Anze Kopitar

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Kings' dormant power play stirred to life, as did forward Jeff Carter, and the Phoenix Coyotes picked the second game of the Western Conference finals to look like they had spent too much time in the midday sun. The Coyotes simply lost it, and now the Kings are within two victories of winning the series and reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the second time in franchise history. Getting there took a collective effort, featuring the first career playoff hat trick from Carter and another goal from rookie Dwight King in the Kings' 4-0 victory over the Coyotes on Tuesday night at Jobing.com Arena.

Now the Kings will feel some heat. Not so much in the Western Conference finals. They still  have a 3-1 series lead on Phoenix. But the Coyotes' 2-0 victory at Staples Center on Sunday afternoon sent things back to the sweltering desert for Game 5 on Tuesday, where life will be a less-than-comfy 106 degrees, according to accuweather.com. Shane Doan's two goals will force the Kings to sweat out one more game, spoiling Sunday's coronation plans that had even brought owner Philip Anschutz out of hiding.

The Kings are headed to the Stanley Cup finals. It's a foregone conclusion, up 3-0 in the Western Conference finals. It is nearly impossible for the Phoenix Coyotes to come back at this point. The Kings, though, remain wary. They don't have to stray from their dressing room to find a couple of guys who did the near impossible. Forwards Jeff Carter and Mike Richards helped the Philadelphia Flyers rally from a 3-0 deficit to eliminate the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Kings are headed to the Stanley Cup finals. It's a foregone conclusion, up 3-0 in the Western Conference finals. It is nearly impossible for the Phoenix Coyotes to come back at this point. The Kings, though, remain wary. They don't have to stray from their dressing room to find a couple of guys who did the near impossible. Forwards Jeff Carter and Mike Richards helped the Philadelphia Flyers rally from a 3-0 deficit to eliminate the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Center Anze Kopitar is not injured. Nor is illness the reason he has no goals in his past 10 games and two in his last 25. "Everything's good," he said. Except that scoring drought. "No," he said, "that's awful. " Hoping to stir Kopitar out of his doldrums, Coach Terry Murray mixed up his lines again for Saturday's game against the Washington Capitals. Kopitar will center for Michal Handzus and the also-slumping Wayne Simmonds , who has no goals in his last 10 games and one in 18. Rookie Andrei Loktionov moves from left wing to his natural center spot, between Kyle Clifford and Dustin Brown . The reliable Ryan Smyth - Jarret Stoll - Justin Williams line remains intact and the fourth line is likely to again be made up of Alexei Ponikarovsky , Trevor Lewis and Kevin Westgarth . "It's one of those days again with different line combos.

From Edmonton, Canada The Kings' 2-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday provided a blueprint for their final six regular season games and however long they last in the playoffs. Without the inventiveness of forwards Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams, the Kings on Tuesday relied on grit and defense. They killed both penalties called against them, created scoring chances through hard work rather than sleight of hand and got solid goaltending from Jonathan Bernier, who stopped 32 shots for his third shutout this season.

Youthful enthusiasm overtook experience Saturday, giving the Kings a split of their first two playoff games against the Vancouver Canucks and a passing grade on their first significant test as a team with greater aspirations than recent playoff history. Anze Kopitar converted the rebound of his own shot seven minutes and 28 seconds into overtime during a power play, knocking the puck off goaltender Roberto Luongo's stick to give the Kings a dramatic 3-2 victory. The series shifts to Staples Center for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday, the Kings' first home playoff games in eight years.

Over many dinners, Kings center Anze Kopitar has heard playoff tales from Rob Scuderi , who won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh last spring, and Justin Williams , a 2006 champion with Carolina, and soaked up every detail. "The old stories come out," Kopitar said. "They kind of walked me through it and I watch the NHL Network to see all the clips from a couple years ago. You see the atmosphere on TV but you definitely want to experience it when you're on the ice." Next week Kopitar will get his wish, joining many teammates in an NHL playoff baptism.

On the first day of the rest of the Kings' season, club executives decided against summoning a replacement for center Anze Kopitar, who broke his right ankle Saturday and is expected to be out at least six weeks. Coach Terry Murray said Sunday he conferred with General Manager Dean Lombardi and assistant GM Ron Hextall and they resolved to "hold the course" and give expanded roles to players like fourth-line center Trevor Lewis. Kopitar was injured during the second period of the Kings' 4-1 victory over Colorado.

