Kings Hold Coyotes at Bay on Power Play

After getting little help from the Kings’ penalty-killing unit three days ago, goaltender Byron Dafoe received stronger support Tuesday night against the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Kings were a perfect four for four against the Coyotes’ power play and Dafoe stopped 35 of 36 shots in a 4-1 victory before 14,423 at America West Arena.

“We’re just back on track after struggling for one game,” defenseman Mattias Norstrom said of the Kings’ penalty-killing unit, which had been No. 2 in the NHL before giving up three goals in a 7-4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. “Stuff like that will eventually happen. The key is to come back and tonight we showed that [stopping opposing power plays] is a strength for us.”

With recently acquired right wing Brad Smyth joining the line of veterans Ray Ferraro and Eddie Olczyk, the Kings’ offense showed some life after five losses in six games.

Ferraro had a goal and an assist, Rob Blake, Vladimir Tsyplakov and Smyth added goals, and the Kings tied a season high with two power-play goals and nearly scored a third in improving to 11-12-3.

“Our [penalty-killing unit] was on top of its game and I think the biggest thing was Ray Ferraro’s goal, which established that we were going to score tonight,” said Dafoe, who played because scheduled starter Stephane Fiset was ruled out at the morning skate because of an abdominal strain. “We’re so good playing with the lead. . . . We play so much better defensively when we are ahead going into the second and third periods.”

The game really was over after the first period; the Kings took a 3-0 lead, thanks to two power-play goals, including Smyth’s first as a King.

Kevin Stevens, who had two assists, got things started when his shot from the left circle was blocked by Phoenix goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, setting up Ferraro’s 11th goal of the season at 2:49.

Later in the period, Smyth, who was acquired from Florida last week, skated down the left side, and despite being harassed by Oleg Tverdovsky, scored with a left-handed shot past a surprised Khabibulin to give the Kings a 2-0 lead at 15:56.

“It was kind of lucky,” Smyth said of his second goal of the season. “I directed it at the net and it took a lucky hop.”

The Kings’ third score came with 52 seconds remaining in the period when Blake scored an unassisted power-play goal from the slot, knocking the puck into the lower-right side of the net.

“Sometimes, no matter how much we try, the puck won’t go in the net for us,” said Dimitri Khristich, who had an assist to give him a team-high 24 points. “Then the next day, we keep trying and we get goals.”

After suffering three shutouts in their last six games, the Kings were glad to have a cushion going into the second period.

With Phoenix playing more aggressively in the Kings’ zone, Dafoe had a busy second period. He stopped 12 shots and was helped when the Coyotes’ Igor Korolev had a goal disallowed because of a stick-holding penalty by Shane Doan at the 5:29 mark.

Dafoe, who gave up a third-period goal to Keith Tkachuk, improved to 7-3.