Game Recap: Late goal lifts Coyotes over Kings
By Matt Pelkey
GAME RECAP: Arizona Coyotes (3) @ Los Angeles Kings (2) – Final
Ouch. That one stings.
Former Kings player Brad Richardson scored the go-ahead goal with 8:13 remaining in the third period as the Arizona Coyotes (8-6-1) defeated the Los Angeles Kings (9-6-0) 3-2 for their second victory at Staples Center in as many games this season.
The Kings outshot the Coyotes 35-25 and were 1-for-2 on the power play, but a timely goal from Richardson in addition to a pair from Martin Hanzal was enough to drop Los Angeles’ record to 4-5-1 in its last 10 versus Arizona.
The Kings surrendered 14 giveaways on the night compared to the Coyotes’ six, but none were bigger than Brayden McNabb’s turnover that led directly to Hanzal’s first goal of the evening to tie the game at one.
Hanzal intercepted McNabb’s pass up the middle of the L.A. zone before he wired a shot past Quick blocker-side. It was the center’s team-leading 14th point and first of the season.
Nov 10, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Coyotes center Martin Hanzal (11) and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Alec Martinez (27) battle in front of the net in the second period of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Just under six minutes earlier, Brown opened the scoring 5:54 into the game when he banged home a rebound generated from a Drew Doughty shot. The goal was Brown’s first of the season and first in 19 games, dating back to last season.
When asked by LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen whether he was relieved to score his first of the season, Brown replied, “Yeah, ultimately it’s just about wins. But definitely from the back of your mind, you stop thinking about it. Hopefully I can build on it and again just have a complete game.”
Los Angeles led 10-4 in the shot department after 20 minutes.
The Kings took a 2-1 lead at the five-minute mark of the middle frame when Tyler Toffoli tallied his 10th of the season, which put him in a tie for first in the league in goals. On a power play, Jamie McBain faked a slap shot before dishing a pass to Toffoli, who corralled the puck with his skate before sniping a wrist shot over the right shoulder of Mike Smith.
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4:59 later, the Coyotes tied the game for the second time to make it 2-2.
Hanzal scored his second of the contest when he picked up a loose puck in the slot and let off a soft backhand shot that floated its way over Quick’s left shoulder and into the net.
Quick made 22 saves in the loss while Smith stopped 33 shots.
Los Angeles is now 0-2 against their desert rivals after going 3-0-1 in four matchups last season.
Top Performer
Continuing his hot start to the season, Toffoli netted his league-leading 10th goal of the season on a power play to give the Kings a 2-1 lead. Though Arizona ended up tying the game shortly after, Toffoli had numerous chances during the game and continues to show that last year’s stat totals were no fluke.
Unsung Hero
Pearson was a threat all night playing on the top line alongside Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Pearson made a nice pass to Doughty who put the puck on net where Brown banged the rebound in to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. He played arguably his best period of the season in the first period, using his speed to beat defenders and his smarts to generate scoring chances.
They’ve seen better games
Marian Gaborik
Gaborik’s early-season struggles continued Tuesday night. Playing on a line with Nick Shore and Trevor Lewis the majority of the night, Gaborik saw only 33 seconds of power play time and struggled with the puck through various stretches throughout the night. He remains stuck with just two points in L.A.’s first 15 games this season.
Brayden McNabb
After deking around a couple of Coyotes defenders and nearly scoring in the first period, McNabb’s night went mostly downhill from there. The 6’4″ defender threw a pass up the middle that was intercepted and turned into an Arizona goal in the first period before allowing Richardson to easily get his stick on the puck between his legs when he scored the game-winning goal in the third.