The Los Angeles Kings had an opportunity to sweep the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday and punch their ticket to the second Stanley Cup final appearance in franchise history, but they fell short in a 2-0 loss. They still have a strong 3-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series. Both odds and history are on their side. Coyotes fans are also being pragmatic about the victory, but are looking ahead to what Game 5 might bring.
Carl Putnam at Five For Howling Has this to say about Arizona's crucial win:
The Coyotes will look to build on the improvements they made on Sunday when they face the Kings in Game 5. The game will be played Tuesday back in Glendale at 6 p.m. MST. If Phoenix can stay aggressive while spending less time in the box maybe they can truly climb back into the series. Expect the Kings to come out hitting anything that moves Tuesday night, especially guys like Justin Williams and Dustin Brown.
The loss isn't the end of the world, of course. It would be highly unlikely for the Coyotes to be able to win the next three and instead eliminate the Kings, but Los Angeles will need to regroup and put this one away as quickly as possible.
For more news and notes on the Kings or the NHL Western Conference Finals, be sure to check out Jewels From The Crown.