The bounces were just not going their way and the Coyotes were unable to cash in on great chances leading to a 4-1 to the Kings.
The Arizona Coyotes drop a tough 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings marking their second consecutive loss.
The Coyotes were coming off a long five-game road trip where they played some real solid hockey going 2-2-1 while picking up five total points.
However, the trip ended with a brutal 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets so bouncing back against Los Angeles was a top priority.
Things did not start off great for the Coyotes as despite being gifted a power play early on in the first period, Trevor Moore found his way into Arizona’s defensive zone and scored a shorthanded goal to put the Kings up 2-1.
Allowing a goal of this magnitude early in the game really shoots any sort of momentum and is extremely costly since when trialing against a team like the Kings it’s hard to come back from. The Coyotes would ultimately learn the hard way.
By the end of the first period, the Coyotes trailed 2-0.
Arizona found their legs in the second period and actually were outshooting the Kings but a costly turnover by Matias Maccelli led to Moore’s second goal.
While Lawson Crouse would score making it 3-1 late in the second period, the Coyotes were were still unable to recover.
The key in this game for the Coyotes was not being able to cash in on golden opportunities. They generated a ton of great chances but the bounces were just not going their way which is unfortunate since they did put up a valiant effort.
It was also the power play that cost Arizona this game. They went 0-5 on the man advantage. It’s this kind of performance on special teams that will lead to more losses and drop the Coyotes further in the standings.
An Arizona power play that is usually on point seemed to be out of rhythm tonight which will happen sometimes through the course of a long 82-game season.
The Coyotes are now 0-3 on the season against the Kings as they seem to be this team’s kryptonite.
Arizona has a day off before playing the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night at Mullett Arena.