Quotes from the Coyotes locker room after 1-0 win in LA

Prior to the game, Coyotes forward Ray Whitney referred to match-ups with the Kings as 'muck fests' and usually filled with tight, defensive-oriented hockey. Kings defenseman Jack Johnson went so far as to say the games can be boring to watch, with Phoenix lulling teams to sleep.

Neither was the case in the first period, which featured three separate fights - surprisingly, none of them involving Kevin Westgarth or Paul Bissonnette. Things returned to normal though in the second period when the teams combined for 13 shots on goal. In the end, the visiting Coyotes shutout the Kings 1-0 to pull even with them in the Western Conference standings.

After the game, here's what they were saying back in the locker room...

Captain Shane Doan:

- On the overall game - "It was great. It’s one of those games that you love to play in and you really like to win. It was a big one for us...Everyone realized how big of a game it was and how important it was for us to find a way to win. They’re ahead of us in the standings, they got the position we want, and everybody is chasing everybody right now"

- On his fight with Dustin Brown - "It’s one of those things, it’s part of the game and Brownie plays that way all the time. He hits hard. Both sides are trying to set the tone and he was more than willing and it’s part of the game. " (note: you can watch the scrap here)

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett on memories, Brown and more

Tippett instructing practice (photo: D. Sheehan)

Dave Tippett played over 700 games in the NHL, primarily as a left wing for the old Hartford Whalers. Soon after his playing days were over he found himself as the head coach of the Houston Aeros (IHL), where he won a championship in 1999. The following year he stepped up to the NHL, as an assistant for the Kings under Andy Murray.

After a three-year stint in LA, he became the head coach of the Dallas Stars for six years, until being fired in the summer of 2009 when the team missed the playoffs for the first time in six years. Many questioned the move at the the time and some still do to this day. Tippett is one of the most respected coaches in the NHL and even though he won the Jack Adams Award (coach of the year) in 2010, he might be doing his finest job yet with this year's Phoenix Coyotes team.

Leading a roster that was thought not deep enough to contend for a spot in the post-season - especially after losing their All-Star goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to the Philadephia Flyers - he somehow has them right in the thick of the playoff race.

Following practice yesterday, I asked Tippett if playing the Kings still holds any special feeling for him or if too much time has passed since he was a part of the LA hockey scene.

"I have a lot of good friends here and my daughter lives in Los Angeles. So, there's always good feelings coming back here. I really enjoyed my three years here too. We made the playoffs all three years and we had a real good group of players, including Luc Robitaille and some players who really had some history here. I like coming back and competing against them and I like to beat them," he said, with a good chuckle at the end.

Quotes from Coyotes locker room after 1-0 OT loss in LA

For the third time this season, the Kings defeated the Coyotes last night. LA defenseman Jack Johnson described it as a 'boring 0-0 game' - but Drew Doughty managed to sneak one past Mike Smith in overtime, pushing the season series to 3-1 in favor of the Kings.

Afterwards, Coyotes coach Dave Tippett and captain Shane Doan weren't too happy about the way things went down...

Tippett on the Kings’ OT goal - "It should be no goal. It’s not a matter of fact that the puck went in the net. The puck did go in the net, but it should be goalie interference. If they don’t give the goal to Johnson then it’s goalie interference. If he comes in and puts his leg in front of Mike Smith’s leg so (Smith) can’t make a stop that is goalie interference. It’s as simple as that. It’s a poor call. It’s a blown call that should be no goal."

Tippett on the overall game - "We had lots of guys compete awfully hard. We knew that’s the kind of game we have to play. It’s an intense game. We have got to do a lot of little things right. With our lineup the way it is right now we have to have everybody compete as hard as they can and we got to find ways to win. I think we got a bad break."

Tippett on his goalie's performance - "Excellent. That’s what we need. We need our goaltender to be a very good player for us every night. He played a heck of a game."

Four Kings play Word Association with Coyotes leaders

Three games into the Kings' six-game season series with the Coyotes it's been exactly what you'd expect from two division rivals - tight, close battles. They split a pair of games in October, with the Kings shutting out the Coyotes 2-0 in the first contest and losing 3-2 in a shootout a little over a week later.

Both those games were in Phoenix. Then, the day after Christmas, Staples Center hosted game three and the Kings won 4-3 - getting two goals from their defensemen (Rob Scuderi and Willie Mitchell), a rare site this year.

With a look ahead to tonight's game, we asked a few of the Kings to play word association using the names of four Coyotes players they know well - long-time captain Shane Doan (a Kings killer throughout his career), Ray Whitney (leading the 'Yotes with 35 points...and 15 career goals vs. LA, his most against any Western Conference team), Keith Yandle (leads all Phoenix defensemen with 24 points) and Derek Morris (has played 63 career games vs LA).

Here were the answers...

from Dustin Brown

Doan - Physical
Whitney - Magical
Yandle - White stick
Morris - Big

Quotes from the Coyotes locker room after 4-3 loss to LA

The Phoenix Coyotes brought a collection of former Kings with them to Staples Center last night - including coach Dave Tippett, goalie Jason LaBarbera and forward Patrick O'Sullivan. However, LA outshot them 35-29, out-hit them 28-25, won more faceoffs, killed every Coyotes penalty, chased LaBarbera early in the third period and won the game 4-3.

Afterwards, coach Tippett had this to say about the overall game...

"I thought we hung in there. We wanted to make sure we competed hard and give ourselves the best chance of winning. We were hanging around the whole game right to the end. There were a couple of goals that LaBarbera would like to have back, but those are tough to overcome."

On back-up goalie Curtis McElhinney’s relief effort, Tippet said - "I thought he played very well. He made a couple good saves and then he got lucky on a couple posts so we just took a chance to see if we could change the momentum there. We competed hard tonight and you always want results without a doubt. They had some guys really play well tonight. We have to keep that attitude and try to win a big game at home."

