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 offense 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.

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Rookie defenseman Jake Muzzin also scored with the man advantage, while Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter each had a goal and an assist for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Quick’s 25th career shutout gave the Kings their 11th victory in 15 games and their 10th in the last 11 at Staples Center. The Conn Smythe Trophy winner, who set a franchise record with 10 shutouts last season, is seven behind Rogie Vachon’s club record.

It was the third straight shutout loss for the Coyotes, who are still in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race despite not having a winning streak of more than two games.

The Coyotes, coming off consecutive losses at St. Louis and at Columbus, haven’t scored in a span of 185 minutes, 10 seconds since rookie Rob Klinkhammer beat Quick with 9:05 remaining in Phoenix’s 5-2 home win over the Kings on March 12.

This is the first time the Coyotes have been shut out in three consecutive games in the 33-year history of the Phoenix/Winnipeg Jets franchise.

Mike Smith stopped 18 shots, including a short-handed breakaway attempt by Kings captain Dustin Brown early in the second period. But he was pulled by coach Dave Tippett with 12:27 remaining after giving up Kopitar’s ninth goal and Carter’s 18th during a 71-second span.

Just 8 seconds after he was thwarted by Quick on a point-blank shot from 25 feet in the slot, Martin Hanzal was sent off for high-sticking Kopitar and the Kings opened the scoring on the ensuing power play.

Muzzin got a cross-ice pass from Kopitar above the left circle and took a slap shot that glanced off David Moss’s body as he slid in front to try and block it, and the puck flew over Smith’s glove at 6:01 of the first period.

Brown had a great chance to give the Kings a 2-0 lead when Kopitar sent him a breakaway less than a minute after teammate Trevor Lewis was sent off for high-sticking.

Smith held his ground on that scoring attempt, but the Kings continued crashing the net until Phoenix defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson knocked it off its moorings at 7:38 of the second and got a delay-of-game penalty from referee Francis Charron.

Midway through the power play, Toffoli converted a rebound from the left of the crease.

Toffoli, listed at 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds, had 52 goals, 100 points and a plus-31 rating last season with Ottawa of the Ontario Hockey League while playing right wing. He had 28 goals and 48 points in 55 games with Manchester of the AHL when he was called up March 10.

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Shane Doan and Raffi Torres had a goal and assist apiece for the Coyotes, who led 4-0 before Mike Richards and Dustin Brown scored power-play goals for the Kings.

Phoenix’s Rob Klinkhammer sealed it with his second career NHL goal in two games since he was recalled from Portland of the American Hockey League four days earlier.

Mike Smith, in his 250th NHL game, had 31 saves for Phoenix. Jonathan Quick had 24 for the Kings, who played for the second night in a row.

The Coyotes won their second in a row and for the fourth time in six games. It was the third career two-goal game for Boedker.

Phoenix earned its first regulation win in six regular-season meetings with Los Angeles. The Kings beat the Coyotes in five games in last season’s Western Conference finals.

The Coyotes dominated the first period, killing two penalties and scoring twice.

Boedker started it, taking a pass from Torres and slipping a wrist shot just inside the left post 9:25 into the game.

After the second penalty kill, Doan scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season and his third in three games. Derek Morris’ shot deflected off the Coyotes captain’s skate and into the net, making it 2-0 with 3:13 left in the period.

Phoenix added two more in the second, first on Boedker’s one-timer in front of the net, with an assist from Keith Yandle. Torres then came barreling in from the side to knock the puck in off Quick’s deflection of Doan’s shot, giving the Coyotes a 4-0 lead with 7:27 to go in the period.

The Kings broke through on their third power play of the night. Richards scored from the right circle, with the puck finding the net just inside the right post. That made it 4-1 with 2:23 left in the second.

Brown’s ninth goal of the season, just Derek Morris went to the penalty box for slashing, cut it to 4-2 with 15:27 to play in the third.

But Klinkhammer took the puck down the right side and knocked it past Quick at 10:55.

Phoenix will the Kings twice next week in Los Angeles, on Tuesday and Wednesday. The games come at the end of a four-game trip that starts Thursday in St. Louis.

The Kings, who lost for the fourth time in 15 games, will play at San Jose on Thursday.

NOTES: Quick has allowed at least four goals in three of his last six starts. … Phoenix recalled D Chris Summers from Portland of the AHL. … The Kings had earned points in five straight games against the Coyotes (3-0-2). … Phoenix C Matthew Lombardi (lower body injury) was scratched. … All three Kings penalties were on Jake Muzzin, two for hooking and one for interference.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dustin Brown can see the confidence of champions emerging in the Los Angeles Kings as they rocket ahead in the Western Conference playoff race.

Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames have fallen as low in the standings as they can go.

Brown scored two goals, Jonathan Quick made 23 saves and the surging Kings beat Calgary 3-1 on Monday night for their second win over the Flames in three days.

Brown and Jarret Stoll scored first-period goals before Brown added an empty-netter for the defending Stanley Cup holders, who moved up to third place in the conference with their 11th win in 14 games. The victory wasn’t exactly beautiful, but the Kings’ workmanlike play and sturdy effort pleased their captain.

“When you win the Cup, you have a confidence in your group, because you’ve been there,” Brown said. “It’s just a matter of getting to work every day and doing things right, and we’ve been doing it lately.”

Despite a rough third period dominated by Calgary, the champs finished their five-game homestand with four victories. With steadily improving play after a slow start to the season, Los Angeles trails only Chicago and Anaheim in the West race.

Los Angeles swept its season series with Calgary for just the second time in franchise history and the first time in 13 years. The Kings will get little chance to enjoy their achievements during their brutal March schedule featuring 17 games in 31 days: They hopped right on a plane after the game for a Pacific Division meeting with Phoenix.

“The schedule is hard, (so) you’ve got to find different ways to hang in there,” Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter said. “It means you’re a good hockey team when you do that. We’ve found different ways to win games, and that’s what you have to do. The schedule does win and lose games for teams.”

Mikael Backlund ruined Quick’s shutout bid with 5:22 to play for last-place Calgary, which has lost six straight on the road.

Joey MacDonald stopped 19 shots for the Flames, who got outscored 13-3 while losing all three games of their Southern California road trip, including a 4-0 blanking by Anaheim last week. Los Angeles routed Calgary 6-2 on Saturday, chasing Miikka Kiprusoff in the process.

“I think we just got outcompeted and outplayed,” captain Jarome Iginla said. “The toll is that we just dropped three games on the trip, and we’ve fallen way back. But there’s no excuses as far as scheduling or whatever. We had a chance to come in here and pretty much catch the Kings if we could have pulled these two games out, but it goes the opposite way.”

After Saturday’s loss by Calgary and Sunday’s wins by Colorado, Columbus and Edmonton, the Flames began the week in 15th place in the West. The Flames realize they’re running out of time to turn around their season, too.

“When you lose a couple of games in a row, your confidence gets down a little bit, and you’re not ready for the next shift, and all of a sudden it’s 2-0,” Calgary coach Bob Hartley said. “You have to fight through that.”

Brown swiftly put the Kings ahead in the rematch by sneaking behind Jay Bouwmeester and tucking home a sharp cross-ice pass from Slava Voynov for his seventh goal of the season. Moving the puck swiftly and easily, Los Angeles doubled its lead four minutes later when Jake Muzzin found Stoll in the slot for a shot that dislodged the water bottle from the top of MacDonald’s net.

Muzzin, a rookie defenseman, had assists on both first-period goals, giving him 10 points this season — the same number as Drew Doughty, Los Angeles’ $56-million former Norris Trophy finalist and playoff hero. Muzzin also has five goals — five more than Doughty, and tops among NHL rookie defensemen — and a plus-11 rating in his breakout season.

After a scoreless second period, the Kings killed off a 27-second two-man disadvantage early in the third. Calgary kept dominating play, and Backlund finally capitalized when he undressed defenseman Alec Martinez and beat Quick low for his fourth goal of the season.

The Kings didn’t even need a goal from Jeff Carter to wrap up their eighth home victory in nine games. The power forward had scored 13 of his 17 goals in his last 13 games, putting him in a second-place tie in the Richard Trophy race.

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Toffoli could make his NHL debut Monday night for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Toffoli has 48 points and a plus-20 rating in 55 games this season with Manchester, emerging as one of the Kings’ top prospects. He is the AHL’s second-leading goal scorer, netting 28 in his rookie season.

The 20-year-old Toffoli, who was a second-round draft choice, is available to play for the Kings against Calgary on Monday.

Los Angeles has won eight of 10 to move into fourth place in the Western Conference.

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Jagr had his first multi-goal game since opening night, Brenden Morrow got the go-ahead goal in the third period, and the Dallas Stars ended the Kings’ six-game home winning streak with a 5-2 victory on Thursday night.

Jagr’s three-game goal streak is his longest since his final four games of the 2007-08 regular season with the Rangers. The nine-time All-Star and 1999 MVP spent the next three years out of the NHL before returning last season with Philadelphia, and has 28 goals in 95 games since his comeback began.

He needs four assists to join Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic and former Pittsburgh teammate Mario Lemieux as the only players in NHL history with at least 1,000 assists and 600 goals.

“The goals and the points, it’s not in my head. That’s why it’s sometimes hard to get them,” Jagr said. “If you want to be a goal scorer and win scoring titles, you have to be hungry. But I’ve changed. I’m not 22 or 25 anymore, so I don’t look at the stats.

“But personally, my body never gets tired. The more I play, the fresher I get and the stronger I get. I think it would be better if I played one more game right now.”

Jagr and Cody Eakin connected on power plays for Dallas’ first two goals after penalties against Los Angeles defenseman Keaton Ellerby. Jagr converted a rebound of Jamie Benn’s shot with 10:20 remaining, his ninth of the season and 674th of his career — 10th on the NHL’s all-time list.

