LOS ANGELES — Jonathan Bernier made a career-high 40 saves, defenceman Drew Doughty ended a 32-game, regular-season goal drought, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Shane Doan scored twice in the third period for the Coyotes, who were shut out in their three previous games.
Bernier extended Phoenix’s scoreless drought to 245 minutes, 32 seconds since rookie Rob Klinkhammer’s goal against Jonathan Quick in the Coyotes’ 5-2 win over the Kings on March 12. The Coyotes had been stopped on 133 consecutive shots before Doan’s first goal.
Dustin Penner and Jarret Stoll also scored for the Kings, who have won 12 of 16 games and 11 of 12 at home. Stoll connected on a power play with 6:14 remaining while Derek Morris was serving an interference penalty.
Bernier has won seven of his eight starts — not counting a 6-4 win over St. Louis that Quick won in relief.
The frustrated Coyotes outshot the Kings 11-0 over the first 9 minutes of the third period. Bernier made a rebound save against Steve Sullivan with about 13 1-2 minutes remaining and lost his stick on the play. He played almost a minute with teammate Stoll’s stick before the Kings got a play stoppage.
Mike Smith, who was pulled from Monday’s game after giving up four goals on 22 shots, made 26 saves in the rematch against an offence that came in averaging four goals at home.
The Coyotes, who came in averaging 9.5 shots in the first period, outshot Los Angeles 15-10. Penner scored the only goal of the period at 14:38, converting Justin Williams’ backhanded pass from behind the net.
Doughty, whose previous regular-season goal was last March 30, used Phoenix Morris as a screen and beat Smith high to the glove side with a slap shot from the left circle at 6:28 of the second period for a 2-0 lead. Doughty scored four goals in last year’s playoffs.
NOTES: Kings coach Darryl Sutter earned his 451st regular-season victory, tying his brother Brian for 22nd place on the NHL list. … The Coyotes hadn’t scored on the road in 296 minutes, 50 seconds, dating to Kyle Chipchura’s empty-net goal on Feb. 26. … Coyotes RW Radim Vrbata was activated from the injured list after missing 14 games because of a lower body injury. RW David Moss was scratched for the same reason — the first game he has missed this season. … The only players who have yet to score for the Kings this season are D Keaton Ellerby and C Brad Richardson, who has been a healthy scratch for 27 of the team’s first 29 games. Ellerby hasn’t had one since March 11, 2011, while he was with Florida Panthers. … The Kings are 12-2-1 at home this season and 12-1-1 when they score first.
