Glendale, AZ (Sportsbooks) - Enver Lisin scored twice in the third period to lead the Phoenix Coyotes to a 4-2 win over the
Los Angeles Kings.
Shane Doan also scored for the Coyotes, who have won three of their last four games on the heels of a six-game winless skid (0-4-2). Mikael Tellqvist made 32 saves in the win.
Oscar Moller and Alex Frolov scored for the Kings, who have dropped two straight after a two-game win streak. Erik Ersberg allowed three goals on 25 shots in the losing effort.
"We need to get back to our system -- when we play within our system, we have a chance to win games," said LA forward Dustin Brown. "We played two good periods, but we got away from it and it cost us."
The Coyotes trailed 2-1 at the start of the third period, but a pair of goals by Lisin put the hosts in the lead.
First, at the 4:06 mark , Lisin's third goal of the season tied the score. Keith Yandle held control inside the left circle and passed into the low slot for Lisin, who whiffed on the one-timer attempt but made enough contact with the puck that it slid -- slowly -- past a sliding Ersberg.
Lisin struck again just over four minutes later. Derek Morris corralled the puck behind his own net and sent a perfect lead pass through the neutral zone that found Lisin in stride. Lisin streaked across the blue line down the left- wing side and unloaded a blazing slap shot that made Ersberg's water bottle pop into the air for a 3-2 Phoenix lead at the 8:08 mark.
"That's our job; you want to get (Lisin) in a footrace with their defensemen because I don't think many guys in the league know what kind of speed he has yet," Morris said. "He was neck and neck with that defenseman when I gave him the pass. He took three hard strides, got some room and made a shot you don't see very often. That was a beautiful shot."
The Kings had several scoring chances down the stretch. With 4:05 to go in regulation, Moller's one-timer from the slot missed wide. Later, with about 1:20 on the clock, Michal Handzus attempted a stuffer at the right post, but Tellqvist's pad was quicker. Moments later, Kings blueliner Matt Greene fired a wrister from the right point with traffic in front, but the save was made.
"It came right down to the final minute of the game, so there are things to build on," said Kings coach Terry Murray. "We just need to correct the few little mistakes we make."
Martin Hanzal's empty-net goal with 31 seconds remaining capped the scoring.
The Kings grabbed the lead near the five-minute mark of the first period with a fluke goal. Frolov fought for control of the puck along the rear boards directly behind the net. Frolov alertly fired the puck toward the crease area, and the disc deflected off the back of Tellqvist's right leg and into the net at 4:59.
Less than two minutes later, the hosts tied the contest while on the power play. With Brown in the box for hooking, Ed Jovanovski ripped a one-timer from the center point that Doan redirected past Ersberg from the slot.
At the 8:37 mark of the second stanza, the Kings moved ahead 2-1 on Moller's fifth goal. While on the power play, Kyle Quincey fired a shot from the left circle that never made it to the net. Instead, the puck deflected off the skate of Phoenix defenseman Zbynek Michalek and caromed directly to Moller, whose one-timer rebound from the slot flew into the back of the cage.
Game Notes
Frolov has at least one goal in five of his last six games...The Kings fell to 3-5-0 on the road team this season...The Kings converted on their only power- play chance, while the Coyotes finished 1-for-5 with the extra skater...It was Doan's 12th goal of the season...LA has dropped 11 of its last 13 games in Arizona...Phoenix is now 7-4-1 at home in 2008-09...Attendance was 11,473.
