The Phoenix Coyotes haven’t had much of an answer for the Los Angeles Kings so far. No one has really. The Kings, in the midst of the greatest NHL Playoff run in league history, have made light work of every team they’ve faced this postseason, winning 10 of 11 games for a .909 winning percentage, and look to continue their dominance Thursday night.
We’ve already discussed the history Los Angeles can make if it continues to win, but the only thing that matters is tonight when it returns home for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. The Kings took the first two games in Phoenix, bombarding Coyotes’ goaltender Mike Smith with 88 shots in the first two games.
Searching for its first Stanley Cup appearance since 1993, Los Angeles is favored at home by 1 1/2 goals, according to Bovada’s Coyotes vs. Kings Betting Lines, with a moneyline of -210.
The Kings have been one of the best bets in recent memory, winning as the underdog and favorite throughout. They were favored in Game 2 and dominated the action on two power play goals by Jeff Carter. Despite scoring in only one other game, Carter took full advantage of two 5-on-3 advantages to complete a hat trick.
“Obviously I’d love to be scoring every game,” he said. “They haven’t come that easily for me the last little while here. It’s something that I’ve been working on in practice, trying to get to the net during the game, get a couple greasy ones.”
The advantages came when Phoenix finally seemed to be unwinding. It didn’t trail in either of its first two series, and finally let emotions take over with two costly major penalties. Captain Shane Doan crushed Trevor Lewis into the boards in the second period and was sent off for five minutes, opening the door for Carter’s first score. Doan was unhappy with the penalty call.
“He turns. He looks right at me. I didn’t even look at him again,” Doan said. “I 
was looking at the puck, because I was trying to poke the puck free. He turns away as I’m coming in.”
Martin Hanzel was the second offender, and will actually be hearing from the league for his hit on Dustin Brown.
Things won’t get any easier in Los Angeles. The Coyotes have lost four of their last five at the Staples Center, while the Kings are 10-3 at home recently.