GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Alex Iafallo scored two goals, Cal Peterson stopped 22 shots and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Saturday night for their fourth straight victory.
The Kings beat the Coyotes 3-2 on Thursday when Gabriel Vilardi scored in the fourth round of a shootout. Vilardi came through again, beating Darcy Kuemper with a wrister shortly after Arizona’s Phil Kessel tied it.
Trevor Moore also scored for Los Angeles, and Iafallo sealed it with an empty-net goal.
Kessel scored for the second straight game and had an assist. Derick Brassard also scored, and Kuemper had 19 saves.
The Kings jumped on the Coyotes in Thursday’s game with two goals in the first period. Arizona rallied with two goals in the second, but wanted to get off to a better start in the rematch.
The Coyotes had a good early jump and Peterson was tested early, nearly doing the splits to get a pad on John Hayden’s shot from the slot. Arizona closed the period with a flurry of shots, but Peterson was sharp.
Iafallo scored a power-play goal early in the second period, beating Kuemper glove side from the left circle — not long after Arizona’s Tyler Pitlick hit the post.
Brassard answered with a power-play goal of his own, scoring from the right circle on a shot that hit Kings defenseman Olli Maatta out front.
The Coyotes close the second period and opened the third on the power play after Conor Garland was cross-checked twice, including one to the face by Austin Strand.
Instead of taking advantage, Arizona gave up a short-handed goal 52 seconds into the third period. Moore had it, beating Kuemper after the puck caromed right to him off Arizona defenseman Jakob Chychrun’s stick.
Kessel tied it on a power play midway through the third period on a wrister from the left circle through Pitlick’s screen.
Vilardi beat Kuemper with a wrister less than three minutes later to put the Kings back up.
UP NEXT
Kings: At St. Louis on Monday and Wednesday nights.
Coyotes: Host Anaheim on Monday and Wednesday nights.
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