“I don’t know what I want to bring to this team. I’m not really sure,” Jagr said. “Last year, I know they had a lot of guys who could score goals, and this year I’m getting paid more money than I did last year. So I’ve got a little more responsibility on the power play and scoring goals. So I have to change my thinking a little bit.”

Eakin is impressed.

“He’s been playing real strong for us, and we need him to be playing like this,” Eakin said. “He’s a threat out there every night, and it’s huge for the team when he produces like that. He’s been around for a long time and he’s seen it all in this game. I think I read somewhere that he won a Stanley Cup the day after I was born — so guys have a tremendous amount of respect for him.”

Antoine Roussel completed the scoring with an empty-net goal and Kari Lehtonen stopped 30 shots in his third straight start, after missing the previous five games with a lower body injury.

Jeff Carter scored his 12th goal in 12 games and 16th this season for Los Angeles. Trevor Lewis also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions and Jonathan Quick made 17 saves.

“We didn’t get good enough goaltending tonight,” coach Darryl Sutter said. “We need to raise the save percentage. It’s one stat that doesn’t lie, right? … If you’re giving up four goals a game, you can’t win. You need better goaltending and better defense. Simple. “

Quick’s record slipped to 7-7-2. Last season he was 35-21-13 while setting franchise records with 10 shutouts, a 1.95 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage before winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

The Kings took a 2-1 lead shortly after they were stopped by Lehtonen on a short-handed bid. Carter’s wrist shot from the right caromed into the net off Benn’s left skate. But Dallas pulled even late in period as Eakin chipped the puck past the backchecking Martinez in the Kings’ zone and beat Quick to the glove side while Ellerby was off for hooking Trevor Daley.

“We played OK, but kind of up and down — spurts of good and spurts of bad — and we let a team like that hang around and they kind of took over in the third,” Kings forward Colin Fraser said.

“They seemed to have the puck a lot and they just took it to us a little too much.”

Jagr opened the scoring 5:28 into the game. Ellerby was off for tripping Erik Cole when Benn passed the puck from the top of the right circle to Jagr about 10 feet to the left of the net, and the five-time NHL scoring champ one-timed it past Quick.

“The first one was beautiful. He found me on the back door on the power play,” Jagr said. “The first 15 games we kind of struggled on the power play, but lately we’ve been doing a lot better job. That’s important because it’s a short season and the games are so tight. So the special teams are going to win the games for you.”

Los Angeles tied it when Dwight King’s persistent forechecking behind the net allowed Lewis to gain control. He circled the net before using Vernon Fidler as a screen to beat Lehtonen high to the stick side.

This was the opener of a five-game season series with the Stars, whom the Kings beat out for the final Western Conference playoff berth before becoming the first eighth seed to win a Stanley Cup.

“Of course you’re more excited when you come to play against the team that just won the Cup, so I think that really helped us get ready to battle,” Lehtonen said.

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Jagr and Cody Eakin connected on power plays for Dallas’ first two goals after penalties against Los Angeles defenseman Keaton Ellerby. Jagr converted a rebound of Jamie Benn‘s shot with 10:20 remaining, his ninth of the season and 674th of his career – 10th on the NHL’s all-time list.

Jagr’s three-game goal streak is his longest since his final four games of the 2007-08 regular season with the Rangers. The nine-time All-Star and 1999 MVP spent the next three years out of the NHL before returning last season with Philadelphia, and has 27 goals in 95 games since his comeback began.

Antoine Roussel completed the scoring with an empty-net goal and Kari Lehtonen stopped 30 shots in his third straight start, after missing the previous five games with a lower body injury.

Jeff Carter scored his 12th goal in 12 games and 16th this season for Los Angeles. Trevor Lewis also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions and Jonathan Quick made 17 saves.

Quick’s record slipped to 7-7-2. Last season he was 35-21-13 while setting franchise records with 10 shutouts, a 1.95 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage before winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Dallas rookie forward Reilly Smith hit the left post with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle in the second period with the score 1-1.

The Kings had a chance to take the lead with a short-handed goal as Carter took off on a 2-on-1 rush with Mike Richards while Alec Martinez was serving a tripping penalty. Lehtonen made the save on Richards, but the Kings took a 2-1 lead shortly after as Carter’s wrist shot from the right caromed into the net off Benn’s left skate.

Dallas pulled even late in period, as Eakin chipped the puck past the backchecking Martinez in the Kings’ zone and beat Quick to the glove side while Ellerby was off for hooking Trevor Daley.

Jagr opened the scoring 5:28 into the game. Ellerby was off for tripping Erik Cole when Benn passed the puck from the top of the right circle to Jagr about 10 feet to the left of the net, and the five-time NHL scoring champ one-timed it past Quick.

Los Angeles tied it when Dwight King‘s persistent forechecking against Alex Goligoski behind the net allowed Lewis to gain control. He circled the net before using Vernon Fidler as a screen to beat Lehtonen high to the stick side.

NOTES: Morrow’s goal was his 243rd with the Stars, tying Jere Lehtinen for second place on the Dallas list behind Mike Modano’s 434. Modano scored 123 other goals for the franchise while it was in Minnesota. … Jagr needs four assists to join Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic and former Pittsburgh teammate Mario Lemieux as the only players in NHL history with at least 1,000 assists and 600 goals. … Los Angeles D Rob Scuderi and Dallas LW Eric Nystrom were both raised in the same town, Syosset, N.Y., which is about 30 miles east of Madison Square Garden. Nystrom is the son of Bobby Nystrom, who won four Stanley Cup titles with the Islanders. … This was the opener of a five-game season series with the Stars, whom the Kings beat out for the final Western Conference playoff berth before becoming the first eighth seed to win a Stanley Cup.

Jake Muzzin tied it early in the third period with his second goal for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who have won six straight home games while surging up the Western Conference standings after a slow start to the season. Los Angeles has won nine of 11 overall.

Mike Richards and Muzzin scored 59 seconds apart to tie it for the Kings, who trailed 4-1 midway through the second period.

Alex Pietrangelo, David Perron and Chris Stewart each had a goal and an assist for the Blues, who have lost five of seven.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The meager number of shots Jeff Carter and the rest of the Los Angeles Kings sent toward Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne wasn’t much of an issue. Rinne’s inability to stop the puck once the Kings got their offense going in the third period certainly was.

Carter completed his fifth career hat trick with two goals in a 19-second span of the final period, and the defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Nashville Predators 5-1 Monday night despite taking only 16 shots on net.

“We probably would have had a lot more on net if we got pucks past their D and to the net, but they do a great job of blocking shots,” said Carter, who has 10 goals over his last 10 games. “It’s pretty easy to get frustrated when they’re stepping in front of everything and we’re not getting much to the net. We didn’t start the game particularly well, but to our credit, we didn’t get frustrated. We stuck with it and played some pretty good hockey in the third period.”

The Predators, who tied a season high for shots allowed on Saturday when they yielded 39 in a 2-1 loss at San Jose, outshot the Kings 13-6 through the first two periods. Rinne was pulled by coach Barry Trotz after giving up five goals on 13 shots.

“These were two different games. This kind of game should have made it easier for me, but I didn’t respond,” Rinne said. “I just have to make sure I’m doing my job. Out of the last three games, I’ve been pulled twice, so I’m not doing my job and just I have to focus on that. I can’t focus on how many goals we’re scoring. I have to be able to help this team.”

Rinne, who led the league with 43 wins last season, stopped 55 of the 56 shots the Kings put on him during the first two meetings. The only goal he let in was by Brown in a 2-1 victory on Jan. 31 that was decided in an eight-round shootout.

Kings backup Jonathan Bernier made 18 saves and has won five consecutive starts for the first time in his NHL career, equaling his entire win total from last season in 16 games. The five-year veteran didn’t play at all during the Kings’ championship run as Jonathan Quick captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP.

“Every time (coach Darryl) Sutter puts me in, I’ve got to do my job,” Bernier said after the Kings’ sixth win in seven games. “I’m lucky that the guys have been playing very well in front of me, and that makes my job a lot easier.”

Mike Richards and Dwight King also scored during a four-goal third period and defenseman Slava Voynov had a career-high three assists. Richards’ goal, a one-timer from the right circle, came during a power play while Martin Erat was serving a boarding penalty. King’s first of the season came on a centering pass from the right corner by Jarret Stoll.

Nashville’s Craig Smith was off for high-sticking Dustin Brown when Carter opened the scoring at 5:28 of the second period. He chipped the puck away from Kevin Klein in the left circle and backhanded it toward the crease from a sharp angle before it slid under Rinne’s right leg and off the goalie’s left skate.

“He’s been unbelievable for us and he’s scoring some big goals,” Bernier said. “We need a guy like that who takes over, and he’s doing that right now.”

Carter made it 2-0 at 4:39 of the third period after Colin Fraser set him up in front of the net. Moments later, he found himself on a breakaway after a turnover by Nashville defenseman Roman Josi at the red line, and a number of hats from the sellout crowd of 18,118 already had hit the ice before Carter tucked his 14th goal behind Rinne with Nashville captain Shea Weber right on his heels.

It was only the eighth shot on net by the Kings to that point.

“I was just kind of playing the middle there and was able to get a stick on it,” Carter said. “I made a good guess on which way (Josi) was going, and it was another lucky one because Weber got my arm before I shot it.”

Gabriel Bourque spoiled Bernier’s bid for his sixth career shutout with 6:55 to play. The Predators, who came in with a league-low 46 goals, haven’t won a game in regulation since beating Phoenix 3-0 at home on Feb. 14.

“We’ve got to get our game back,” defenseman Scott Hannan said. “We’ve been slipping over the last little while, so we’ve got to battle through it and get back to that workmanlike approach. Sometimes you’re going to face adversity during a season, but we’ve got a long way to go and we’ve got to buckle it down and turn it around as a group.”

