National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Los Angeles 4, Phoenix 0
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Chris Rooney, Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen: Brian Murphy, Jean Morin
Attendance: 17149

KINGS 4, COYOTES 0: Jeff Carter notched a hat trick and Jonathan Quick stopped 24 shots as Los Angeles dominated Phoenix to take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference finals.

Los Angeles took advantage of a major lack of discipline on the part of the Coyotes, scoring a pair of 5-on-3 power-play goals to run its playoff road winning streak to nine games. The Kings fired 40 shots on Phoenix netminder Mike Smith, bringing their two-game total to 88.

The series now shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night.

Game 1 hero Dwight King opened the scoring with 6:45 remaining in the first period. The rookie forward, who scored twice in the opener, redirected a Drew Doughty point shot off the right post behind Smith and in for his fourth goal of the playoffs.

The Kings extended the lead 4:47 into the second frame. A Mike Richards centering pass deflected off the stick of teammate Dustin Penner and right to Carter, whose wrist shot from point-blank range fluttered past Smith just inside the left post.

Phoenix found itself in serious trouble later in the period when captain Shane Doan was given a major and a game misconduct for running Kings center Trevor Lewis into the boards, bloodying him. A Daymond Langkow slashing penalty at the same time set Los Angeles up with a lengthy two-man advantage, and the Kings made good as Anze Kopitar's initial shot from the right circle deflected off Carter's leg and eluded Smith.

The chippiness between the division rivals carried over into the third period, where Coyotes forward Martin Hanzal was assessed a boarding major and a game misconduct for drilling Kings captain Dustin Brown into the boards. A Derek Morris kneeing minor put the Kings up two men for a second time, and Carter completed his hat trick with a conversion of a rebound from in close.

GAME NOTEBOOK: King had just five goals in 27 regular-season games. ... Smith and Brown mixed it up near the end of the second period. Smith whacked Brown with his stick to earn a slashing minor, while Brown was given a diving penalty. ... Penner and Coyotes forward Antoine Vermette were given misconducts after tussling with 6:42 left in the third period.
Top Game Performances
 
Los Angeles   Phoenix
Jeff Carter 3 Points N/A
Jeff Carter 3 Goals N/A
Anze Kopitar 2 Assists N/A
Jeff Carter 2 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jonathan Quick 1.000 Save Percentage Mike Smith .900
Jonathan Quick 24 Saves Mike Smith 36
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Los Angeles 40 4 2-8 4-4 24 26
Phoenix 24 0 0-4 6-8 56 38
Upcoming Games
  • Phoenix will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .476 after a win and .550 after a loss.
  • Los Angeles will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Kings have a W/L % of .425 after a win and .548 after a loss.