Kings vs. Coyotes: Game 2 Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Analysis

Another two up, another two down for the Los Angeles Kings, who dominated the Phoenix Coyotes on their way to a 4-0 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference final and are now within two games of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.

The victory extended their playoff road-winning streak to nine, dating back to last season, tying the 1982-83 New York Islanders for the longest such run in NHL history. Their overall streak of seven games this postseason also tied the mark of 2010 Chicago Blackhawks.

And as Dan Rosen over at NHL.com notes, "Of course, the 2010 Blackhawks, 1982 Islanders and 1983 Islanders have the same thing in common—they all won the Stanley Cup."

Jeff Carter made the Kings feel much better about swapping him in for Jack Johnson at the trade deadline by scoring his first L.A. hat trick. Two of those goals came in the second period, the latter of which deflected off his skate and past Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith.

That goal came as the result of Phoenix's frustration, built up on the other end of L.A.'s pesky energy and puck-chasing mentality. Shane Doan was tossed from the game with 3:31 left in the second period for boarding Trevor Lewis, shortly before Smith drew a two-minute penalty for slashing Dustin Brown.

The Kings promptly turned that advantage into their first power-play goal of the series.

The Desert Dogs' flirtation with dirty play continued in the third, when Martin Hanzal earned an ejection of his own for boarding Brown with 8:59 left in the game. Carter notched his third goal on the ensuing advantage, giving the Kings two successful power plays after converting just four of their previous 51 attempts.

All told, the Kings out-shot the 'Yotes 40-24 and will head into Game 3 at home with a commanding 2-0 series advantage.

Tweets of the Night

ESPN's Molly Knight might just be on to something here:

"

The LA Kings are gonna win the Stanley Cup, aren't they?

— Molly Knight (@molly_knight) May 16, 2012"

Forget the Gordie Howe hat trick. Helene Elliott of the L.A. Times has a better way to describe what the 'Yotes pulled off on Tuesday:

"

the miscreant hat trick: two boarding majors and a kneeing minor. Kings convert power play take 4-0 lead.

— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) May 16, 2012"

Like Phoenix, TSN's Bruce Arthur didn't pass up a golden opportunity for a cheap shot:

"

The Phoenix Coyotes, going down with the class equivalent to their fiscal bottom line.

— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) May 16, 2012"

Must-See Highlight

Jeff Carter scored the bulk of the goals for L.A., but Dwight King got credit for the prettiest, deflecting a shot from Drew Doughty past Mike Smith for the Kings' opening goal in the first period at the 13:15 mark.

Grades for Key Kings Players

Dustin Brown: B+

Dustin Brown wasn't quite the offensive threat that he's been throughout these Stanley Cup playoffs, though that didn't prevent him from being an effective pest against the Coyotes. The Kings captain registered six hits and drew a slashing penalty on Mike Smith in the second period to set up Jeff Carter's five-on-three power-play goal.

Granted, Brown was hit with a two-minute trip to the box for embellishment, but what exactly is a guy supposed to do when he gets whacked in the back of the knee by a goalie stick? Not go down?

Jonathan Quick: A+

Jonathan Quick faced 24 shots and stopped all 24 of them. Can't do much better than that, as the young Kings netminder continues his near-perfect form these playoffs.

Grades for Key Coyotes Players

Shane Doan: N/A

It's difficult to grade Shane Doan fairly in any respect, because the referees certainly didn't. Doan was ejected from the game late in the second period for boarding Trevor Lewis, costing his team a five-minute major in the process.

Upon closer inspection, though, Doan's hit looked more like the natural-but-unfortunate result of what would've been a clean check rather than an unnecessary attempt to hurt Lewis in any way.

Mike Smith: D

Mike Smith, on the other hand, deserves a slap on the wrist and a shake of the stick for slashing Dustin Brown. That show of frustration ultimately left the 'Yotes down to three men and allowed the Kings to score their first power-play goal since St. Swithin's Day.

So, really, he should shoulder an additional measure of the blame for surrendering four goals on the night.

Deciding Factor: Composure

Simply put, the Kings kept their composure and the Coyotes lost theirs. L.A. withstood strong pushes from Phoenix early in the first two periods and responded with a brilliant, hustle-bound effort all over the ice.

The 'Yotes' only answer was to come after the Kings with cheap shots and dirty plays, which L.A. accepted with grace and converted into two power-play goals.

The Kings are certainly used to this by now, after surviving desperate attacks from the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues in the first two rounds. The 'Yotes would be wise to focus on playing strong hockey rather than trying to intimidate the plucky Kings if they want to get back into this series.

Game MVP: Carter

Quick earns a hefty shout-out for picking up his second shutout of the postseason.

But the bulk of the Kudos bar belongs to Carter as a reward for his first hat trick as a member of the Kings and his first in the playoffs. It was also the Kings' first three-goal game from a player since Wayne Gretzky racked up three in Game 7 of the 1993 Campbell Conference final. 

What's Next?

These two teams will head west to the Staples Center in L.A. for Game 3 on Thursday at 9 p.m. EDT, with the Kings looking to extend their advantage to 3-0 and the Desert Dogs hoping to make a series of it.

Follow @Josh_E_Martin