Los Angeles went 15 minutes, 26 seconds before its first shot on net, a 30-foot backhander by King that Rinne kicked out with his right leg. The Kings had a season-low three shots during the opening period.

“The guys came to work in the first two periods,” Hannan said. “We bottled them up and our forwards were coming back hard, which allowed the D to have a good gap.”

The Kings began a 12-game stretch in which they will play 10 times at home. They are 6-1-1 at Los Angeles, including the shootout loss to Nashville. Their only regulation loss at Staples Center was in their season opener against the Blackhawks, who have since set a NHL record to open a season with a current streak of 22 games without a regulation loss.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Slava Voynov scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 Monday night for their fourth consecutive victory while snapping the Ducks’ six-game winning streak.

Dustin Brown added a goal and his 200th career assist, and Anze Kopitar had three assists to help the Kings win for the sixth time in seven games. Jonathan Quick stopped 24 shots.

The Pacific Division-leading Ducks, who had come from behind in all six of their recent wins, twice owned one-goal leads, but fell short of tying the franchise record for consecutive victories. They had won 10 of 11.

Their 30-year-old rookie, Viktor Fasth, made 20 saves in the loss after winning his first eight NHL games, the longest streak in the league this season.

The Kings broke a 2-2 tie 4:46 into the third period. Voynov’s first goal of the season came on a shot from the right side that struck Fasth and trickled through his legs. Kopitar and Brown got the assists.

With Sheldon Souray sent off for slashing, Jake Muzzin struck 15 seconds into the penalty, beating Fasth glove-side to make it 4-2 at 6:23. Kopitar and Voynov assisted.

Brown had a chance to extend the Kings’ lead with 2:33 to play on a penalty shot. He was on a breakaway when he got pulled down from behind by Ben Lovejoy. But Fasth forced Brown wide right and he missed, making him 1 for 3 on such shots in his career.

Jeff Carter made up for it by scoring with 20 seconds left.

The Kings twice rallied from one-goal deficits in the second to tie the game.

Brown made it 2-2 on his shot from center ice that sailed over Fasth’s head, hit the crossbar and bounced in at 17:53. Dustin Penner tied it 1-1 with his first goal of the season on a tip-in off a pinpoint pass from Jarret Stoll at 3:16. Stoll also earned his 200th career assist.

The Ducks led 1-0 on Andrew Cogliano’s goal off a rebound that got under Fasth’s glove 13 seconds into the second. They took a 2-1 lead on Saku Koivu’s power-play goal at 5:51. Rob Scuderi swept away a rebound in front of the net that went to Koivu, who scored his fifth goal.

The Kings outshot the Ducks 10-7 in a scoreless first.

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Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter scored first-period goals,Trevor Lewis added his first career short-handed goal, and the defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 on Saturday for their third straight victory.

Anze Kopitar also scored and Jonathan Quick made 23 saves for the Kings, who won for the fifth time in six games after beginning the day 11th in the Western Conference and two points behind the postseason cutoff.

Last season, Los Angeles became the first team to win the Cup as a No. 8 seed, and the first to knock off the top three seeds in its conference to get there.

“We’re not giving teams too much time and space to make plays, and not giving up too many shots,” center Jarret Stollsaid. “We still have to clean up some little defensive zone stuff, but we’re not giving up too much, and our goaltending’s been good.

“We’ve given up a few too many Grade-A scoring chances, and Quickie had to make some big saves again.”

Milan Hejduk scored a power-play goal for the Avalanche, who had won five straight against the Kings. Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves after stopping 33 shots in a 1-0 overtime win against St. Louis on Wednesday.

Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who missed 11 games because of a concussion sustained Jan. 26 at San Jose, returned to action. The 20-year-old left wing from Stockholm was last season’s rookie of the year.

“It’s exciting to be back,” said Landeskog, who played 19 minutes and had two shots on net. “It was a tough game, though. L.A. came out hard, and they were strong on the puck, and they made us play in our zone. I was really rusty with the puck, but my hands, timing and conditioning will come.”

The Kings, outscored 18-5 in the first period through their first 15 games, took a 1-0 lead 58 seconds after the opening faceoff. Brown converted a cross-ice pass from Justin Williams for his fifth goal, beating Varlamov to the stick side with a one-timer.

Carter scored his ninth goal and fifth in six games, beating Varlamov low to the stick side with a wrist shot from the slot for a 2-0 lead after Mike Richards backhanded the puck to him from the left boards.

“We’re playing well as a line and we’ve been winning a lot of puck battles lately,” Carter said. “Richards is doing a great job of finding me, Lewie’s doing a great job of getting on pucks in the forecheck and turning them over for us. I’ve just kind of been hanging out in the slot, and it’s been working for us.”

Quick helped keep the score that way through the end of the first, robbing Paul Stastny just in front of the crease in the final minute after a perfect setup by Landeskog.

“I think it might have been a little bit of a broken play,” Quick said. “(Landeskog) didn’t look like he had too much space, so you kind of make that read there and figure that if he does shoot it, he’s not going to get off a quality shot.

“The smart play for him was to get it over to (Stastny), which he did. But luckily, the bad ice here got the puck rolling when it got to him. He tried to get as much wood on it as he could, but he didn’t get as much as he would have liked, and I was able to get a body part on it.”

The Avalanche eventually got on the board at 1:16 of the second period with a goal by Hejduk during a 4-on-3 power play, but the Kings made it 3-1 just 1:35 later with their first short-handed goal of the season. Lewis put a soft wrist shot between Varlamov’s pads from the right circle after Stoll blocked a slap shot by Tyson Barrie at the other end.

“They made some good passes, and I just tried to get into the lane in desperation,” Stoll said. “We got a little lucky, and Lewie did a great job of getting down the ice and putting it away.”

Kopitar made it 4-1 at 16:42 of the second with a snap shot that beat Varlamov to the stick side after Dustin Penner circled the net and fed Kopitar in the slot.

The Kings began a 16-game stretch in which they will play 13 times at home. They played eight of their previous nine on the road, going 5-4.

“We’ve got a lot of home games coming up, so we’ve got to try and bank these points and win games,” Stoll said. “Everybody on the team has their roles, and there are certain guys on the team that need goals and points to get their confidence going.

“Confidence is a funny thing. It comes and goes. And when you have it, you’ve got to try to keep it.”

NOTES: A moment of silence was observed for Jerry Buss, who died Monday at age 80. Buss purchased the Kings, Lakers and the Inglewood Forum from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979, and owned the Kings for nine seasons. … C Ian Laperriere, whose 15-year NHL career included nine seasons for Los Angeles and four with Colorado, was honored in a pregame ceremony – the first installment of the Kings’ annual “Legends Series.” Kelly Hrudey, the only goalie other than Quick to lead the Kings to the Stanley Cup finals (1993), will be honored on March 9. … Kings D Drew Doughty is still looking for his first goal after 16 games, the five-year veteran’s longest drought from the start of a season. … Colorado has allowed five goals in 38 short-handed situations in 11 games.

Lewis had gone 13 games without a point before picking up two assists Tuesday night in the Kings’ 3-1 win over Edmonton.

His game-winning goal on Wednesday came at 15:20 of the first period on a play in which the 26-year-old showed great poise.

Lewis collected a rebound at the side of the night, paused briefly, then zipped a shot into the top corner over Flames goaltender Joey MacDonald’s shoulder for his first goal in 31 games going back to last season.

That would be all the offense Jonathan Bernier needed. With Jonathan Quick getting the night off after beating the Oilers, the Kings backup goalie made 26 saves.

Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter also scored for Los Angeles. The defending Stanley Cup champions wrap up a grueling stretch in which they played eight of nine games on the road.

T.J. Brodie scored for Calgary.

Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews each had a goal and an assist to help the Blackhawks beat the Kings 3-2, extending their season-opening points streak to 15 games.

Patrick Sharp also scored for the Blackhawks (12-0-3), who matched the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers for the second-longest season-opening points streak in NHL history. Chicago is one away from the tying the league record set by Anaheim in 2006-07 and will try to match the mark on Tuesday when it hosts Vancouver.

Mike Richards scored two power-play goals in the third period to pull the Kings within one after Chicago outplayed the Stanley Cup champions in the opening 40 minutes and built a 3-0 lead.

But the Blackhawks and goalie Ray Emery hung on.

“The guys wanted to get a good start, a good jump on L.A.,” Seabrook said. “Ray made the big saves when he needed to.”

The Blackhawks’ start to the season is beginning to reach historical proportions in more way than one.

Anaheim won the Stanley Cup in 2007 after its record-setting points start. The 1984-85 Oilers and Montreal, which opened with 14 straight in 1943-44, also won the Cup in those seasons.

Toews, Chicago’s captain, says the Blackhawks aren’t getting ahead of themselves, however.

“We’re 15 games into the season,” Toews said. “What’s important to us is getting home ice advantage, making the playoffs. Those are our goals. Once you get there, the real season starts.

“When you get to that point, no one really cares or remembers those streaks at the start of the season.”

Emery, Chicago’s backup, made 25 saves. He lost a bid for his first shutout in more than three years when Richards connected 56 seconds into the third period. Emery made back-to-back starts for the first time this season with Corey Crawford missing his second game because of an undisclosed upper-body injury.

And things got a little frantic for Chicago at the end after Richards notched his second goal — just his fourth this season — with 7:10 left. The Blackhawks spent the final 1:04 short-handed after Johnny Oduya was sent off for slashing, and Jonathan Quick was pulled for an extra attacker during that span.

“I thought we had a great first 40 minutes and they got some momentum off their power-play goal early in the third,” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. “They had a great third period. We had 40, they had a great 20, and the clock ran out, which was nice.”

