Mar 17, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings center(28) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a second period goal against Phoenix Coyotes at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Kings lost a tough one last night to the Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes snuck a goal past Jonathan Quick late in the third period to walk away with a 4-3 victory and two big points. When the deciding play happened it looked as if Quick had made a miraculous save, rolling over and sprawling to keep the puck out of the net with his stick. However, replays showed the puck did indeed cross the line before Quick swatted the puck back into play.

The Kings have to have a sour taste in their mouths after this one. They scored three unanswered goals and took a 3-2 lead into the third period. But at the end of the night they were on the wrong side of a one-goal game.

However, one bright spot from last night’s game that can’t be overlooked is the continued offensive production of Alec Martinez. Martinez chipped in last night and scored the Kings’ second goal of the night, which at the time, brought them within a goal of the Coyotes in the second period.

Martinez’s play has turned him into a bit of a regular on the stat sheet of late. In his last eight games, Martinez has scored four goals, two of those coming with the man advantage and has recorded seven points in total.

This success on the ice has to come as a bit of a relief for Martinez who recently went through a stretch of hockey that saw him miss a month of play. On January 25th the Kings and Anaheim Ducks met outdoors at Dodger Stadium. Ultimately the Kings were outplayed and lost the game by a score of 3-0. Martinez left that game with just over 12 minutes of ice time that night. That would be the last time Martinez saw any game time until February 27th.

Over the time Martinez was left off of the roster the Kings played seven games and went 3-4-0. Since returning to the line-up the Kings have played nine games and have grabbed a 6-3-0 record in those games. The Kings are in a bit of a funk right now having lost three games in a row. But Martinez has continued to produce as the Kings struggle overall. During the Kings’ current losing streak Martinez has fired eight shots at the net, has scored one goal and has recorded one helper.

The Kings likely want to right the ship as quickly as possible. If Martinez can continue his recent production that would make correcting the ship a whole lot easier.