Hello Stanley for Kings of LA

Coyotes Claim LA Kings Win

The Clarence Campbell Bowl was in Staples Center for the first time, waiting to be presented by commissioner Gary Bettman to the NHL's Western Conference champions. The Los Angeles Kings' long-suffering fans gathered downtown shortly after dawn, eager to witness a series sweep and a coronation...

And then Captain Coyote and his goalie crashed the party for a win that suggests this series is far from finished.

Shane Doan scored two goals, Mike Smith made 36 saves in his third playoff shutout, and the Phoenix Coyotes emphatically avoided playoff elimination with a 2-0 victory in Game 4 of the conference finals on Sunday.

Ray Whitney and Antoine Vermette had assists for the Coyotes, who avoided the sweep by snapping the eighth-seeded Kings' eight-game winning streak and cancelling Los Angeles' plans to celebrate its first berth in the Stanley Cup finals since 1993. With their backs against the glass, the Coyotes soundly outplayed an opponent that had been on an 11-1 run through the postseason.

"We recognise we put ourselves in a tough position, (but) we also know it has been done," said Doan, Phoenix's captain since 2003 and the sole remaining member of the Winnipeg Jetsteam that moved to the desert in 1996.

"I guess that's what sports are all about, trying to do something that someone hasn't done for a while, try to do things (when) the odds are kind of stacked against you," Doan added. "Nobody wants to be in the position we're in, but everybody wants to prove they can answer that call."

Phoenix still must win three more games to become just the fourth team in NHL history to rally from an 0-3 series deficit, but the Coyotes finally regained the form they showed in knocking off Chicago and Nashville in the first two rounds.

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Phoenix. Los Angeles is 7-0 on the road in the playoffs, but the Coyotes can't wait to see another whiteout in their stands.

"Two ways to look at it: They're either due to lose, or we've got to find a way to stop them," Doan said. "Law of averages says you're going to lose eventually on the road, so it happens. Next game wouldn't be a bad one to lose."

Doan scored on a power play in the first period and on a deflected shot in the second, silencing the crowd at the Kings' first loss since April 18. Smith, who has all three of his shutouts on the road, made several impressive saves while outplaying Jonathan Quick for the first time in the series.

"We had nothing to lose," Smith said. "We had to make sure we played our best game. That would give us a chance to win. We obviously had a huge game from Doaner, and it trickled down through our lineup. He was unbelievable. He was such a great leader tonight. Every guy knew that they were going to do their part to try to force this series to Game 5."

Quick stopped 19 shots with little help from his Los Angeles teammates, who were shut out for the first time in the postseason while hitting a bump in what had been one of the most impressive playoff runs in NHL history.

The Kings have reached the Cup final just once in 44 seasons of existence, but their worst game of the postseason prevented them from claiming just the second conference title in franchise history -- and becoming just the second No. 8 seed to win three playoff rounds.

"Phoenix played a really good game and came out hard," Kings defenseman Matt Greene said. "They got a big power-play goal against us there, and they got a big faceoff goal. Smith was awesome tonight. They played well, and we can play better. We need to respond better than that."

The resilient Coyotes are no strangers to adversity after making the playoffs in three straight seasons without an owner or impressive fan support. Asked by Doan and coach Dave Tippett to show their pride in Game 4, the Coyotes showed they're not done with the longest playoff run in franchise history.

"We're going to go home feeling like we can grab some momentum out of this game," Tippett said. "There's some areas we can certainly embrace that we did better in this game than the other games in this series. You go home and try to push it along again. We're in the same situation."

The scene was set for a Kings crowning at Staples Center, but they'll have to have to fly to Phoenix after practice Monday. Los Angeles probably should work on its power play, now in a 3-for-60 slump after going 0 for 6 in Game 4.

"Do I like going back on the road tomorrow? No, absolutely not," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "But that's the way it works. That's why it's four out of seven. Did we think, as not a home-ice team, we weren't ever going to lose a game? No, it's that simple. You're supposed to play 28 games, not 12 or 13, four or five."

