Tonight is Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Los Angeles Kings in Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix managed to halt the overpowering Kings offense and avoid elimination on Sunday night bringing the series to 3-1. The Kings only need one win to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1993. The Kings have also made incredible strides to make it to the Conference Finals, as have the Coyotes. Phoenix have never made it as far as the Conference Finals and are fighting for their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
Phoenix knows they have to be on top of their game to force a Game 6 in LA and bring this series to Game 7 back on home ice, they can do that with a win tonight. LA has dominated the Coyotes since the opening game of the series but with a successful effort in Game 4, they were able to hold off the offensive threat that threatened to end their season with a 2-0 shutout.
Goaltender Mike Smith made 36 saves and kept his team in the running and secured a shutout to hold off the Kings in Game 4. But unfortunately, the Kings have the advantage when they’re away from home. The Kings are 7-0 on the road which matches an NHL record.
Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett expressed that he knows where his team stands in the series now.
”We’re in the same boat we were the other night,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. ”If we don’t play well and we don’t win, we go home.”
Captain Shane Doan helped keep the Coyotes alive and netted a couple of goals to keep his team stay alive in their playoff run in Game 4.
The Kings had to fight to reach the playoffs to the end of this season. In the first round they came back to win against Vancouver (no. 1 seed) and then in round 2 completed the sweep against the St. Louis to brush away the no. 2 seed in the West.
Phoenix will have its hands full when Game 5 gets underway. It’ll be interesting to see if they’ll kick things off early and set the tone for the game. They’ll have to score early and often and keep LA at bay and prevent them from coming back.
Will the Coyotes be able to hold off elimination tonight again? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
Game 5 is tonight at 9 pm ET on NBC Sports/CBC.
