Mike Smith made 33 saves in his 400th regular-season game, helping the Coyotes improve to 6-2-1 on the road and complete a Southern California sweep that included Monday night’s 4-3 overtime victory at Anaheim.
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“Every win is going to help our confidence, ” Hanzal said.
“It’s a privilege to play in this league”. And to have been here as long as I have to this point, it’s very humbling, ” Smith said. Tyler Toffoli scored his tenth of the season in the losing cause and Drew Doughty picked up an assist. His redirect glanced off goalie Jonathan Quick’s toe and inside the far post, giving him just his second goal of the season but a critical tally against his former team. “We had a lot of mistakes in our defensive zone, and that’s a staple of our game”. “There were times when it was a little discombobulated but fortunately we were able to gain momentum as the game went along”. “When we are playing our game, we are moving the puck quickly, coming out of our zone clean and stopping plays before they begin”.
Brad Richardson netted the game-winner when he stuck his stick in between McNabb’s legs and deflected a pass from Jordan Martinook into the net for the goal. Darryl Sutter passed Terry Murray for fourth on the franchise’s all-time games coached list with 276….
The Kings regained the lead early in the second period while working on their first power play of the evening.
For the Kings, it’s their second loss to the Coyotes in as many meetings, and they’ve dropped to 1-2-0 on their current five-game home stand.
Although the Kings outshot Arizona 35-25, the Coyotes were pesky in the Kings’ zone, scoring all three of their goals by forcing turnovers and winning one-on-one battles when the puck was on the line.
Hanzal’s 13 assists without a goal had become a running joke around the team, with Tippett even joining the fray, but that only partially explained the laugh Hanzal had with his teammates after he finally dented the net. He’s a leader up front. “And when he plays like that, we’re a good team”.
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”.
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A few minutes later, Brayden McNabb, looking for an outlet as he possessed the puck behind the Kings’ net, passed the puck onto the stick of Martin Hanzal, who turned and fired a wrist shot past Jonathan Quick to tie the game 1-1.
