Scottie Upshall had a goal and two assists while Shane Doan scored twice as the Phoenix Coyotes broke out of their offensive slump with a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Ray Whitney had a goal and an assist while Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 23 shots for the Coyotes, who came into the game having lost three of four and scoring just one goal in each of those contests.
Kyle Turris notched a goal while Brett MacLean scored in his first NHL game as Phoenix won for the fourth straight time against Los Angeles.
Marco Sturm, Brad Richardson and Ryan Smyth each had a goal for the Kings, who came into the contest with a four-game winning streak. Jonathan Quick was pulled midway through the second after giving up six goals on 18 shots. Jonathan Bernier finished the contest in net and stopped all 13 shots he faced.
It was a wild first period as the teams combined for seven goals with the Coyotes holding a 4-3 lead after the dust settled.
Doan notched the first goal of the game 5:31 in and was countered by Richardson a little over two minutes later.
Just under two minutes after the Richardson goal, Phoenix again scored as Keith Yandle sent a pass from the left circle to the low right side where Whitney tapped it in.
Skating on the power play, the Kings tied the game as Drew Doughty blasted a shot from the left point that Smyth redirected past Bryzgalov with 8:36 left in the opening frame.
The Coyotes again took the lead when Upshall threw the puck into the net from the left side during a scramble in front and it was a 4-2 game on a power play when Upshall threw a pass from the low left side to the right where MacLean redirected it into the net with 4:26 left in the first.
The Kings got one back just 33 seconds later as Anze Kopitar’s wraparound from the left side was stopped, but Sturm was there to slam home the rebound.
Doan’s seventh goal of the season came 6:11 into the second period to provide Phoenix with some breathing space and Turris scored midway through the stanza for a 6-3 lead.
Bryzgalov stopped nine shots in the second and turned aside all eight he faced in the third to preserve the win.
Game Notes
The Coyotes have won three in a row at home over Los Angeles…The Kings host Philadelphia on Thursday…Phoenix plays in St. Louis on New Year’s Eve…Los Angeles went 1-for-2 on the power play while Phoenix was 2-for-5.