With its fans standing and cheering from pregame warmup onward, Los Angeles showed only flashes of its usual aggressive forechecking and speed in Game 4. Phoenix managed just two shots in the first 14 minutes, but Doan still put the Coyotes ahead late in the period, skating out from behind the net and flicking a backhand past Quick.

Doan's first goal in five games snapped Phoenix's 0-for-22 power-play drought and ended the Kings' streak of 30 straight penalties killed, dating to Game 5 of the first round against Vancouver on April 22. Los Angeles also fell behind in a game for just the second time since the second-round opener against St. Louis.

Doan scored again midway through the second period with a deflected shot after Vermette won a faceoff. Doan's shot ricocheted off the camera inside the net, and play briefly continued while the Coyotes raised their arms.

The Kings were awful in the second period, with a failing forecheck and poor passing. Smith nearly gifted a goal to the Kings with a turnover behind his net, but the 40-year-old Whitney dived to deflect Dustin Brown's shot on an open net.

"When you have nothing to lose, you just throw it all out there and see what happens," Whitney said. "You could see we were a little less nervous with the puck."

Although a confluence of big sporting events in downtown Los Angeles threatened to affect the day for Kings fans, they weren't deterred by the traffic nightmares threatened by the Tour of California cycling race outside and a Los Angeles Clippers evening playoff game.

Thousands of black-jerseyed faithful formed lines outside pubs and thronged the streets outside Staples. Most of the seats were already filled by the warm-up, which began at almost the exact moment Peter Sagan won the Tour's final stage on the street outside.

The NBA worried a multiple-overtime playoff game might force a delay of the Clippers' Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs, or even force a postponement to Monday.

The Coyotes avoided all overtimes -- and all celebrations.

LA Kings Add Game Three

When Daymond Langkow beat Jonathan Quick on a breakaway and celebrated Phoenix's first lead in the Western Conference finals, captain Dustin Brown was almost curious how his Los Angeles Kings would respond to the first serious adversity they've faced in weeks.

Anze Kopitar scored the tying breakaway goal just 2:07 later, Dwight King added the winner early in the third period and the Kings rolled to the brink of their first Stanley Cup final in 19 years with a 2-1 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night, taking a 3-0 lead in the West finals.

Quick made 18 saves, and the eighth-seeded Kings improved to 11-1 in an undeniably charmed run through the NHL postseason by a franchise with 44 seasons of frustrating, Cup-free history.

For the third straight series, the West's final playoff team will play for a sweep in Game 4 on Sunday.

"Phoenix was a lot better tonight, but we found a way to win," Brown said. "That's what it takes this time of year. It's exciting. There's a lot of guys in here that haven't experienced this ... but the thing that's made this work is how we're handling all this. We're up 3-0 again."

Although the Kings trailed for the first time in nearly 18 periods since April 28, they bounced back swiftly before largely controlling the third period. King scored his fourth goal in three games against the Coyotes, who face a deficit only three teams have overcome in NHL playoff history.

King connected 1:47 into the third, beating Mike Smith high to the glove side. The massive rookie scored two goals in the series opener and added the winner in Game 2.

"Everybody is answering the challenge and being better," said King, who has outscored the Coyotes all by himself in the series. "We're playing good, playing consistent. With the way we're going, we're tough to beat right now."

Smith stopped 26 shots in a standout performance for the third-seeded Coyotes, who must win four straight to reach their first Stanley Cup final in club history.

"None of us planned on being in (a 3-0 hole)," Phoenix captain Shane Doan said. "I don't think it's disbelief, but I think it's disappointed."

In front of a long-suffering crowd gratefully enjoying its unexpected good fortune after decades of disappointment, the Kings dominated the third period in front of Quick. They forechecked relentlessly in the final minutes, forcing Smith to play a long stretch without his goal stick because Phoenix couldn't clear the zone so he could retrieve it.

