LOS ANGELES (AP) – In a story Dec. 20 about the game between the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes, Kings defenseman Alec Martinez was credited for a power play goal in the third period. The team announced an official scoring change Monday, crediting the goal to Jeff Carter and giving him two for the game.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Kings score twice on PP to beat Coyotes 4-2
Kings get power-play goals from Gaborik, Carter in 4-2 win over Coyotes
By JOE RESNICK
Associated Press
On the third anniversary of his hiring as coach of the Los Angeles Kings, Darryl Sutter’s squad delivered a solid two-way performance complete with superb special-teams play at both ends of the rink.
Jeff Carter scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period during a power play, his second of the game, and the defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Saturday.
Since Sutter’s arrival, the Kings have won two Cups and appear poised to challenge for a third – after going the first 45 years of their existence with only one trip to the finals.
”It was huge when he came here, because we started playing a more upbeat-tempo game,” center Anze Kopitar said. ”He’s a really good motivator. We always had a lot of talent and potential here, but he brings out the best in us and he knows how to push our buttons. That’s for sure. And for the most part, he’s pushing the right ones.”
Marian Gaborik also connected with the man advantage for his sixth goal in four games. Trevor Lewis had a goal and Jonathan Quick made 15 saves for the Kings. Kopitar, who set a career high for points with a goal and four assists Thursday night in a 6-4 win over St. Louis, had three assists against the Coyotes.
Los Angeles defenseman Robyn Regehr was scratched because of an upper-body injury that occurred during the victory over St. Louis. As a result, Jamie McBain was back in the lineup for the first time since Nov. 29 after nine games as a healthy scratch and got assists on both power-play goals.
Martin Hanzal and Kyle Chipchura scored for Arizona, and Devan Dubnyk stopped 31 shots.
Carter’s 10th goal of the season came at 1:34 of the third, just 10 seconds after Hanzal got a penalty for closing his hand on the puck.
Gaborik tied it 2-all at 17:40 of the second, capitalizing on a power play while Coyotes captain Shane Doan was off for interference.
”We just didn’t play hard enough and took some stupid penalties, especially in the offensive zone. It was unacceptable,” Hanzal said. ”Obviously, when you’re playing a team like that with a 2-1 lead and you give opportunities on the power play, at some point they’re going to make you pay.”
The Coyotes, who have only one regulation victory in their last 14 games, tied it at 1 just 44 seconds after the first intermission as Hanzal outraced defenseman Jake Muzzin to a loose puck deep in the Kings zone and flipped his sixth goal over Quick’s shoulder.
Chipchura put Arizona ahead at 5:42 of the second on a double deflection, sending a shot toward the net that caromed in off Kings teammates Mike Richards and Brayden McNabb after Chipchura worked the puck away from Matt Greene.
”We came out pretty good, dictating the tempo. It could just as easily have gone south in a hurry after those two goals, but we stuck together and got it done on the power play,” Kopitar said. ”I thought our penalty-killing was pretty solid, too, and that will win you games.”
Los Angeles went on the power play 15 seconds after the opening faceoff when Hanzal was sent off for holding Kopitar. Less than a minute later, Antoine Vermette sent David Moss on a breakaway and Quick made the save.
”Quickie’s been doing that for I don’t know how many years now,” Lewis said. ”He makes those big saves for us, and it really gets the bench up and gets us going, so we want to battle hard for him. We came back and scored some big goals.”
Moments after his short backhander hit the left post behind Quick on a rebound, Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle’s attempted clearing pass at the other end of the rink was blocked by Kopitar, and Carter beat Dubnyk at 17:22 of the first to open the scoring.
NOTES: Hanzal’s goal was his first in 11 games since his hat trick Nov. 14 at Vancouver. … Richards hasn’t scored a goal in his last 22 regular-season home games since March 22. … Arizona’s Dave Tippett became the 30th man to coach at least 900 regular-season games in the NHL. He spent three seasons as a Kings assistant under Andy Murray before getting the Dallas Stars job in 2002-03. … The Coyotes have allowed 11 goals in 31 short-handed situations over their last nine games
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