The Kings and Phoenix Coyotes played twice in the preseason and six times in the regular season, but so far each of these three games in the Western Conference Finals has had a different flavor. In Game 1, the Kings played quite well but had to eek out a victory. In Game 2, the Kings were in some serious danger for parts of the first and second periods but walked away with a 4-0 victory. Then, last night in Game 3, the Coyotes were in a great position, up 1-0 early in the second period — after a strong first period — and ended up losing. Coyotes goalie Mike Smith previously described his team’s playoff success as “Coyote ugly.’’ Well, the Kings took a page from the Coyotes’ script last night.
The Kings took advantage of two nice individual plays to take the lead, as Dustin Brown found Anze Kopitar with a good pass, then Kopitar provided a brilliant finish on the breakaway. Then, after Trevor Lewis drew a penalty in the corner of the Phoenix zone, he pushed the puck to Dwight King, who scored on a skilled shot from the right circle. That was enough for Jonathan Quick and a stout Kings defense. Late in the third period, the Staples Center crowd roared as the Kings put on a forechecking and puck-handling clinic and ate up most of the final four minutes. What was the key aspect of the Kings’ 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 3? I present three options at the link below, and you can vote for your choice…
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For those who enjoy the traditional game recap, it can be found by clicking here.
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