The crowd soaked in another memorable performance during the best playoff run by this Second Six franchise since Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille led Los Angeles to its only conference title in 1993, while the Coyotes wondered if their own remarkable postseason run has any chance of continuing beyond Sunday.

"We want to play with a lead, but we didn't even have a chance," Phoenix's Mikkel Boedkersaid. "They got a breakaway and came right back. ... They're a good team, and we know that, but the series isn't over. We still have time to win it."

Los Angeles largely dominated the first two games of the series in Glendale, outshooting the Coyotes 88-51 while winning by a combined 8-2. Phoenix had no more luck than Vancouver or St. Louis against the surprising No. 8 seeds, who finished two points behind the Pacific Division champion Coyotes in the regular season before steamrolling the West's top two teams in a combined nine games.

"We'll take a couple of days here and rest up, and what have we got to lose?" Phoenix coach Dave Tippett asked. "We'll come here and play as hard as we can. We'll give a real honest evaluation of who we are and how we got here."

Phoenix played Game 3 without forward Martin Hanzal, who served a one-game suspension for boarding Brown in Game 3. Doan, who escaped suspension for his own hit, took up the job of agitating Brown, facewashing the Kings' high-scoring captain with his glove during one scrum.

After Smith came up with several stellar saves during a scoreless first period, Keith Yandle slipped a long pass behind Mike Richards to Langkow, who beat Quick between the legs for his first goal of the postseason 1:03 into the second. Los Angeles hadn't trailed since the first period of Game 1 in its second-round series with St. Louis 19 days ago.

Staples Center briefly fell silent, but reached full roar moments later when Brown found Kopitar with a long pass behind the Phoenix defense. The Slovenian star beat Smith with a backhand for his fifth goal of the playoffs.

The teams were even in goals and shots heading to the third period, but King quickly put Los Angeles ahead with the latest impressive play of his incredible first NHL playoff run. Moments after Smith made a spectacular point-blank save on Jarret Stoll, King collected the puck during a delayed penalty and wired a high shot past Smith's glove into the top corner of the net.

"What a shot, and an even better look on his face when he saw where it went," Stoll said.

Tippett didn't love the call that created the delayed penalty.

"If I told you what I really thought (about the officiating), I think it would cost me a lot of money," he said.

Kings Host Coyotes in Game 3

The Los Angeles Kings have maintained their discipline and cool during a dominant playoff run that has them two wins away from the team's first Stanley Cup finals appearance since 1993 with Wayne Gretzky.

They've frustrated the Phoenix Coyotes with a mix of balanced scoring, shot-limiting defense and solid goaltending in building a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. If the Coyotes are ticked off, and they sure played like it in losing Game 2, they face even more of an uphill climb in trying to stop the Kings on the road.

The Coyotes will have to do it without one of their top forwards. Martin Hanzal was suspended one game by the NHL on Wednesday for a huge hit on Kings captain Dustin Brown in Game 2.

Hanzal was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for boarding at 11:01 of the third period Tuesday night. He will miss Game 3 on Thursday night at Staples Center.

The punishment wasn't severe enough, according to Kings centre Jarret Stoll.

"Hopefully, he gets two games," Stoll said before the league's ruling came down. "Hopefully, he knew that Brownie was in a vulnerable position. If you're going to finish your check, maybe you grab him and you ride him in and then you close him that way on the boards. You don't shove him in the boards, especially when he's 5, 6 feet from the boards."

Speaking before Hanzal's punishment was announced, Coyotes captain Shane Doan said, "He's very, very valuable and obviously a huge part of our team. Hopefully, they'll understand it's a situation where he really didn't have a choice."

The game's other noteworthy hit was by Doan on Kings forward Trevor Lewis in the second period, when Lewis spun and faced the boards an instant before Doan hit him. Doan got a major boarding penalty and a game misconduct; Lewis' nose was bloodied after he was driven into the boards.

"The Doan thing was kind of tough," Stoll said. "It's a hockey play."

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett agreed.

