Kings give Coyotes a winning view of their road show

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dustin Brown continued to build his playoff reputation and the Kings again thrived on the road.

The Kings captain had a first-period assist and then scored the game-winning goal 2 minutes and 11 seconds into the third period in a 4-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday at Jobing.com Arena in the Western Conference final opener.. It was the Kings’ sixth road victory during these Stanley Cup playoffs and eighth in a row dating to last postseason.

With the score tied, 2-2, Slava Voynov found a streaking Brown, who barreled in from center ice and flicked a wrist shot past Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith.

Dwight King’s short-hand goal in the final minute clinched the victory.

An indication of the type of chippy series that lies ahead came early in the first period. The first penalty went to a goaltender.

The Kings’ Justin Williams crashed through the crease, bumping Smith and dislodging the net. Smith jumped Williams after the whistle and received a roughing penalty.

King gave the Kings a 2-1 lead, polishing off a two-on-one break by batting in a rebound 8:22 into the second period. The Coyotes got even late in the period when Antoine Vermette forced a turnover behind the Kings’ net. Shane Doan centered a pass to Mikkel Boedker, who chipped in a shot from the crease.

The Kings were far from rusty after an eight-day layoff, as they dominated the first 10 minutes. Their aggressive play paid off, as Anze Kopitar tucked a back-hand shot over Smith’s shoulder for a 1-0 lead four minutes into the game.

The Coyotes did not have a shot on goal until the eighth minute, and their first came from three-quarters of the ice away. Defenseman Keith Yandle missed on a pass from the Coyotes’ zone, with the puck slowly sliding toward the net, where Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick easily flicked it away.

Quick was not so nimblewith a shot for mid-ice., though A innocent looking flick by Phoenix defenseman Derek Morris appeared to fool Quick, with the puck skipping over his leg to tie the score, 1-1, 13:26 into the first period.