Kings 4, Coyotes 2

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Anze Kopitar scored his first two goals of the season to lead the Los

Angeles Kings past the Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 on Saturday night for the Stanley Cup champions'

first win.

Jeff Carter and Jake Muzzin also scored for the Kings (1-2-1), who despite the win still

are off to their slowest start since dropping five of their first six games in 2007-08.

Mikkel Boedker and Shane Doan scored for the Coyotes (1-4-0), who have lost two straight.

After a scoreless first period, Kopitar gave the Kings a 1-0 lead 64 seconds into the

second period on a forehand flip from just inside the hashes of the right faceoff circle.

Boedker tied the score 1-1 at 3:57. Jamie Quick stopped Oliver Ekman-Larsson's shot from

the point, but the rebound hit Boedker, standing just outside the left post, and fell from

his thigh onto his stick for the easy goal.

But Kopitar and Los Angeles answered quickly. Kopitar sent Justin Williams behind the

Coyotes' defense with a long pass, then took a return drop pass in the low crease and fired

into an open right side of the net.

Carter extended it to 3-1 at 11:33 of the period, sending home a long rebound after Jason

LaBarbera stopped an initial shot by Simon Gagne.

Doan again made it a one-goal game 22 seconds into the third period on a hard shot from

inside edge of the right faceoff circle. But Muzzen took advantage of a screen by Carter and

beat LaBarbera with a soft shot from the top of the left circle for a 4-2 lead.

Los Angeles benefited from a questionable call with 39.6 remaining, when play was blown

dead by referee Tim Peel after the puck had slipped through Quick's pads and was trickling

toward the goal.

NOTES: Kopitar posted his first regular-season multi-goal game since Oct. 8, 2011,

against Buffalo. Kopitar scored twice in Game 2 of the Kings' second-round playoff series

sweep against St. Louis. ... Kings LW Simon Gagne returned to the lineup for the first time

since the season opener. Gagne logged 16:40 of ice team in Los Angeles' opener but was a

healthy scratch the past two games. ... The Kings are one of two Western Conference teams

and three teams overall without a victory. ... Coyotes G Mike Smith missed his second full

game with a lower-body injury. ... Phoenix has led in all three of its losses this season.

... The Kings have yet to score a power-play goal this season. Phoenix killed off a 5-on-3

power play in the first period despite the first unit spending the first 81 seconds on the

ice and with LW Ben Gordon without his stick for the final minute of that stretch.