Not so for Los Angeles (5-6-2), which has struggled on offense and with injuries. The only bright spot for the Kings was their power play, which came in ranked 27th in the NHL before connecting twice in a game for only the second time this season.

“We probably didn’t play well enough to win this game,” Richards said. “The slow start kind of cost us. We gave them a lot in the first period with penalties and some turnovers and they scored some goals, which put us behind the eight-ball pretty quick.”

Sharp, who led Chicago with 33 goals last season, ended a 10-game drought without a score.

The Blackhawks outshot Los Angeles 37-27 and defeated the Kings for the second time this season to end Los Angeles’ two-game winning streak. Chicago won 5-2 in the teams’ season opener at Staples Center.

Quick started in goal and finished with 34 saves for the Kings after backup Jonathan Bernier was in net in Los Angeles’ previous two games.

Chicago was a step faster than the Kings in the first period and held a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Seabrook opened the scoring 6:29 in to cap a Chicago flurry in the Kings’ zone, and after Quick had made several in-close saves.

Seabrook pinched down to the low edge of the left circle and took a pinpoint feed from Duncan Keith, who threaded a cross-ice pass from the top of the right circle. Seabrook then slid a shot into an open net before Quick could dive across.

Toews’ power-play goal 4 minutes later made it 2-0. Stationed in the slot, Toews first tipped Keith’s feed off the right post, but buried the loose puck before Quick could cover it.

Sharp exploited a Kings coverage breakdown and increased Chicago’s lead to 3-0 just 56 seconds into the second period. Quick dropped to the ice to block Toews’ stuff-in attempt at the side of the net, but the puck popped into the slot. Sharp was wide open and fired high into the net before Quick could recover.

The Blackhawks were in control for most of the second period and outshot Los Angeles 21-10. But Emery had to make several tough saves late in the period — including in-close stops on Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter — to keep the Kings off the scoreboard.

Richards cut it to 3-1 early in the third. With Brown providing a screen at the edge of the crease, Richards’ high shot from the top of the slot sailed past Emery. Richards’ second power-play goal trimmed it to 3-2 with 7:10 left. This time, he beat Emery from the top of the left circle with Brown screening.

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They just haven’t got to the good part yet.

The team that turned a rocky regular season into the franchise’s first NHL title is off to another slow start. Injuries, poor offense and a rough schedule have pushed the Kings well back in the Western Conference pack during the first quarter of the season.

Although the Kings (5-5-2) climbed out of last place in the conference with a 2-1 win over NHL-worst Columbus on Friday night, it was their only home appearance in a nine-game stretch over the first three weeks of February.

With so many obstacles already, the Kings have learned why repeating is so tough in the NHL.

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Mike Richards scored during a two-man advantage in the third period for the Kings, who climbed over Columbus and out of last place in the Western Conference with their second straight victory.

Although Nick Foligno erased the shutout bid with 2:25 to play, Bernier largely shut down Columbus’ punchless offense and even picked up his second career assist in his second straight victory in place of Jonathan Quick.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 20 shots for the NHL-worst Blue Jackets, who opened a six-game trip with their fourth loss in five games.

In his first back-to-back starts since January 2011, Bernier kept the Kings firmly in control for most of their second win over Columbus in 11 days. Los Angeles returned from a five-game trip for their only Staples Center appearance in a nine-game stretch over the first three weeks of February.

After scoring six goals against San Jose on Monday, the Blue Jackets’ offense vanished again in their first outing since firing general manager Scott Howson on Tuesday. President of hockey operations John Davidson replaced Howson with Jarmo Kekalainen, but the first European GM in NHL history won’t join Columbus for a few more days while working out visa issues back in Finland.

Defenseman Jack Johnson had an assist in his first game in Los Angeles since the Kings traded him to Columbus last February for Jeff Carter, whose arrival kick-started the Kings’ late surge into the playoffs and on to their first NHL title.

The rough schedule has hurt Los Angeles’ attempt to rediscover last spring’s form, and so have serious injuries for half of last season’s blue line: defensemen Alec Martinez, Matt Greene and Willie Mitchell all are out of the lineup.

After a quiet first period, Columbus had multiple scoring chances on power plays in the second. Clifford finally opened the scoring with his first goal in 10 games with 80 seconds left in the period, taking the puck from Nikita Nikitin at mid-ice and wiring a wrist shot past Bobrovsky.

Los Angeles finally had a lead at home for the first time all season, and Richards added to it early in the third period when his centering pass deflected into the net while Carter roared through the crease.

Foligno ended Bernier’s shutout late with a rebound goal in front of the net, but Columbus couldn’t equalize during a lengthy stretch of empty-net play.

NOTES: Columbus D Adrian Aucoin returned from a six-game absence with a lower-body injury, but D James Wisniewski stayed home with his wife for the birth of their first child, and D John Moore sat out his fifth straight game despite being available to return from a lower-body injury. … D Keaton Ellerby played his first home game for the Kings, who acquired him from Florida one week earlier. He partnered with former Norris Trophy finalist Drew Doughty, a minus-10 with no goals in Los Angeles’ first 11 games. … Kings D Slava Voynov is from Chelyabinsk, Russia, where an exploding meteor injured more than 1,000 people Friday. Voynov checked in by phone with several friends who were all safe.

Detroit defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 Sunday on a game-winning goal from Jonathan Ericsson with 5 seconds left — less than a minute after the defending Stanley Cup champions tied the game.

“I knew it was going to be ugly,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “But, I just wanted it to be an ugly win.”

The Red Wings, coming off victories against Edmonton on Saturday afternoon and at St. Louis on Thursday night, were seconds away from settling for a point after Henrik Zetterberg set up goals for Pavel Datsyuk and Damien Brunner in the first period.

Los Angeles, which got within a goal late in the first period on Anze Kopitar’s goal, pulled goaltender Jonathan Quick to add an extra skater. Forward Kyle Clifford got off the bench in time to keep the puck in Detroit’s end. Clifford’s shot rebounded off Jimmy Howard and Alec Martinez scored on a putback to make it 2-all at the 19:07 mark of the third period.

With Quick back in, the Kings failed to clear the puck and Ericsson took advantage with a slap shot from above the right circle that trickled in for the win.

Ericsson refused to be hailed for the victory.

“We owe Jimmy this one,” Ericsson said.

Howard made 45 saves, his highest total in more than a year.

“Every single night, points are at a premium,” he said. “You have to get points to stay in the mix and stay in the playoff hunt.”

The Kings have some work to do over their last 38 games to have a chance to defend their championship. They started the day among the Western Conference teams with the fewest points and have won only one of their last five games.

Kopitar, though, was more encouraged than discouraged by the latest loss.

“That was our best game of the year,” he said. “Playing like that, you’re going to win more times than not.”

Los Angeles isn’t dealing with a favorable schedule.

After raising the franchise’s first Stanley Cup banner on Jan. 19, the Kings have played just two home games. They close a five-game trip on Monday night at St. Louis, return to Los Angeles for one game, then hit the road again for games in Chicago, Edmonton and Calgary. Los Angeles will play 13 of 16 games from Feb. 23 through March 23 at home, a stretch in which it may have to rally for a spot in the playoffs as it did last year en route to becoming the first eighth-seeded team to win an NHL title.

“I think we’re a comfortable team on the road,” Kings forward Dustin Brown insisted. “We showed that in the playoffs last year.”

Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty tried to give his team a boost in Detroit by checking Datsyuk hard early in the first period. Datsyuk bounced back within a couple minutes to score on a wrist shot to the top right corner of the net.

“He was looking for an even up,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said.

Brunner took a pass from Zetterberg and put Detroit up 2 late in the first period, scoring a team-high sixth goal on a sharp shot from the right circle.

Kopitar scored at the 19:19 mark of the second period.

“I think it was Kopie’s best game of the year,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. “He had some bounce in his game.”

The Red Wings held onto the 2-1 lead because Howard made 23 saves in the scoreless second period.

“Howie stole that one for us, no doubt about that,” Niklas Kronwall said.

The Red Wings gave up more shots (38) through two periods than they had in an entire game this season and that total also set a season high for the Kings. Los Angeles couldn’t turn that into an advantage one game after being shut out 3-0 despite outshooting the Nashville Predators 32-14 on Thursday.

“Probably our best 60 minutes in a long time,” Brown said. “Got to forget about the last 10 seconds.”

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Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Slava Voynov also scored while Justin Williams had three assists for the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who began the night 14th in the Western Conference with six points — two more than last-place Calgary and one fewer than Columbus.

Richards also had an assist and Quick made several big stops in the first and third periods. Columbus managed just two shots on goal in the middle period.

Derick Brassard and Dereck MacKenzie had the Blue Jackets’ goals.

Hanging onto a 3-2 lead early in the third period, the Kings had to kill off a double-minor when Carter, a vilified ex-Blue Jacket who was booed every time he touched the puck, was called for a high stick that bloodied Vinny Prospal’s lip. The Kings limited Columbus to only one shot over the 4 minutes.

Moments later, Quick got most of his glove on a wicked shot by Derek Dorsett, batting it away midway through the period.

Los Angeles then ended the suspense when Williams collected his third assist on a shot that trickled between the leg pads of goalie Steve Mason — with Richards right there in the crease to jam it home for a two-goal lead.

The Kings came into the second period down 1-0 and completely dominated. They outshot the Blue Jackets 17-2 while scoring three goals.

Just 32 seconds in, Kopitar took a stretch pass from Williams, corralled the bouncing puck and got enough on a backhander to tuck the puck under Mason’s left arm for his third of the year.

After Prospal went to the penalty box for interference, the Kings took a brief lead when Carter’s blind centering pass, intended for Kopitar, instead glanced off defenseman Fedor Tyutin’s skate for a power-play goal.

