Dustin Brown

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.

It's all a guessing game this time during the playoffs -- at least when it comes to supplementary discipline, and in particular, the case of the Coyotes' Martin Hanzal, who received a one-game suspension for his hit on the Kings' Dustin Brown in Game 2. Game 3 is tonight in Los Angeles. "I know these [playoff] games are probably worth more," Brown said after Thursday's morning skate at Staples Center. "I thought he was going to get two. But it's not an easy decision to make.

The combination of Martin Hanzal's first offense in terms of NHL law and order and Dustin Brown's (apparent) lack of injury led league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan on Wednesday to suspend Hanzal one game. Thus, the Coyotes forward will miss Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between the Kings and Coyotes on Thursday night at Staples Center. He received the supplementary discipline for his hit on the Kings' captainat 11:01 of the third period Tuesday, a five-minute major for boarding and automatic game misconduct.

Jonathan Quick? We'll raise you one Mike Smith. For Drew Doughty, there is Oliver Ekman-Larsson. One old-school defensive-minded coach from small-town Alberta, Darryl Sutter, countered by an old-school, defense-first coach from small-town Saskatchewan, Dave Tippett, a former Kings assistant. Strengths countered by strengths tell the picture of an intriguing Western Conference final between the Kings and Coyotes. Game 1 of the series is Sunday at 5 p.m. at Jobing.com Arena.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dustin Brown continued to build his playoff reputation and the Kings again thrived on the road. The Kings captain had a first-period assist and then scored the game-winning goal 2 minutes and 11 seconds into the third period in a 4-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday at Jobing.com Arena in the Western Conference final opener.. It was the Kings' sixth road victory during these Stanley Cup playoffs and eighth in a row dating to last postseason. With the score tied, 2-2, Slava Voynov found a streaking Brown, who barreled in from center ice and flicked a wrist shot past Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith.

After playing a bruising series against the St. Louis Bluesand delivering enough hits to rank fifth among playoff performers, Kings captain Dustin Brown was glad to get some rest Monday. For his mind. His body needed the respite after he dished out 39 hits over two rounds and helped carry the Kings to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1993. But Brown, who had six points in the team's sweep of St. Louis and has 11 points in the playoffs, said the cerebral side of the game has taxed him more than the physical side during upsets of the No. 1-seeded Vancouver Canucks and No. 2-seeded Blues.

As the longest-serving current Kings, forwards Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar have been through the worst of hockey times. Brown, who made his NHL debut during the 2003-04 season, and Kopitar, who made an immediate impact as a rookie in 2006-07, have been there for all the broken promises and unrealized dreams, through coaching changes and baffling lineup shuffles. They allowed their optimism to flower when things changed for the better and persevered when the young team sometimes took two steps back for every three steps forward.

VANCOUVER, Canada — Dustin Brown is not the type of captain who screams. He's not fiery by nature, and maybe that fueled speculation the struggling Kings would trade him before the deadline in order to turn around a disappointing season and get a better shot at a playoff spot. What Brown supposedly lacks doesn't matter. The physicality and fierce determination he has brought to his game the past six weeks have proved he's in his rightful place as the captain, a point he underscored Friday by scoring two short-handed goals in the Kings' 4-2 playoff upset of the top-seeded Canucks before an unhappy sellout crowd at Rogers Arena.

CALGARY, Canada — Sounds of little-kid celebration wafted upstairs and pierced Dustin Brown's bubble of sick-bay isolation. Captain, contagious. Not only was Kings captain Brown ailing, feeling sweaty and cold at the same time, and unable to fully participate in the birthday party for two of his three sons, but also he would later endure one of his worst weeks on the job. How about getting called out and traded out of town? Never mind that only the first thing actually happened.