Coyotes 3, Kings 2
GLENDALE, Ariz. --- Arizona Coyotes coach Dave Tippett didn't like his team's starts and he didn't like its energy during a recent four-game, home losing streak.
With one game left on a seven-game homestand on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings, Tippett knew the Coyotes had to develop some positive momentum before the All-Star break begins Wednesday.
They did.
Arizona left winger Jordan Martinook scored on a partial breakaway 22 seconds into the third period and goalie Louis Domingue made 26 saves as the Coyotes defeated the Kings 3-2 at Gila River Arena. Arizona completed its seven-game homestand 3-3-1 while improving to 11-2-2 against the Pacific Division and 3-0-1 against the Kings.
Jonathan Quick made 21 saves for Los Angeles, which got goals from center Nick Shore and right winger Dustin Brown. Arizona also got goals from right winger Shane Doan and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Doan put the Coyotes on the board just after an Arizona power play expired when defenseman Michael Stone's shot from the point caromed off Doan's chest and past Quick at 13:43 of the first period. It was Doan's 17th goal of the season and 11th in his last 15 games, putting him on pace for a career high of 33 goals.
The Kings evened the game on a bizarre play at 6:53 of the second period. As Domingue played the puck behind the net, Kings left winger Tanner Pearson ran into him and Coyotes center Boyd Gordon fell over the top of Domingue.
Domingue clearly thought he had been interfered with and took off his mask, but the officials did not whistle the play dead and Kings center Nick Shore put the puck into an empty net.
Arizona answered on a power play at 9:19 of the second period. After power-play defenseman Mikkel Boedker did a nice job of keeping the puck in at the blue line, he fed left winger Max Domi, who carried the puck to the left of the crease and lifted a saucer pass over a pair of Kings' sticks and onto the tape of Ekman-Larsson.
Ekman-Larsson one-timed the offering into the open side of the net for a 2-1 lead and his 14th goal of the season, pulling him into a tie with Carolina's Justin Faulk for the second-most goals in the NHL by a defenseman this season.
Los Angeles tied the game at 2-2 with 3:05 left in the second period when center Jeff Carter's wrist shot from the right point hit the left post and bounced right onto Brown's stick for an easy tap-in.
NOTES: Coyotes D Nicklas Grossmann missed Saturday's game because of an undisclosed illness. He was replaced in the lineup by Jarred Tinordi, marking Tinordi's first game with his new club since coming over in a trade from Montreal. ... Coyotes D Kevin Connauton also replaced D Klas Dahlbeck in the lineup. ... Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said G Mike Smith has started facing shots in one-on-one workouts with goalie coach Jon Elkin in what Tippett termed "very controlled" workouts. Smith has been on the Injured Reserve list since undergoing abdominal surgery in mid-December that was expected to sideline him eight to 10 weeks. ... Kings LW Kyle Clifford (upper body) missed Saturday's game but is close to returning, per coach Darryl Sutter. ... Kings RW Tyler Toffoli was a minus-1 in Thursday's loss to Minnesota, marking only the third game all season in which he has been a minus and ending a 30-game even-or-better stretch.