Kings Vs. Coyotes, Game 1: Los Angeles Holds Off Phoenix, Grabs 1-0 Series Lead

Lewis turned his back to the oncoming Doan, and the Coyote didn’t leave his feet or throw and elbow on the hit, but the aftermath was not pretty. Lewis came up bloody after his face collided with the boards. Lewis’ nose and upper lip made direct contact with the top lip of the boards.

It’s tough to say whether or not the NHL will suspend Doan for the hit, but they’ll almost certainly take a look at things. Losing their captain and emotional leader for what’s essentially a must-win Game 3 at Staples Center on Thursday would be a huge blow to Phoenix’s chances of advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.

For the team administering the beating, this was nothing new. The Kings opened their third consecutive playoff series on the road and merely continued doing what they’ve been doing all playoffs, winning their ninth game in ten tries this playoff season.

They remain undefeated in five playoff games on the road.

Okay, wait. This one too:

With early momentum in the series now firmly on their side, LA will try to sweep both games in Phoenix in Tuesday’s Game 2.

For more on the Coyotes, check in with Five For Howling and SB Nation Arizona. For more on the Los Angeles Kings, check in with SB Nation Los Angeles and Jewels From The Crown.

Los Angeles has had an overwhelming edge in puck possession and shots on goal through the first 40 minutes of Game 1, but Phoenix has responded with timely goals both times they trailed.

The score is now tied 2-2 at the end of the second period.

First, in response to a Phoenix fan bragging about a giant flying taco:

And now to the game:

In addition to those four shots on goal Phoenix took, they had four missed shots and one shot blocked by the Kings. Use your math and you’ll see that the total shot differential in the first period was 32 to nine, or plus-23 in favor of Los Angeles.

Tough to tell if it caught his face or the visor/helmet, but still. It definitely stung Klesla a bit.

For more on the Coyotes, check in with Five For Howling and SB Nation Arizona. For more on the Los Angeles Kings, check in with SB Nation Los Angeles and Jewels From The Crown.

Mike Richards really has his head in the game, you could say.

Talk about an awful break.

Bouncy pucks happen, but is it possible that puck doesn’t bounce nearly that much if it’s not 100-plus degrees outside in Glendale today? Or upon replay, did the puck never even bounce? Your call.

Matt Greene complained his way all the way to the penalty box after being whistled for high-sticking at the 9:56 mark of the first. Safe to say he disagreed with the call. What do you think? Was this a high-stick?

You can currently grab a Game 1 seat on the secondary ticket marketplace for just $34, according to Coyotes blog Five For Howling and their ticket partner, TiqIQ. The average ticket price is $96 on the 274 remaining tickets (as of this writing) via TiqIQ. Compare that to the rest of the teams remaining in the playoffs:

I’m not sure this is an indictment on Coyotes fans, necessarily. The game will be sold out and, in fact, the game is almost officially sold out through the team’s official ticket provider, Ticketmaster. But it’s certainly fodder for those who still fail to believe hockey can work in the desert.

The Phoenix Coyotes will be without a key defenseman in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night. Adrian Aucoin suffered an undisclosed injury in the Coyotes Game 5 win over the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference Semifinals, and he hasn’t practiced since.

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett made the announcement on Saturday afternoon during his pre-series press conference.

↵Click to enlarge.

↵via SB Nation’s Battle of California

The Kings enter on fire, winning eight of nine games in the first two rounds against the top two seeds. Phoenix closed out the Blackhawks in an evenly-matched first round series that featured overtime in the first five games. It was the first playoff series win for the Coyotes since relocating to Arizona, and they built on that momentum in the second round by making quick work of the Nashville Predators in a gentleman’s sweep. With both goaltenders playing their best, it’s likely to be an low-scoring close series. Schedule and broadcast information for Game 1 below:

No. 8 Los Angeles Kings at No. 3 Phoenix Coyotes

8:00 p.m. ET -- Game 1, Western Conference Finals | Series tied, 0-0

National TV: NBC Sports Network