Nick Foligno helped the Blue Jackets pull even after stealing a puck in the offensive zone. He fed rookie Tim Erixon, called up because of several injuries on the Columbus blue line, who slid a pass to Brassard in the slot. He whipped the puck past Quick with a spinning backhander.

It was Erixon’s third point in 21 career NHL games.

Voynov, who had a first-period goal disallowed, finally got on the board with a drive from the top of the right circle. Williams provided some congestion in front of the net and the puck zipped right past Mason.

Midway through the first period it appeared the Kings had gotten on the board first but referee Stephen Walkom immediately waved off the goal. Voynov’s shot from just inside the blue line was deflected past Mason, who had Kopitar right in his face while being shadowed by Tyutin. It was ruled Kopitar had incidental contact with Mason.

At the 13:02 mark of the period, Mark Letestu carried the puck into the offensive zone and passed to Tyutin, who saucered a pass to MacKenzie, who had gotten behind defenseman Rob Scuderi. The puck went in off MacKenzie’s left skate and past Quick for his first of the season.

The goal marked the first time the Blue Jackets led after one period this season.

NOTES: Ds Cody Goloubef and Nick Holden, recalled from the minors this week, made their season debuts for Columbus because of injuries on the blue line. Goloubef had 6 minutes of NHL experience coming in, Holden five games. … The Kings have won nine of the last 12 meetings with the Blue Jackets, including five of the last six in Columbus.

Carter scored Los Angeles’ first power-play goal of the season and added the only score in the shootout, leading the Kings to a 3-2 comeback victory over the Canucks on Monday night.

Voynov tied it with 43.2 seconds left in regulation for the defending NHL champions, who have won two straight after an 0-2-1 start. Jonathan Quick stopped 21 shots for the Kings, including all three Vancouver attempts in the shootout.

“Any time you get two points, you get a little boost of confidence, but it’s only good for tonight,” Quick said. “It’s a playoff race right now, and every point is huge.”

Until Voynov sneaked a long shot through traffic, the Kings were on the verge of adding another loss to their slow start since winning their franchise’s first title. Los Angeles’ impressive finish that recalled several big wins in last season’s playoffs, including a couple against the Canucks in their stunning first-round series.

“We’re still not the way we were in June last year, but we’re getting there,” said Anze Kopitar, who had an assist on Voynov’s goal. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction. We still have to work on things, and everyone in here thinks we can crank it up a notch. We just want to make sure we build on this win and roll ahead.”

Luongo made 26 saves for Vancouver, which went 1-1-1 on a three-game California road trip. Zack Kassian scored his fourth goal of the season, and Alex Burrows also scored a slick wraparound goal as the Canucks nearly persevered to a grinding victory in their fourth game in six nights before narrowly allowing Voynov’s goal, which eventually cost them a point.

“We emptied the tank,” Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said. “Our guys did what they had to do to have a chance against the Stanley Cup champions. When you get the type of effort like we did tonight, you feel like you should win. Losing is not fun, but at the end of the day, some of our guys took a step in the right direction. … The puck had eyes (on Voynov’s goal), because we were in the right areas, the right place.”

Luongo was sharp in his second start since losing his job to Cory Schneider, and Los Angeles struggled offensively through 59 frustrating minutes until pulling Quick for an extra attacker. Voynov teed up a shot from the point that found a hole in heavy traffic, wobbling past Luongo for the Russian defenseman’s first goal of the season.

After a scoreless overtime, Quick easily stopped Burrows, Alexander Edler and Kassian, while Carter beat Luongo in the third shootout round.

“It’s a short year, and you want to bank as many points as you can,” said Luongo, who got benched in favor of Schneider during last season’s playoff series. “We were in control tonight, and it’s disappointing.”

The clubs hadn’t met since the eighth-seeded Kings eliminated the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Canucks in five games before romping through the next three rounds to the title.

Although Los Angeles handily won the clubs’ playoff series last spring, a 111-point Vancouver team arguably gave the Kings their toughest test during their 16-4 rampage through the postseason. The Kings persevered through several tight games against Vancouver, capped by an overtime victory in the Game 5 clincher.

The Kings got blown out by Chicago in their banner-raising season opener before winning once on a three-game road trip. Los Angeles finally returned home to face the Canucks, who made their second appearance in Southern California already this season after routing Anaheim last week.

Vancouver already had a 2-0 lead when the Kings ended their 0-for-25 start on the power play this season.

Kassian scored late in the first period when Quick allowed a rebound of Edler’s long shot from the point out of a faceoff, easily knocking home his fourth goal in six games to start the season. Burrows then came from behind the net early in the second period and sneaked the puck between the post and Quick’s skate.

“That’s my fault,” Quick said. “He had it on his backhand, and as he pulled it to his forehand, he opened his blade a little, and I bit on the (possible) pass.”

The Kings finally ended their man-advantage drought when Carter scored out of a faceoff just 7 seconds after Chris Tanev went off for high-sticking.

NOTES: Kings F Dustin Penner was a healthy scratch for the third straight game. Coach Darryl Sutter wasn’t pleased with the two-time Stanley Cup champion’s early efforts. … Canucks C Manny Malhotra returned to the lineup after missing two games following the birth of his son. Andrew Ebbett was scratched. … Kings captain Dustin Brown played in his 600th NHL game, all with Los Angeles … The Kings welcomed their 25 millionth fan to Staples Center, presenting season tickets and a wealth of merchandise to 21-year-old Dustin Kramer of Torrance, Calif.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- The Los Angeles Kings got their top line going and their first win of the season.

Anze Kopitar scored two goals to spark Los Angeles’ No. 1 line and the defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 Saturday night.

“Kopi was good, goal scorers scored,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. “It was the difference in the game, right?

Scoreless through the season’s first three games, the Kings’ line of Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Justin Williams had an extra jump against the Coyotes, combining for four points. Kopitar scored both of his goals in the second period, with Brown and Williams getting an assist on each.

Jake Muzzin scored his first NHL goal and had an assist and Jeff Carter also scored for Los Angeles. The Kings had eight players with at least a point and matched their season total for goals to avoid their first four-game winless start since 1997-98.

“Every time you’re on the road, you need a team game,” Kopitar said. “I know everybody’s saying that, but that’s just how it is. You need to roll four lines.”

The Coyotes need some defense.

Phoenix won the Pacific Division title last season behind a tight-checking style and opportunistic goals. The Coyotes are scoring more this season, but have had too many defensive breakdowns and been too loose with the puck in their own end to start the season with four losses in five games.

Mikkel Boedker and Shane Doan scored for the Coyotes, who have allowed 20 goals in five games.

“When there is a mistake you’ve got to clean up for each other,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. “Right now, there’s not much cleaning up going on.”

The Kings and Coyotes already didn’t like each other much and the hatred intensified during a testy Western Conference finals last season.

Los Angeles won the series in five games on the way to its first Stanley Cup, but not before the teams traded blows, including a hit by Brown in the clinching game that knocked Phoenix defenseman Michal Rozsival out and left the Coyotes fuming.

The rematch pitted two teams trying to recapture last season’s magic.

The Kings’ Cup defense got off to a shaky start, beginning with a 5-2 thrashing by Chicago after raising the championship banner at the Staples Center.

Goalie Jonathan Quick hasn’t been the same player who won the Conn Smythe Trophy and was a Vezina finalist a year ago, giving up 10 goals in three games, and the top line had a hard time getting started.

Los Angeles also opened the season 0 for 19 on the power play and blew a chance for its first win of the season against the Oilers, giving up a goal with 4.7 seconds left before losing 2-1 in overtime.

The Coyotes have only been marginally better.

Phoenix has struggled to find the defense-first style that led the first NHL division title in franchise history, giving up 16 goals in four games. Goalie Mike Smith struggled the first two games before suffering a lower-body injury against Columbus and the Coyotes followed up their only win — against the Blue Jackets — by blowing two-goal lead in the third period of a 5-3 loss at San Jose on Thursday.

The atmosphere wasn’t quite the same for the conference finals rematch, but it certainly was entertaining.

The Coyotes killed off a two-man advantage that lasted two minutes in the first period, about half of that with Boyd Gordon playing without his stick. They got a 5-on-3 of their own in the second period and capitalized when Boedker punched in a rebound past Quick after a shot by Oliver Ekman-Larsson hit the post.

Kopitar gave LA’s top line its first points of the season in the second period, taking a pass from Brown and beating Jason LaBarbera with a wrister from the slot. He followed Phoenix’s first score with his second goal of the period, one-timing a drop pass from Williams, who had a semi-breakaway and lured LaBarbera to the side of the crease.

“It’s good to get it out of the way because you do think about it,” Kopitar said of his first goals.

Carter made it 3-1 later in the period, punching in a rebound on a shot by Simon Gagne, back after being a healthy scratch the previous two games.

The Coyotes got just what they needed to open the third period when Doan scored 22 seconds in by gathering a pass from behind the goal by Lauri Korpikoski and flipping it past Quick.

But Phoenix continued to give up good scoring chances and Muzzin put the Kings up 4-2 with a hard shot from near the blue line that appeared to catch LaBarbera off-guard.

“To be honest, I didn’t really see it go in,” Muzzin said of his first goal. “When the guys came over, I was just kind of laughing because it was one of those hope wristers that made it through.”

The Coyotes thought they had cut the lead to one with 39 seconds left on a rebound by Radim Vrbata, but the officials waved it off, saying the whistle had blown because they believed the puck was still under Quick.

Phoenix also had a goal by David Moss disallowed because of goalie interference earlier in the game.

“That’s the breaks we’re getting right now,” Tippett said. “We’ve got to overcome it.”