If there was one positive for Phoenix, it had to be the play of Raffi Torres. On his two goal performance, Tipped said - "He made a couple good plays on breakaways to score. With our lineup the way it is we need people to contribute throughout and he gave us a couple good goals tonight."

Kings at Coyotes - what to watch for w/ Justin Williams

Over the last few seasons, the Phoenix Coyotes have given the Kings fits, largely because of two guys - goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and captain Shane Doan.

The two teams split their season series last year 3-3.

With the help of Justin Williams, Jonathan Quick and Dustin Penner here are some things to watch for tonight when the Kings and Coyotes meet up for the first meeting this season...

- Goaltending:  Williams on Bryzgalov now playing in Philadelphia - "That's a huge loss for them. I always thought he was one of the best goalies in the league. Whenever we played against them, he was always square to the target and he'd never go down unnecessarily and he kept us guessing."

- More on the goaltending:  Quick on Bryzgalov's replacement, Mike Smith (who stopped 54 of the 56 shots in his last two games against the Kings, when he was with Tampa Bay) - "Smith is the wild card. But, we have guys here that were in the East last year, like Gags [Simon Gagne], who I'm sure knows him pretty well. So, he'll be able to help out on that front."

- Outnumbered attacks: Quick added, "They always have four guys up on the rush, they're a really good transition team. They have guys like (Keith) Yandle jumping in and they're good at creating stuff in the offensive zone."

Jeremy Roenick Previews LA Kings vs Phoenix Coyotes

“You could argue about who the greatest American-born hockey player was, but you’re not going to get into any debate without J.R.’s name getting mentioned,” Brian Burke at the 2010 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Gala.

Jeremy Roenick was inducted that night, a recognition for the stamp he put on the game of hockey as a two-time Olympian, seven-time 30-goal-scorer and nine-time NHL All-Star.

Over the course of his 20-year NHL career he played nine seasons in the Pacific Division, including one year in Los Angeles and two stops in Phoenix.

He's always fun to talk hockey with and he was kind enough to make a return visit to MayorsManor for a preview of tonight's critical Kings-Coyotes match-up, mixed in with some highlights and memories too...

MM: Looking back over your career, what was your favorite game against the Kings?

LA vs Phoenix Preview w/ Coyotes Tyson Nash

Nash in the locker room (Japan 2007)

From Theo Fleury to Sean Avery, the pest is a role some play to perfection.

Tyson Nash was one of those guys during his playing days with the St. Louis Blues and Phoenix Coyotes.

The self-proclaimed "former 4th line pigeon" is now the Coyotes' TV Color Analyst and he stopped by MayorsManor to help us preview tonight's game with the Kings.

In the interview below we talk former King Eric Belanger, a recent trade, his apology to Fleury, being compared to Avery, why the Kings will win the Pacific Division...and yes, we play word association.

MM: What's the biggest difference between what Dave Tippett is doing with the Coyotes this year compared to his first season in Phoenix last year?

TN: Obviously, with the players we have you have to coach a certain way. We don't have the high talent that maybe the LA Kings have. So, he puts a system in place that fits for this type of team and that's a defensive type of system. It's no different than last year really. It's a team that relies on their goaltender heavily and they play with a lot of structure, keep everything really tight and play that real suffocating style that seems to be very effective.

MM: Besides the 27 points, what has adding Eric Belanger meant to the team this season?

...And Now You're Caught Up (1/24/2011)

Still living in the euphoria of the Kings victory over the Coyotes on Saturday night?

Well, it's time to check back in with the hockey world and get up to speed. Here are the ten Kings-related stories you need to know coming out of the weekend...

* The Kings play the Bruins tonight. Nearly one year ago they visited Staples Center for an afternoon tilt that went all the way to a shootout. Quick stopped everything and the Kings won. Marco Sturm missed that game for the Bruins and he'll miss tonight's game for the Kings.

* Sticking with the Boston-area theme, the Kings are marketing the game as Beanpot Night. If you're not familiar with the annual Boston-area event, it's one of the top college hockey tournaments and features Boston, Boston College, Harvard and Northeastern. For a closer look at BU vs. BC (including notes on the many Kings who have played on both sides of the best rivalry in college hockey), click here.

* Goaltender Jonathan Quick, who set several team records last season, was back to creating history again on Saturday. It was his 20th win of the season, making him only the third goalie in franchise history to reach the mark three years in a row. Full story here.

Shane Doan Would Pick Kopitar at NHL All-Star Draft

Anze Kopitar received some recent praise from one of the most respected captains in the league...

Friday afternoon Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes was a guest on The PowerPlay (NHL Radio show) and they were talking about the fact that the Coyotes didn't have any players selected to attend this year's NHL All-Star Game.

Which, if you're looking for a positive, means Doan doesn't have to worry about potentially being the last player selected in this Friday's All-Star Draft (note: the NHL is using a new format this year, where two captains actually hand pick their teams in a televised special airing live this coming Friday).

On the other hand, the hosts wanted to know - hypothetically, if Doan was one of the captains picking the teams , who would be some of the players he'd pick earlier than people might expect?

He responded with "I think Kopitar is an incredible player. I think he'd be a guy that would go high. He's so talented. I like Jonathan Toews and Danny Briere too. Obviously, everybody is going to be picking them high as well. But, Anze Kopitar is as good as there is when it comes to young guys in the league. If his team was doing a little better, he'd be getting the attention he deserves."

In reality, the All-Star Game captains will be Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings) and Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes).

And yes, it will be interesting to see who selects Kopitar...and when.

[UPDATE: Wonder who Kopitar would pick? Click here to see the talented center take on The Mayor in a mock draft]

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