"I know there's lots of focus put on hits from behind, but to me that's a hockey play where a player puts himself in a vulnerable position," he said. "If you've ever played the game, if you're in that position, in a split second if that guy turns, you can't stop."

Doan's hit came before Coyotes goalie Mike Smith slashed Brown's leg, with Doan's penalty leading to a 5-on-3 advantage that the Kings parlayed into another goal.

"It doesn't make any sense to retaliate," Stoll said. "We were in a good situation to not retaliate. They want to get something going and set the tone maybe for the next game and maybe that was part of their mindset, but we just got to stay within the game, stay within ourselves."

The Kings bring a franchise-record seven-game playoff winning streak into Game 3, having outscored Phoenix 8-2 so far in the series. Adding to the Coyotes' frustration was the fact that they were outshot 40-24 in Game 2, including 15-8 in the first period.

"They got a couple of lucky bounces to get going and once you get going, it piles on itself and confidence is an amazing thing," Doan said after practice in Arizona. "So far, things have gone right for them in the playoffs and that's a credit to the way they've played, the way they've been coached. Once it starts to roll, it seems easier. We've got to find a way to get ours rolling."

Smith spoke to his teammates after Game 2 about not playing their best hockey, and he included himself in the criticism.

"It's one thing to lose when you're playing your best, but when you're losing games when you're not playing up to your capability, that's why it's frustrating," he said. "We start with one win right now and that's all can worry about. We can't win four games in one game. We're not looking too far ahead and this series is far from over."

The Coyotes were called for 13 penalties totaling 56 minutes on Tuesday. Jeff Carter scored two of his three goals while the Kings had a 5-on-3 advantage.

"Frustration can't get the better of us," Tippett said. "Sometimes people expect us to come out and dominate the game, but that's not going to happen. We're a team that hangs around the game and we find a way to win. The frustration of not being able to do that in the first two games certainly was evident. We need to get back to playing the way we can, playing our style and find a way to win."

Kings of the Phoenix Road

Smith's Coyotes Reach First Finals

An hour before one of the biggest games in franchise history, the Phoenix Coyotes learned a deal was in place for a new owner, one they hoped would end three years of uncertainty. They celebrated in typical fashion: grinding out another victory.......

Predators Prepare For Coyotes

The Nashville Predators probably will have two players returning for Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Nashville coach Barry Trotz said Saturday that "there's a high probability" forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn will be back in the lineup after missing the past two games.

They were suspended for Game 3 for violating team rules, then were scratched from Game 4 because Trotz didn't want to mess with a lineup that played so well in Nashville's 2-0 Game 3 victory.

"I talked to both of them this morning. We have communicated," Trotz said. "They are part of our family, and they want to be in a position to get on the ice and help. They are back in the right mindset and they can make a difference here."

Trotz left himself open to second-guessing after his offense, without possibly its two best players, fizzled in the home loss to the Coyotes on Friday night. Phoenix leads the best-of-seven series 3-1 and, with a victory on Monday, can advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in the history of the long-downtrodden franchise.

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Captain Doan Pucks Coyotes in Charge

The Phoenix Coyotes are on the brink of their first Western Conference finals thanks to their stingy goalie and the captain who travelled with the franchise from Winnipeg to the desert......

Coyotes in Two Zip Western Lead

Whitney Squeezes Coyotes OT Win

Ray Whitney scored 14:04 into overtime and the Phoenix Coyotes survived another late goal in regulation to open the Western Conference semifinals with a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night.

Phoenix was 33-1 when leading after two periods during the regular season, but has struggled to close out playoff games. The Coyotes allowed four tying third-period goals against Chicago in the first round and did it again, giving up Martin Erat's goal on a power play with 4:42 left.

Despite spending most of the third period and overtime in their own zone, the Coyotes won their first second-round NHL playoff game ever when Whitney slipped a backhander between Pekka Rinne's pads after Martin Hanzal won a faceoff in Nashville's zone.

