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Glendale, Ariz. • Los Angeles gave up a goal from the center line, and another tying goal on a miscommunication.
The way the Kings dominated the rest of the game, not to mention how they've played on the road in the playoffs, those two slipups certainly weren't going to derail their bid to take home-ice advantage from the Phoenix Coyotes.
Overwhelming Phoenix from the start, the Kings overcame a couple of rare miscues by goalie Jonathan Quick to open the Western Conference finals with a 4-2 victory over the Coyotes on Sunday night to remain unbeaten on the road in the playoffs.
Quick rebounded from his mistakes with some big saves in Phoenix's closing flurry and Dwight King scored his second goal into an empty net in the final minute, giving Los Angeles its sixth straight road playoff victory, one short of the NHL record for a single postseason. They also won their final two road playoff games last year.
"We all know on our team that wasn't going to beat us," Kings center Jarret Stoll said. "That's just the way we played."
With a week off after sweeping St. Louis in the second round, the Kings were far from rusty, dominating the Coyotes early. Los Angeles controlled the puck for long stretches of the first period to set up Anze Kopitar's goal 4 minutes in on the way to their sixth straight victory.
Phoenix rallied to tie twice, the first one on a shot by Derek Morris that surprised Quick from the red line, but the Kings kept coming.
Dustin Brown had a goal and an assist, King had his first career two-goal game, Salt Lake City's Trevor Lewis had two assists, and Los Angeles outshot Phoenix 48-27.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in the desert.