Notes: Coyotes C Martin Hanzal returned after missing two games with a lower-body injury. D Rostislav Klesla missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury and C Matthew Lombardi was out with an upper-body injury suffered against the Sharks on Thursday. … Kings D Willie Mitchell, coming off knee surgery, skated with the team Saturday morning, but didn’t play against Phoenix.

Nail Yakupov tied it for the Oilers with 4.7 seconds left in the third period. His exuberant celebration took him to center ice, where he dropped to his knees and slid into Edmonton’s defensive zone.

Gagner then snuck in from the point to score the game-winner after the Kings were caught with too many men on the ice.

Jeff Carter scored for Los Angeles (0-2-1), winless after three games for the first time since the 1985-86 season.

There was a crazy finish to regulation in this one.

Edmonton appeared to tie it with 1:05 left in the third on a goal by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but after video review the officials ruled that Gagner was in the crease and the goal was not allowed. Irate fans littered the ice with debris — they thought Rob Scuderi had pushed Gagner into Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick on the play.

However, the Oilers did pull even a minute later. Yakupov was able to bat down a rebound at the side of the net for his second goal of the season, with Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk on the bench for an extra attacker.

The game started much slower than it ended. The Kings had a good opportunity early with a two-man advantage for 2 minutes, but couldn’t capitalize despite twice hitting the post behind Dubnyk.

Los Angeles had plenty of power-play chances in the first half of the opening frame, but went 0 for 5 with the man advantage.

After weathering the storm, the Oilers were awarded a two-man power play of their own. But they couldn’t find the back of the net against Quick.

The shots favored Edmonton 14-8 in the scoreless first.

The Oilers had a chance to get the game’s first goal 6 minutes into the second period on a two-on-one but Quick robbed Yakupov with a huge glove save.

Los Angeles finally broke the scoreless tie with 6 1/2 minutes remaining in the second period when a giveaway by Edmonton defender Nick Schultz allowed Carter to get loose on a breakaway. He made the most of it, beating Dubnyk high to the stick side for his first goal of the season.

Dubnyk earned the win with 30 saves, while Quick stopped 37 shots for the Kings.

NOTES: It was the first of three meetings between the teams this season. The clubs split their four-game series in 2011-12. … The Kings brought an eight-game point streak in Edmonton into the game, having gone 7-0-1 in that span since a regulation loss at Rexall Place on Feb. 28, 2008. … Los Angeles went 0 for 2 on the power play in its first two games. .. The Oilers were without forward Ben Eager, out indefinitely with a concussion. Also out for Edmonton were Andy Sutton (knee), Theo Peckham (hip flexor), Ryan Jones (eye) and Nikolai Khabibulin (hip). … Kings defenseman Matt Greene (back) was placed on injured reserve this week and will likely miss the remainder of the season. Willie Mitchell (knee surgery) is also out, but he practiced this week. … Former Oiler Dustin Penner was a healthy scratch for the Kings. Fellow forward Simon Gagne was also a healthy scratch for Los Angeles as the Kings tried to send a message after a slow start to the season. … Edmonton native Mark Fistric made his debut on defense for the Oilers after being acquired via trade from the Dallas Stars for a third-round pick.

 DENVER (AP) — Gabriel Landeskog and David Jones scored 1:35 apart in the final period to help Colorado rally for a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night in the Avalanche’s home opener.

P.A. Parenteau also added his first goal in an Avalanche sweater midway through the third period to help the team bounce back from a season opening loss in Minnesota.

Kyle Clifford’s goal in the opening period gave the Kings their first lead of the season and, given the way Jonathan Quick was playing in net, looked like it just might hold up.

But Landeskog beat Quick with a shot off a rebound early in the third. Soon after, Jones followed by sending a wrist shot over Quick’s outstretched glove on a power play.

Semyon Varlamov made the lead hold up as he finished with 28 saves in front of a revved-up crowd.

The Green Family from Newton Connecticut, along with their 8-year-son who plays hockey in his community’s junior development program from Newtown Connecticut, accepted to take part in the ceremony to honor the memory of their daughter Ana Márquez-Greene and pay tribute to families from all across America who watch hockey, play hockey and share experiences that bring joy and happiness into our lives

The three family members joined Marcel Dionne and Rogie Vachon on the ice to present the 2012 Stanley Cup Banner to the Kings Captains just prior to it being raised.

Marquez-Greene was one of 26 people, 20 of them children, that were killed in the Sandy Hook massacre on December 15.

Captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane each had a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks, who jumped to a 3-0 lead on Michael Frolik’s goal less than 15 minutes in. With superior speed and skill, Chicago ruined the party shortly after the Kings raised their first championship banner to the Staples Center rafters.

Rob Scuderi and Jordan Nolan scored and Jonathan Quick stopped 17 shots for the Kings, who returned every player from the first eighth-seeded playoff team to win the Stanley Cup.

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With help from the family of a victim of the Sandy Hook massacre, the Kings hung their black-and-white banner in the rafters at Staples Center and received their championship rings before their season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The ceremony was the culmination of Los Angeles’ improbable rampage through the postseason last year, when the Kings became the first eighth-seeded team to capture the Cup.

The Kings hadn’t played on the Staples Center ice since June 11, when they completed a six-game victory over the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup finals. With the 6-1 win, the 45-year-old franchise secured its first NHL championship.

After a lengthy video presentation in the darkened arena while fans waved glowsticks, Nancy Anschutz – the wife of Kings owner Phil Anschutz – handed the ring boxes to the players as they skated to center ice.

After the Stanley Cup’s handlers brought the trophy through the crowd and onto the ice, the Kings relayed it around the perimeter of the rink, with each player raising it one more time.

Even two injured Kings suited up for the ceremony: Anze Kopitar, the club’s co-scoring leader in the postseason, and defenseman Willie Mitchell, the oldest player on last year’s team. Los Angeles retained every player who skated in the playoffs last season, a remarkable feat in pro sports.

The Kings’ leaders then picked up the banner from the family of Ana Marquez-Greene and Los Angeles hockey stars Marcel Dionne and Rogie Vachon, skating it across the ice and raising it to the rafters amid thunderous applause.

Los Angeles’ accomplishments during its 16-4 run through the postseason are well-known to every Kings fan by now.

Starting with their upset of Presidents’ Trophy-winning Vancouver, the Kings set NHL records by leading all four of their playoff series 3-0 and winning 10 straight road games. Los Angeles thrashed the Western Conference’s top three seeds, never played an elimination game, and only trailed for about 184 minutes in the entire postseason.

With plenty of time to plan during the lockout, the Kings also made a few changes to their arena to honor their first championship, notably moving their banners and retired numbers off the Staples Center wall and hanging them in the rafters.

The Kings had followed the tradition of the Lakers, their co-tenants in the Forum and Staples, by hanging their banners on the walls of the arenas. But after doubling their number of banners from two to four, the Kings joined every other NHL team and moved their banners into the rafters.

The club also made new banners for the transition, hanging its Western Conference title banner before fans even entered the arena next to a similar new banner celebrating the 1992-93 conference title. The Kings hung new ones for their five retired numbers, including Dionne, Vachon and Wayne Gretzky.

The Kings’ celebration began early Saturday outside the arena, where thousands of black-jerseyed fans gathered for a street fair.

General manager Dean Lombardi and Kings ownership executive Tim Leiweke greeted fans at the door and even handed out hot dogs.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was in the building, but didn’t go on the ice.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Really. They’re all back in black — every player who touched the ice during that magical run to a long-suffering franchise’s first NHL title.

“We all know this is a rare situation when you get the chance to try it again with the same team,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. “We don’t take it lightly, and we’re going to use it to our advantage.”

Pro sports teams sometimes can’t stay together for even a few weeks, but the Kings are a remarkable exception. After the eighth-seeded club coalesced at the perfect time for a championship surge, the Kings’ management decided this team was too good to break up.

Jonathan Quick, their Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie, got a 10-year contract extension. Captain Dustin Brown, top scorer Anze Kopitar and the solid defense are back intact. The Kings even inked coach Darryl Sutter and general manager Dean Lombardi to multiyear contract extensions Friday on the eve of the season opener, securing every significant bit of the team that ended 45 years of frustration for Los Angeles hockey fans with a 16-4 rampage through the postseason.

“Dean did a great job of keeping the team together,” said Sutter, who is beginning his first full season with the club. “To know that we have every guy back is pretty cool. I don’t know if it’s an advantage, because there’s so many other factors, but it’s great for the guys to get this chance, because nobody gets it in sports.”

The advantages in this unusual situation could be pronounced during a lockout-shortened NHL season. While other teams work on chemistry and familiarity, the Kings know each other well from their difficult regular season and that stellar playoff run that ended with a six-game victory over the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup finals.

The Kings will raise their first championship banner in the Staples Center rafters Saturday before facing Chicago. Their fans are still on a high from last season, when the Kings took a 3-0 lead in all four playoff series, never played an elimination game, and only trailed for about 184 minutes in the entire postseason.

While their roster hasn’t changed, their reputation will never be the same — but the Kings are confident they can handle the scrutiny in an abbreviated season.

“We know we have the experience and the leadership to handle the short amount of time,” said Dustin Penner, who probably gave a free-agent discount to the Kings for the chance to return. “We know we’re going to be targeted by every team that comes in here and in every building we go to on the road, but we’re ready for that.”

There’s a potential downside to that continuity, of course: While Los Angeles was unstoppable in the postseason, the Kings barely made the playoffs, not even clinching a berth until right before their 81st game last April. They struggled to score for most of the regular season, finishing 29th in goals per game and only finding their stride after the trade arrival of power forward Jeff Carter late in the year.

A slow start could be insurmountable this season, and the Kings must begin without Kopitar and defenseman Willie Mitchell, who still aren’t back to full strength from offseason injuries. Quick says he’s completely healthy after offseason back surgery, but backup Jonathan Bernier could get more work than he did last season.

