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Kings defenseman Olli Maatta, right, and Arizona Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz vie for the puck during the first period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kings defenseman Matt Roy, right, and Arizona Coyotes right wing Clayton Keller compete for the puck during the first period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Dysin Mayo skates with the puck in front of Kings center Adrian Kempe during the first period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes center Riley Nash, left, passes the puck as Kings center Andreas Athanasiou defends during the first period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kings goaltender Cal Petersen makes a save on a shot by Arizona Coyotes center Riley Nash during the second period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kings left wing Viktor Arvidsson, center, celebrates his goal with teammates Phillip Danault, left, and Trevor Moore, right, during the second period of their game against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty skates with the puck as Arizona Coyotes goaltender Scott Wedgewood watches during the second period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kings center Phillip Danault, right, and Arizona Coyotes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere reach for the puck during the second period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kings goaltender Cal Petersen makes a save on a deflection by Arizona Coyotes center Travis Boyd, second from left, during the second period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, left, gets tripped by Kings center Adrian Kempe during the third period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kings goaltender Cal Petersen makes a save on a shot by Arizona Coyotes right wing Phil Kessel during the third period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes goaltender Scott Wedgewood makes a save on a shot by Kings left wing Viktor Arvidsson, center, as Coyotes center Alex Galchenyuk defends during the third period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz, left, tries to keep the puck away from Kings left wing Alex Iafallo during the third period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes goaltender Scott Wedgewood gives up a go-ahead goal to the Kings’ Viktor Arvidsson, not pictured, with 3:39 left in the third period on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kings left wing Viktor Arvidsson, second from left, celebrates his go-ahead goal with defenseman Matt Roy (3), defenseman Olli Maatta (6), center Phillip Danault (24) and center Trevor Moore (12) during the third period of their 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kings goaltender Cal Petersen, center, celebrates with Alex Iafallo, left, and Dustin Brown after the team’s 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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By JACK MAGRUDER Associated Press
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Kings are becoming legitimate road warriors.
Viktor Arvidsson scored his second goal of the game with 3:39 remaining to give the Kings a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night.
Blake Lizotte also scored for the Kings, and Cal Petersen made 17 saves for his second consecutive win over Arizona.
“Obviously, (Arvidsson) is a shooter,” linemate Trevor Moore said. “He calls for the puck. He wants the puck. He’s competitive. He just finds open ice. It’s something a good goal scorer is able to do, and he does it on a consistent basis.”
Clayton Keller and Barrett Hayton scored for the Coyotes. Scott Wedgewood stopped 32 shots in his second consecutive start.
The Kings have won five straight road games and are 7-0-2 in their past nine, with the last two coming in Arizona. The Kings defeated the Coyotes, 5-3, on Saturday in a game rescheduled from Dec. 27 because of COVID-19.
“This is our road game,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “There is no secret recipe. I really think the ability to play four lines is a factor in it, and six deep (on defense). And checking. When you are on the road you have to check.”
The Kings have won their last seven in Arizona and are 7-1-2 in their past 10 games overall, nine away from home.
Arizona pulled Wedgewood with 3½ minutes left and played 6-on-4 for two minutes after a tripping penalty on Adrian Kempe with 2:57 remaining. But the Coyotes did not generate a strong scoring chance.
“Big kill at the end,” McLellan said. “At the end of the day, it was generally a team win. I’m not sure we had the energy we needed, but we found a way.”
Keller scored his 21st goal on a 2-on-1 break at 6:25 of the first period, beginning a stretch of four goals – two by each side – in a 6:38 span.
Keller took a cross-ice saucer pass from Nick Schmaltz, who drove in from the right wing and found Keller on the opposite side. Keller has points in his last five games and 10 of the last 11.
Lizotte answered 18 seconds later when he redirected a shot from Mikey Anderson into the left side of the net.
“We talk about bump-up shifts, and obviously when something goes wrong, there’s a letdown on the bench and disappointment,” McLellan said of the Kings’ quick answer to being scored upon. “That next line that goes out there, they generally provide us with some energy and bring us back in. Tonight, they scored, which was tremendous, it kept us around. It could have got worse, but it kept us around.”
Arvidsson scored the Kings’ second goal in 70 seconds for a 2-1 lead, putting a pass from Moore into the right side of the net after a Coyotes turnover in their end.
Hayton tied it at 2-all at 13:03 when he threw a puck in front of the net from the left side and it bounced off a Kings defender past Petersen. Loui Eriksson, stationed in the crease, originally was credited with the goal.
Anze Kopitar hit the right post on the Kings’ power play early in the third period, keeping the score tied.
“They are a volume-shot team,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “They put a lot of pucks on net. Our guys were pretty urgent around the net. Did a pretty good job.”
NOTES
Coyotes forward Nick Ritchie, acquired with a conditional draft choice in a trade with Toronto on Saturday, did not play because his visa paperwork had not arrived, the Coyotes said. … Coyotes forward Andrew Ladd (lower body) is expected to miss four to six weeks after getting hurt Sunday in the first period against Dallas. … Arizona defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok, recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League on Monday, got his first NHL assist on Eriksson’s goal. … After placing goalie Carter Hutton on waivers last week, the Coyotes traded him to Toronto for future considerations. … Neither team had played since the Kings’ 5-3 victory in Arizona last Saturday.
UP NEXT
The Kings face the Ducks on Friday at 7 p.m. at Honda Center.
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