LOS ANGELES — It took them 15 games, but the Los Angeles Kings finally scored three goals in a game on Monday night, defeating the Phoenix Coyotes, 4-3, in front of a sell-out crowd of 18,118 fans at Staples Center.

The last time the Kings scored three goals (in regulation time or overtime, not in a shootout) in a game was on November 22, a 3-2 victory at St. Louis. From that point forward, until Monday night, the Kings never scored more than two regulation/overtime goals, earning a poor 5-7-2 record over that span, two of the wins the result of shootouts.

Kings goal scorers were Rob Scuderi and Brad Richardson in the first period, followed by Willie Mitchell and Dustin Brown in the third period.

The Kings got a couple of “assists” from Coyotes goalie Jason LaBarbera, who allowed soft goals to Mitchell and Brown, and was yanked at 7:06 of the third period, immediately after Brown scored.

LaBarbera allowed four goals on 29 shots, and was saddled with the loss. Jonathan Quick went all the way in goal for the Kings, stopping 26 shots.

Kings center Anze Kopitar contributed two assists, earned a +3 plus/minus rating, and was on the ice for 21:18, leading all Kings forwards. He was, by far, the best player on the ice for either team, even with Coyotes forward Raffi Torres scoring two goals, capitalizing on a turnover on his first goal at 5:58 of the first period, and taking advantage of a defensive blunder by the Kings to score on a breakaway for his second goal of the game at 13:03 of the second period.

NOTES:

The Kings are 2-0-1 under head coach Darryl Sutter, and are 4-1-1 in their last six games.

The Kings have killed 63 of their last 66 penalties, dating back to November 19 vs. Detroit). They have killed 16 straight penalties, dating back to December 17 at Detroit).

The Kings are now 9-0-0 when scoring three or more goals in a game, and are 12-2-3 when scoring first.

The Kings are 8-3-3 vs. Pacific Division teams this season.

Brown recorded his fifth game-winning goal this season. He has scored nine goals this season. He also has five points in the last six games (four goals, one assist).

Drew Doughty extended his assist streak to four games, tying a career high. His career high point streak is five games.

extended his assist streak to four games, tying a career high. His career high point streak is five games. Kopitar has assists in four straight games, and has nine assists in the last ten games.

Scuderi scored his first goal since February 5, 2011, at Calgary (65 games).

The Kings are now 16-9-5 with Mitchell in the lineup, and 15-8-5 with Mike Richards in the lineup.

in the lineup. The Kings have averaged 36.1 shots in their last ten games.

Post-Game Raw Audio Interviews

(Extraneous material and dead air have been removed)

Dustin Brown (1:05)

Anze Kopitar (2:42)

Willie Mitchell (2:20)

Darryl Sutter (2:32)

Game Highlights From NHL Video On YouTube

Tickets for the Kings’ upcoming homestand against the Vancouver Canucks (December 31, 7:00 PM), the Colorado Avalache (January 2, 2012, 7:30 PM), the Coyotes (January 5, 7:30 PM), the Columbus Blue Jackets (January 7, 1:00 PM), the Washington Capitals (January 9, 7:30 PM), and the Dallas Stars (January 12, 7:30 PM), as well as for other games on their schedule, are available from Barry’s Tickets, an official partner of the Los Angeles Kings. Use the code, “Royalty010” to get a 10 percent discount on their “Best Value” tickets.

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