“I don’t think teams took us lightly even last year, so I don’t think that’s going to change,” said Doughty, who cemented his star status with an outstanding postseason run. “But we know every team is going to be gunning for us every night. We’re confident we’re going to have a good team again, but it’s going to be different.”

The Kings’ defense was its most consistent advantage on the Cup run, with Quick backstopping a tremendous effort throughout the playoffs. If that defense maintains its sturdiness, Los Angeles believes it can scrape together enough goals to stay in the race, particularly if they get bounce-back seasons from Mike Richards, Penner and Jarret Stoll, who all scored below their capabilities during the last regular season.

Saturday’s party will soon give way to the grind of a compact campaign, but the Kings believe they can get through it together.

“You get a little celebration, but pretty soon it’s back to getting ready for the season,” Quick said. “You don’t want to stay on the past for too long.”

January 19 versus Chicago beginning at Noon:

Banner Raising – mini banner giveaway presented by McDonald’s, game presented by McDonald’s

January 28 versus Vancouver beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Replica Championship Ring giveaway presented by Fox Sports West, Military Monday

January 31 versus Nashville beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Magnet Schedule giveaway presented by AAA

February 15 versus Columbus beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Game presented by Delta Air Lines, ski cap giveaway presented by Delta Air Lines

February 23 versus Colorado beginning at 1:00 p.m.:

Legends Night presented by McDonald’s – Ian Laperriere – Puck giveaway

February 25 versus Anaheim beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Military Monday, McDonald’s coupon giveaway

February 27 versus Detroit beginning at 7:00 p.m.:

Waste Management Green Game

March 4 versus Nashville beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Hat giveaway presented by San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino – to the first 10K fans – Military Monday

March 7 versus Dallas beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Game presented by CHLA – T-shirt giveaway presented by CHLA

March 9 versus Calgary beginning at 7:00 p.m.:

Legends Night presented by McDonald’s – Kelly Hrudey – Hrudey bandana giveaway

March 11 versus Calgary beginning at 7:00 p.m.:

McDonald’s coupon giveaway – Military Monday

March 16 versus San Jose beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Waste Management Green Game

March 18 versus Phoenix beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Game Presented by Pizza Hut – Military Monday

March 19 versus Phoenix beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

McDonald’s Coupon giveaway

March 21 versus Dallas beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Game presented by United Healthcare

April 4 versus Minnesota beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Game presented by Enterprise – McDonald’s coupon giveaway

April 6 versus Edmonton beginning at 1:00 p.m.:

Game presented by Verizon

April 13 versus Anaheim beginning at 8:00 p.m.:

Waste Management Green Game

April 21 versus Dallas beginning at 6:00 p.m.:

Game presented by Northrop Grumman, McDonald’s coupon giveaway

April 27 versus San Jose beginning at 7:30 p.m.:

Fan Appreciation

The Stanley Cup championship-winning team will showcase its new banner during Saturday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center, according to KNX1070.

The team held its first practice since the NHL lockout on Saturday, Jan. 13.

Tickets for the Kings’ 24 home games at STAPLES Center are now on sale.

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Tickets for Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings, go on sale Monday evening.

Tickets for the Kings’ 24 home games at STAPLES Center will go on sale at 6 p.m. on LAKings.com.

The team is expected to sell out all of its home games. Last season, they sold out 37 of 39 regular-season home games.

The Kings will also open practice to fans Monday at 7 p.m. at STAPLES Center. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Admission is free. Complimentary tickets can be downloaded at www.ticketmaster.com/lakings starting at 6 p.m.

The Kings open the 2013 season at home on Saturday versus the Chicago Blackhawks at noon after a four-month lockout. The franchise’s first championship banner will be unveiled Saturday before the game.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

A four-month lockout ended last week. Signatures on Saturday salvaged a shortened season.

Like most teams in the league, defending champion Los Angeles Kings practiced Sunday at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo for the first time.

They’re all preparing for a 48-game sprint of a season that starts in less than a week.

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty it’s going to be a grind, adding that he’s happy to be back.

“It was good to get back out there and snap the puck around and get our mind back into hockey season,” Doughty told City News Service.

Los Angeles will unveil the franchise’s first championship banner Saturday before hosting the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Kings plan to practice at STAPLES Center at 7 p.m. Monday with doors opening to the public at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Tickets for the Kings’ 24 games at STAPLES Center will go on sale at 6 p.m. Monday on LAKings.com. Last season, they sold out 37 of 39 regular-season games at STAPLES Center.

They are hoping to finish the season as the NHL’s first repeat champions since the Detroit Red Wings hoisted Cups in 1997 and 1998.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

The defending world champions will open the season against the Chicago Blackhawks, noon, at the Staples Center.

The game will be televised nationally.

Fans in attendance will see the Stanley Cup victor banner unveiled.

The Kings are scheduled to play 11 of their first 15 games on the road and then will play 13 of 16 at home.

The team said tickets will go on sale for all Staples Center games Monday at 6 p.m. at LAKings.com.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) – The 2012 Stanley Cup Champions LA Kings joined up with McDonalds to donate $1-million to local charities as a special “Thank You” to the city of Los Angeles for its support on their run to the Lord’s Stanley Cup.

As part of the pledge – which was announced by Kings executives Tim Leiweke and Luc Robitaille along with Kings forward Jarret Stoll, defenseman Matt Greene and goaltender Jonathan Quick — the Kings Care Foundation will work with the following four local charities to maximize this commitment:

• Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California

• Boys and Girls Club of America

• City Year Los Angeles

“We feel that it is important to not only make a significant commitment back to our community but to help facilitate a sizeable charitable effort that everybody can get behind — including our players, our fans and our partners in particular,” said Robitaille.

“Luc Robitaille and the Kings have been strong supporters of our children and families, and we are thrilled with their decision to invest in our partnership in such a significant way,” said Rob Parker, CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California.

To support this commitment, the Kings Care Foundation will spearhead fundraising initiatives in several categories, including special auctions and fan-friendly events.

Among the highlights will be a unique Kings Stanley Cup Championship ring auction. One ring will be auctioned or raffled off for each of the four aforementioned charities, so that our fans can support the cause of their choice, and a fifth ring will be handled and supported by the Kings Care Foundation.

In addition to Stoll and Greene who were at STAPLES Center today along with Quick, Kings players on the whole have stepped up to support the initiative and will be very active in the program. Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty will donate tickets as part of a special ticket program; captain Dustin Brown will donate money for each on-ice hit as part of a special Hit Tracker; and Quick, the Conn Smythe Trophy winning goalie, will donate $500 per win from his 326 Foundation.

The $1 Million “Thank You” pledge will also provide additional support to key military charities and youth hockey organizations. FOX Sports West and Clear Channel will serve as special media partners.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Jonathan Quick stood at the edge of the rink and looked up at the Staples Center roof. Several large banners were rolled up tight against the rafters, just waiting to be unfurled.

Although the new ice was chilly, the Los Angeles Kings goalie warmed up at the sight.

“It’ll be good to see those,” Quick said. “And then we can finally put it out of our minds and get back to work.”

The Kings raised the Stanley Cup for the first time last summer, ending 45 years of frustration. Thanks to the NHL lockout, they still haven’t been able to raise their first championship banner.

The Kings are eager for that celebration, which is all but certain to be next Saturday, Jan. 19, after the lockout formally ends. They’re also ready to get back to work on defending their title — and with their entire roster returning intact from last season’s eighth-seeded championship team, they believe they’re in prime position to do it.

“It’s been a long haul to get back here, but we all just want to get back out there and get back to playing,” Kings forward Jarret Stoll said. “It’s fun just to be in here. It feels like we’re right back to last season.”

While the entire NHL struggles to persuade its fans to return to the rinks over the next few months, the Kings are less worried than most teams about repairing the damage from the four-month lockout. After all, the Stanley Cup and a championship banner can soothe an awful lot of hurt feelings — and the Kings are all but certain every home game this season will be a sellout.

“We’ve had great support throughout the summer and the whole offseason,” said Luc Robitaille, the Hall of Fame forward and the Kings’ president of business operations. “Our fans just want to come back. That’s all we’ve heard the whole time: `When can we come see the banners?”‘

Stoll, Matt Greene and the Kings’ Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie joined coach Darryl Sutter, general manager Dean Lombardi and the rest of the Kings’ brass Thursday to announce a million-dollar charity donation and a major team sponsorship agreement with McDonald’s.

They’re still not formally back to work until the players ratify the labor deal, but the Kings have already begun thinking about the challenges of getting back to the playoffs and winning it all again on a tight, 48-game schedule. Sutter coached the Chicago Blackhawks during the NHL’s last shortened season in 1995, so he knows its particular challenges.

“Dean did a great job of keeping the whole team together,” Sutter said. “To know that we have the whole team again is pretty cool … but there’s a huge toll it takes on the players in a short season, and there’s a reload factor there. I think the strength of our team is our depth and our character, so we’re going to keep to that.”

Indeed, the Kings showed plenty of mental toughness while becoming the first No. 8 seed to win the Stanley Cup, rampaging through the last postseason with 16 wins in 20 games. Los Angeles’ championship was the first in the Second Six franchise’s history, and the lockout provided the players and fans with extra time to celebrate — not that they wanted it, of course.

“Sometimes you just shake your head about how it all happened, but here we are now,” Stoll said.

Lombardi and Tim Leiweke, the president of the sports conglomerate that owns the Kings, both decided early in the offseason to keep their roster completely together — something they’re pretty sure has never been done in hockey history. Leiweke told Lombardi he’ll have whatever money he needs to keep the club in title contention, which hasn’t always been a given in the Kings’ lengthy history.