Anze Kopitar didn't paint a welcome sign for Ryan Smyth or roll out a red carpet when his left wing returned to practice Monday after missing 15 games because of a rib injury. "No, he hasn't yet," Smyth said, laughing. He still should. Without Smyth, who was injured on Nov. 16, Kopitar wasn't the same -- and wasn't in the same spots around the net. In the 22 games they played before Smyth was hurt, Kopitar had 14 goals and 32 points and inspired talk of scoring titles and most valuable player awards.

The Phoenix Coyotes finally had a chance to exhale after taking it in the solar plexus the first two games of the Western Conference finals. That giddy feeling, and a 1-0 lead, lasted 2 minutes 7 seconds for those counting. Dustin Brown spotted Anze Kopitar cruising up ice and a moment later the Kings had tied the score, 1-1. It was somewhat redundant. Brown, Kopitar and linemate Justin Williams have consistently done what the Kings ask of them - play like their top line.

By the time the Kings came home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 of the 1993 Campbell Conference finals, they had played 14 games and had traveled to Calgary twice, Vancouver twice, and Toronto for the first of three visits. By comparison the current Kings' journey to the West final against the Phoenix Coyotes — which resumes Thursday at Staples Center — has been a romp. The Kings had to visit Vancouver twice to finish the Canucks in five games but left the Pacific time zone only once in their second-round sweep of the St. Louis Blues.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Kings' dormant power play stirred to life, as did forward Jeff Carter, and the Phoenix Coyotes picked the second game of the Western Conference finals to look like they had spent too much time in the midday sun. The Coyotes simply lost it, and now the Kings are within two victories of winning the series and reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the second time in franchise history. Getting there took a collective effort, featuring the first career playoff hat trick from Carter and another goal from rookie Dwight King in the Kings' 4-0 victory over the Coyotes on Tuesday night at Jobing.com Arena.

GLENDALE, Ariz. --  The Kings went with new media after their Game 1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the playoffs, posting, "To everyone in Canada outside BC. You're welcome," on Twitter. They appeared to go old school in delivering a message to the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday. Justin Williams employed traditional hockey social graces by barreling into Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith a little more than four minutes into the series. It provoked a similar response from Smith, who jumped Williams after the whistle and received a roughing penalty.

Canada's Team stood between the Kings and a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals nearly two decades ago. Now, it's merely the NHL's team. The NHL has owned the Coyotes since 2009 when it pulled the franchise out of bankruptcy for about $140 million. A warning to the Kings' lively Twitter feed: Mocking the Coyotes is like tweaking the NHL. Do it at your own peril. (But primers on bankruptcy, debt ratings and the power of the Arizona watchdog group the Goldwater Institute are best saved for another time.)

Justin Williams, Dustin Penner, Rob Scuderi and Colin Fraser have traveled this path before, feeling their confidence grow faster than their playoff beards as their respective teams marched to the Stanley Cup championship. Williams emerged as a scoring threat with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and added seven postseason goals in 25 games as they defeated Edmonton in the Cup finals. Penner made a splash by scoring 29 goals for the Ducks in 2007 and teamed with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry on the "Kid Line," adding size and production to a deep, dominant team.

Reporting from Edmonton, Canada Trevor Lewis knows he can't replace leading scorer Anze Kopitar , and he's not going to try. Lewis was efficiently playing a defensive role as the Kings' fourth-line center until Kopitar tore ligaments in his right ankle on Saturday. Without Kopitar, who will undergo surgery Wednesday and is out indefinitely, Lewis will get a prominent role as the Kings try to maintain a playoff position over the final seven games of the regular season.

The telepathy that helps Vancouver Canucks forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin work their magic with the puck is easy to understand: They're identical twins and blessed with an uncanny connection. The nonfraternal anticipation that enabled Kings forwards Dustin Brown of Ithaca, N.Y., and Anze Kopitar of Jesenice, Slovenia, to combine for the third goal in a 4-1 victory at Staples Center on Friday night can't be explained by a shared heritage ? but it was as splendid as any of the Sedin twins' best moves.