Coyotes-Kings: Phoenix Downs Los Angeles 2-1 in Defensive Duel

The Phoenix Coyotes beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 Friday night at the Staples Center, riding hot goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and Peter Mueller to the victory.

Bryzgalov made 21 saves, and Mueller scored his first goal in 21 games to help the Coyotes win a rare defensive battle in the “Freak Kingdom,” to quote Raoul Duke.

Shane Doan also lit the lamp on a power play in the contest, and coach Wayne Gretzky was impressed with his team’s performance.

“This was a nice effort for us. As a player, the hardest game to play is always Dec. 26, because you’ve been off a couple of days and you have a lot of family and friends around, and then you’ve got to travel."

“So, for our guys to be as focused as they were tonight for that game and to play as well as they did, I’m really happy for them.”

He also commented in his post-game press conference about the defensive nature of the contest, calling the team “pretty sound defensively” and complimenting the team’s young guys on being good in close games.

The main difference between this game and their last game against the Kings was that in the previous skate, the Coyotes only had one penalty, and in this one, they committed two of their three penalties in the third period, one of which resulted in a goal with about 11 minutes left.

Other Notes:

-The Coyotes have instituted what they have dubbed their “Economic Stimulus Plan,” which has a variety of ticket options for families on a budget, in order to drum up excitement and attendance at Jobing.com Arena.

A majority of Saturday home games will feature the All-You-Can-Eat-Pack, which features an upper-level game ticket and unlimited hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, and soda for $25, which is quite a deal (and one I will take advantage of in February when I make my annual desert winter pilgrimage).

Other packs include the Family Pack, the XTRA Value Thursday Pack, the Student, Teacher, the Military Rush, and the Holiday Pack/4-Game Pick ‘Em Plans.

For more information, please visit the Coyotes’ official website, or check out this article from the Arizona Republic on the topic: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/2008/12/22/20081222yotestix-CR.html

-The Coyotes new third jersey is currently on sale through the team’s website. It is black, and features a running coyote on the front.

Look for these jerseys during select games this season.

-The Coyotes have teamed up with an organization called flexxCOACH for a series of hockey clinics at Jobing.com Arena.

For $50, you get a tour of the team locker room, participate in a clinic on the Coyotes' home ice, a practice jersey, a Gatorade water bottle, and a lower-level ticket to an upcoming Coyotes home game.

For more information, visit http://coyotes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=398379 or call 623-772-3464 to register.

The Coyotes’ next game will be tonight at 7 p.m. MST at Jobing.com Arena against the Los Angeles Kings. It will be televised on Fox Sports Arizona.