“There’s no doubt in my mind about these players after what they did in the playoffs,” Lombardi said. “It made me have a newfound appreciation for all of these guys. There’s no doubt they’re going to build on it. So much of this season is mental, and they’ve got the mental toughness to do it. It’s not about recapturing that feeling from last season. It’s about writing a new story.”

Not everything is ideal for the Kings as they prepare for the likely start of practice on Sunday. Anze Kopitar, the Kings’ leading scorer last season, slightly injured his knee a week ago while playing in Sweden.

Lombardi said Kopitar is likely to need three weeks of recovery before he can play, which means he could miss the Kings’ first few games. If Kopitar is out, Jeff Carter could slide up to center to fill in for the Slovenian star.

Backup goalie Jonathan Bernier asked for a trade last summer after Quick signed a 10-year, $58-million contract extension, but Lombardi said Bernier hasn’t repeated the demand lately. Lombardi says it’s unlikely he’ll move the talented Bernier, given the demands of a short season and the goalie depth in Los Angeles’ farm system.

“I don’t think it’s feasible right now,” Lombardi said. “He’s an important part of our depth — important to what we’re trying to do here.”

In the latest round of cancellations, the NHL on Thursday wiped out all games through Jan. 14. More than 50 percent of the schedule has been lost, and the rest is now in great danger, too.

“I don’t want to characterize what today’s cancellations mean or don’t mean,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an email. “I will stand on the announcement that was made.”

So far, 625 regular-season games have been called off, including nearly 100 in the announcement made Thursday – the 96th day of the NHL’s lockout. The New Year’s Day Winter Classic and the All-Star game also have been lost.

The NHL had previously canceled games through Dec. 30.

Daly said in a radio interview Wednesday that mid-January is likely the latest the sides could go to make a deal to save the season. When pressed, however, he said he expects the season will be played.

No drop-dead date has been announced by the NHL, which is the only North American professional sports league to cancel a season because of to a labor dispute. The 2004-05 season was lost to a lockout.

Daly said the sides hadn’t been in contact with each other Thursday, and no new talks are planned.

The groups have remained apart since two days of meetings with a federal mediator last week produced no progress. There haven’t been negotiations since Dec. 6 in New York, when talks broke down after a few days of bargaining.

Since the sides split last week, there has been limited contact – phone calls and a brief email exchange.

The NHL believes negotiations should resume only when there is something new to say.

“I don’t think either party is refusing a meeting,” Daly said Wednesday. “But unless there is an indication one side or the other is prepared to move or has a new idea to move the process forward – and so far neither side has indicated – I am not sure what we would do at the meeting.

“What is the agenda? Who is directing the conversation? We don’t have anything new to say right now.”

Union executive director Donald Fehr said Wednesday he was glad to hear Daly’s belief that there would be a season, and added he hopes Daly is right.

“Hopefully, we’ll get back together and negotiate out the remaining issues as soon as possible,” Fehr said. “(We aren’t talking) because the owners have not indicated a desire to resume.

“We’ve indicated any number of times that we’re willing to resume when they are (and) we’re willing to resume without preconditions. So we’re waiting to hear back from them.”

Last week, the NHL announced it filed a class action suit in the U.S. District Court in New York, seeking to establish that its lockout is legal. In a filing posted Thursday, the court said the union had three weeks after receiving the suit to file an answer.

The Clippers said he died in Los Angeles, but gave no other details. Courtney had missed Wednesday night’s game against Minnesota because he was in the hospital awaiting an angiogram, according to his Twitter feed.

““Today our organization lost a good friend. In his years as public address announcer for Clippers’ home games, David Courtney was a consummate professional who brought a unique passion and energy to every event,” the Clippers wrote in a statement. “We are saddened by his passing, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Janet and the rest of his family. David will be missed by the many people whose lives he touched.”

Courtney had announced Los Angeles Kings game for 24 years, including their run to the Stanley Cup championship last season, but he had been idled this season by the NHL lockout. He had spent the last 19 summers announcing Los Angeles Angels games.

“David was tremendously passionate about the Kings, our fans and the game of hockey. His time with the Kings dates back to the mid 1970s both in our PR office as our public relations director and also with work he did in our video department before he took over full-time Public Announcing duties at the Forum and STAPLES Center,” Kings President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille said on the Kings website.

“In the arena he was an institution — he was the voice of the Kings — and his work added so much to the live, in-game experience for our fans as it did for the Clippers and Angels as well. Next season would have been David’ 35th year with our franchise, and on behalf of the entire Kings organization and AEG we are incredibly saddened by this news and we send our deepest condolences to his wife Janet and the rest of the Courtney family.”

He was the voice of All-Star games in three different pro leagues, working the 2002 NHL event, baseball’s 2010 event and last year’s NBA All-Star game. He also worked the 1981 NBA finals, the 1993 and 2012 Stanley Cup finals and the 2002 World Series, won by the Angels.

Courtney was born on November 19, 1956.

The league made the announcement Friday, the 69th day of the NHL’s lockout of its players.

The new cancellations come as little surprise. The two sides had an unproductive negotiating session on Wednesday that produced no movement to break an impasse over splitting more than $3 billion in revenue and also player contracts.

A total of 422 regular-season games, more than 34 percent of the season, have now been lost.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly says losing the 2013 NHL All-Star Weekend in Columbus is “extremely disappointing.”

“We feel badly for NHL fans and particularly those in Columbus, and we intend to work closely with the Blue Jackets organization to return the NHL All-Star events to Columbus and their fans as quickly as possible,” Daly said.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

A day after the NHL turned down three counterproposals from players, the league canceled 53 more games. A total of 135 games through Nov. 1 have been scratched, which amounts to 11 percent of the season.

In its third lockout since 1994, the NHL is sticking to its most recent proposal that stated a full 82-game-per-team schedule could be played if the season begins by Nov. 2. The league says a deal must be reached with the union by next Thursday for that to happen.

Two weeks ago, the league called off 82 games from Oct. 11-24.

On Thursday, the union rejected the NHL’s proposal made two days earlier that offered a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenues and ensured a full regular-season schedule. In brief talks, the players countered with their trio of offers that were, in turn, quickly dismissed by the league.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he was “thoroughly disappointed” as he and the league delegation left union headquarters in Toronto. Bettman said that the owners’ proposal was the “best that we could do” and added that the sides are still far apart.

“None of the three variations of player share that they gave us even began to approach 50-50, either at all or for some long period of time,” Bettman said Thursday. “It’s clear we’re not speaking the same language.”

No new talks are scheduled.

If next Thursday’s deadline passes, more games will likely be cut, and the New Year’s Day Winter Classic will be the next big event in danger of being lost. The Detroit Red Wings are slated to host the Toronto Maple Leafs in the outdoor extravaganza at Michigan Stadium.

Union executive director Donald Fehr said two of the union’s proposals would have the players take a fixed amount of revenue, which would turn into an approximate 50-50 split over the term of the deal, provided league revenues continued to grow.

The third approach would be a 50-50 split, as long as the league honored all existing contracts at full value.

None of it made any positive impression on the NHL.

“This is not a good day,” Fehr said Thursday. “It should have been.”

The players’ association didn’t have any immediate comment following the latest cancellations.

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The NHL has canceled the first two weeks of the regular season schedule, which was set to start next week, because of stalled labor negotiations.

The NHL’s regular season was scheduled to begin Oct. 11, but all 82 games through Oct. 24 have been canceled. The cancellation affects a total of five games for the Los Angeles Kings, the 2012 Stanley Cup champions. It also affects six games for the Anaheim Ducks.

The league locked out its players Sept. 16 as negotiations stalled over how to split a $3.3 billion pot of revenue between owners and players.

The NHL lockout is the third major professional sport to impose a work stoppage in less than two years, behind the NFL and the NBA.

Unable to reach agreement on a new labor deal, the National Hockey League locked out its players at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, the third major pro sport to impose a work stoppage in the last 18 months, behind the NFL and NBA.

The action also marks the fourth shutdown for the NHL since 1992, including a year-long dispute that forced the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season when the league successfully held out for a salary cap.

That fight ended with the latest collective bargaining agreement, and when it ended Commissioner Gary Bettman followed through on his longstanding pledge to lock out the players if no deal was in place.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the shutdown was in effect. The union said it would have no comment.

The sides were so far apart in their discussions that they didn’t even meet face-to-face for negotiations on Saturday.

The core issue is money — how to split a $3.3 billion pot of revenue. The owners want to decrease the percentage of hockey-related revenue that goes to players, while the union wants a guarantee that players annually get at least the $1.8 billion in salaries paid out last season.

Hours before the deadline, the lockout was considered a foregone conclusion.

“We talked with the union this morning, and in light of the fact that they have nothing new to offer, or any substantive response to our last proposal, there would be nothing gained by convening a bargaining session at this time,” Daly said in a statement earlier Saturday. “I’m sure that we will remain in contact in the coming days.”

The dispute is latest chapter in labor unrest that has vexed American professional sports. The NFL was locked out for much of the offseason in 2011 while the last NBA season was shortened from 82 games to 66 and began on Christmas.

Baseball successfully reached a labor deal and some have suggested that the fact MLB didn’t have a work stoppage has to do with the fact that baseball has no salary cap, allowing for more wiggle room in negotiations.

Despite a third straight day of telephone discussions between Daly and players’ association special counsel Steve Fehr, the brother of NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, hopes of face-to-face talks were dashed early Saturday.

“We suggested that the parties meet in advance of the owners’ self-imposed deadline of midnight tonight,” Steve Fehr said Saturday in a written statement. “Don Fehr, myself and several players on the Negotiating Committee were in the City and prepared to meet. The NHL said that it saw no purpose in having a formal meeting.

It now appears unlikely that training camps will open next week. The regular season is scheduled to begin Oct. 11, but that is also in peril.

 (© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)