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COYOTES 2, Kings 1
Coyotes clinch playoff berth with win over Kings
PHOENIX (AP) -- With Keith Tkachuk still sidelined with an injured ankle, the Phoenix Coyotes needed someone else to spark their stretch drive.
Enter Jeremy Roenick, who set up the winning goal with a spectacular assist as the Coyotes defeated the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 Monday night to clinch a playoff berth.
Roenick, knocked headfirst into the boards seconds earlier, kicked puck in front of him when he got up, and flicked it to Trevor Letowski, who scored Phoenix's second goal 8:54 into the third period.
"That was a great effort," coach Bob Francis said. "That was a microcosm of our whole game. We won a lot of battles, and when you play a team like LA, the tempo is high and they battle. They're so aggressive in their system that it forces you into that predicament."
The Coyotes reached 87 points -- enough to secure a spot in the postseason for the fifth consecutive season -- and pulled within two points of the Kings for fifth place in the Western Conference.
"I don't think we played that good," Luc Robitaille said. "We have to play better. We have to learn to not take as many penalties."
The Kings, who clinched their playoff spot on Saturday, may have absorbed a greater loss. Center Bryan Smolinski, a 20-goal scorer, sprained his right knee when he tangled legs with Phoenix's Travis Green with just 16.5 seconds remaining. He had to be helped from the ice, and the team said he would be checked for ligament damage.
Los Angeles' Glen Murray scored the first goal of the game, and Dallas Drake tied it.
Sean Burke needed to make just 21 saves for his third victory in four games. But he had nine crucial stops in the third period, when Los Angeles was pressing to catch up.
Jamie Storr had 31 saves for the Kings, who lost for the first time in six games (3-1-2).
Roenick, who leads the Coyotes in everything but penalty minutes, where he is second, got his 42nd assist with a signature move.
Checked from behind by Aki Berg, Roenick stayed down until he saw the puck roll ahead of him. As he was getting up, he wristed it to Letowski in the slot, and the rookie scored his 19th goal with a one-timer over Storr's shoulder.
"I didn't know where it was," Roenick said. "I got knocked down by two guys. The puck actually caught beneath my foot, and I ended up kicking it out. It was a great play by 'Lootie' to get open. That was a big-time effort. That's what we have to have in the playoffs."
The Coyotes improved to 14-4-0-1 when Letowski scores.
"I had a couple of chances earlier to bury it when I didn't, so it was nice to get that one in," Letowski said.
Phoenix had two early power plays, and Storr stopped seven shots in a 3:27 stretch.
The Coyotes took 18 shots in the first period -- two below their season high for a period -- but Storr was solid.
Burke also was perfect against 10 shots in the first, but Murray scored on Los Angeles' 11th shot 4:16 into the second.
He led Stumpel into the Phoenix end, took the pass and fired from the circle. Burke tried a kick save to his left, but Murray went to the far side and got his 28th goal.
The Coyotes finally solved Storr with 9:30 left in the second period when Benoit Hogue led Drake to just outside the crease, and the assistant captain found the net with a low wrist shot.
"We were real happy with our first period," Kings coach Andy Murray said. "We killed off three penalties. We thought we had some energy and enthusiasm, and I thought we were pretty solid. But our feeling was we didn't play hard enough in the second period."
Phoenix won the season series from Los Angeles 4-2.
Summary
-----------------------------
Los Angeles 0 1 0--1
Phoenix 0 1 1--2
-----------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: None. Penalties: Tuomainen, L.A. (boarding),
1:53; Storr, L.A. served by B Chartrand (Delay of game), 3:20; Norstrom,
L.A. (Obstr hooking), 8:59.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Los Angeles, G Murray 28 (Stumpel,
Johnson), 4:16. 2, Phoenix, Drake 14 (Hogue, Numminen), 10:30. Penalties:
Galley, L.A. (interference), 6:07; Neckar, Pho (high sticking), 13:16;
Carney, Pho (Ob holding the stick), 19:01.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 3, Phoenix, Letowski 19 (Roenick, Renberg),
8:54. Penalties: Renberg, Pho (tripping), 1:52.
Shots on goal:
---------------------------------
Los Angeles 10 3 9--22
Phoenix 18 12 3--33
---------------------------------
Power-play Conversions: Los - 0 of 3, Pho - 0 of 4. Goalies: Los
Angeles, Storr (33 shots, 31 saves; record: 17-15-5). Phoenix, Burke (22,
21; record: 18-19-3). A:14,378. Referees: Ohalloran, S Walkom. Linesmen:
Bonney, Cameron.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATISTICS
Los Angeles Phoenix
G A +/- Shots G A +/- Shots
B Chartrand 0 0 even 2 Adams 0 0 -1 2
Berg 0 0 -1 1 Alatalo 0 0 even 2
Buchberger 0 0 even 0 Carney 0 0 +1 2
Bylsma 0 0 -1 3 Daigneault 0 0 +1 2
Corkum 0 0 even 1 Debrusk 0 0 even 0
G Murray 1 0 +1 5 Doan 0 0 -1 4
Galley 0 0 even 0 Drake 1 0 +1 2
Johnson 0 1 +1 0 Green 0 0 even 0
Karalahti 0 0 even 2 Hogue 0 1 +1 1
Laperriere 0 0 -1 2 Joseph 0 0 even 2
Mckenna 0 0 -1 0 Letowski 1 0 +1 4
Modry 0 0 -1 1 Lumme 0 0 even 6
Norstrom 0 0 even 1 Neckar 0 0 +1 0
Odonnell 0 0 even 0 Numminen 0 1 +1 0
Robitaille 0 0 -1 1 Odelein 0 0 even 0
Smolinski 0 0 -1 2 Renberg 0 1 +1 3
Stumpel 0 1 +1 0 Roenick 0 1 +1 3
Tuomainen 0 0 -1 1 Sullivan 0 0 even 0
Cousineau Appendicitis Tkachuk Ankle Injury
R Blake Knee Injury Suchy Healthy
J Blake Healthy Ylonen Leg Injury
Emerson Finger Injury
Palffy Shoulder
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