goal - Anze Kopitar, from Justin Williams and Jake Muzzin at 5:08.
Kings 2, Coyotes 1 2nd - 14:52Jan 26 9:11 PM - Phoenix Power-Play Goal - Mikkel Boedker, from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Radim Vrbata at 3:57.
Kings 1, Coyotes 1 2nd - 16:03Jan 26 9:09 PM - LOS ANGELES: 0
PHOENIX: 0
End of 1st
Jan 26 8:42 PM - LOS ANGELES: 0
PHOENIX: 0
1st Period - 20:00
Jan 26 8:08 PM
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