Mike Smith made 39 saves, Rostislav Klesla had a goal and an assist, Radim Vrbata and Mikkel Boedker also scored, and Phoenix won despite being outshot 25-7 after the second period. The Coyotes are the first team in NHL history to have six of its first seven playoff games go to overtime.

Brandon Yip had his first goal of the playoffs, Andrei Kostitsyn also scored and Erat got the tying goal late. The Predators couldn't finish it off, though, unable to beat Smith in overtime to lose a game they mostly controlled after the second period.

This mirror-image matchup was expected to come down to which team could play the same style best.

Both teams have superb goaltenders, smart coaches and a defense-first style -- attributes they used to get by more-skilled opponents in the first round.

After winning their first division title as an NHL franchise, the Coyotes survived a rash of injuries and five overtime games to beat the Chicago Blackhawksand advance in the playoffs for the first time since 1987, when the team was still in Winnipeg.

Nashville finished six wins and seven points ahead of Phoenix, but was the Western Conference's fourth seed because the Coyotes won the Pacific Division.

The Predators beat nemesis Detroit in a surprisingly easy five games in the first round behind Rinne, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the second straight year. That gave Nashville a week off, plenty of time to heal and rest up -- and gather some rust, apparently.

Sluggish and out of synch, Nashville was on its heels early, leading to a power play midway through the first period. Vrbata capitalised, flipping a wrister from the left circle that skipped off Rinne's mask and over his stick shoulder.

The Predators seemed to snap out of their funk after that and had better puck control, tying it late in the period thanks to an awkward bounce.

Looking for nothing more than a dump-in, Francis Bouillon sent a pass along the left boards that shot almost 90 degrees to the right. With Smith in back anticipating the pass, Yip had it easy, flipping into an empty net.

Phoenix went back up early in the second period on a good bounce of its own. This one came off the back of Predators defenseman Roman Josi, who dove to block a pass and knocked it down right in front of Klesla at the edge of the crease.

Nashville again had an answer, using a turnover in Phoenix's zone midway through to set up a goal by Andrei Kostitsyn, who poked the puck under a sprawled out Smith after he couldn't cover a rebound.

Boedker scored his goal late in the period, waiting and waiting on a 2-on-1 before ripping a wrister past Rinne, who had a spectacular save on Whitney about a minute earlier.

That made it 3-2 -- not quite what was expected between two of the NHL's best defensive teams.

Nashville turned up the pressure in the third period, outshooting Phoenix 16-1. The flurry led to Erat's tying goal on a rebound, sending the Coyotes to yet another overtime game in the playoffs.

Phoenix somehow pulled it out, playing its rope-a-dope game to perfection again to steal a game from the Predators.

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Boedker Pucks Coyotes Closer

Mikkel Boedker needed another overtime to put the Phoenix Coyotes a victory away from winning their opening-round series with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Boedker scored in overtime for the second straight game -- his only two career postseason goals -- and the Coyotes took command of the tight-as-can-be playoff by beating the Blackhawks 3-2 on Thursday night.

All four games have gone to overtime and the Coyotes lead 3-1 headed back to Arizona for Game 5 on Saturday night, where they hope to wrap it up.

Boedker got control of a loose puck, skated ahead of defenseman Nick Leddy on a mini breakaway and shovelled the puck through goalie Corey Crawford's legs at 2:15 of the extra period.....

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Hossa is Blackhawk Down

Phoenix Coyotes winger Raffi Torres has been suspended indefinitely, pending a hearing Friday, for his hit on Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa during Game 3 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series Tuesday, the league announced.

That means Torres will miss at least Thursday's Game 4.

The hearing was planned for Wednesday but was rescheduled at Torres' request. It will be convened at the NHL's New York office. An in-person meeting could result in a suspension of more than five games.

Torres appeared to jump into the hit at 11:51 of the first period, lowering his shoulder against the head of Hossa, who no longer had the puck. The NHL is trying to protect players from concussions by cracking down on shots to the head.

No penalty was called on Torres, and Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville called the officiating a "disgrace."

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