Kings Finally Score More than Three Goals, Beat Coyotes 4-3 in the Process

It was a long and windy road between three goal games for the Kings. It took 34 days, three head coaches, a three week spell without the team’s best offensive player, an assist from Dustin Penner and three goals from the most unlikely of sources for the Kings to finally, somehow, score three goals in a game for the first time since November 22, as they beat the Coyotes 4-3.

With each passing game that the Kings failed to score three goals, the back dwelling monkey swelled. It became a running gag on Twitter, a mockery of Darryl Sutter’s proclamation of a “3-2 league” and an immense distraction for the club over the last month-plus. Yet, when Rob Scuderi put the Kings out to an early lead with just over four minutes gone in the first period, you knew it was going to happen. Brad Richardson added a second off a shot from Slava Voynov, but the Kings were held at bay until the third period to add to the suspense.

Somewhere between blowing two one-goal leads in the first two periods, and a stern talking to from Jamie Kompon Darryl Sutter during in the second intermission, the Kings exploded onto the scene in the third. Dustin Penner worked the puck along the side boards to the left of Jason LeBarbara, and Willie Mitchell banged home the ellusive third goal, nearly shutting down Twitter. It was exactly how you would write up the most unlikely of scripts, with the team’s whipping boy setting it all up and a former King, “LolBarbera”, letting in not just a third, but even a fourth goal moments later. Dustin Brown’s goal was the chaser for LeBarbara, scoring from a wide angle to give the Kings a 4-2 lead. The Coyotes pulled one back to round out the 4-3 final, but the Kings could have added a few more goals in the third period had the Hockey Gods been a little kinder. Drew Doughty fanned with an open 4×6 staring him in the face, and minutes later, the Kings struck iron twice in a span of ten seconds, on back-to-back shots no less.

Sans a semi-poorly played second period when the Kings played on their back feet, they looked like a strong attacking team for the first time since the home opener that saw them play like the Harlem Globeskaters and beat the Blues 5-0 back in mid-October. The Kings have a long way to go before being called contenders again, but winning four of six and three of four do a lot for confidence as well as chipping away at the standings.

A trip to Chicago will be a huge barometer game for the Kings, who are still dead last in scoring. The Blackhawks have the NHL’s best record

and

are the league’s top team in scoring, not to mention they’ve won eight of 10 and haven’t lost in regulation at home until November 29th. Coupled with a New Years Eve date with the

Vancouver

Los Angeles Canucks, and the Kings have a serious stretch of games this week including the first stop in Winnipeg since Bill Clinton’s first term. Got to imagine that the Kings would eagerly take four points out of six, and even contently take just three. But should the Kings fare well this week with a couple of wins, things

could

finally be looking up. But yeah, let’s make sure the Kings can keep scoring first, eh?

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