Coyotes live to fight another day in NHL series

The Phoenix Coyotes weren't about to go quietly into the night as long as captain Shane Doan had a say in the matter. Doan handled all the scoring and Mike Smith posted this third shutout of the post-season as the Coyotes staved off elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs by beating Los Angeles 2-0 on Sunday. Captain Doan scored his fourth and fifth goals of the playoffs and Smith stopped all 36 shots he faced for the Coyotes, who now trail the Kings 3-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference series. Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said Doan was on a personal crusade to make himself and his teammates play better in the series. "You don't see all the things that happen behind the scenes," Tippett said. "With what he does in the dressing room and when you see what he does behind the scenes and then he backs it up on the ice well that speaks volumes about what kind of player he is." Phoenix, in the Stanley Cup semi-finals for the first time in franchise history, will host game five on Tuesday. Either the Kings or Coyotes will play the New York Rangers or New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final. The third-seeded Coyotes are trying to pull off an improbable comeback. Only three teams in NHL history have won a seven-game series after losing the first three. The last club to do it was the Philadelphia Flyers when they beat Boston in the 2010 Eastern Conference semi-finals. "We recognize we put ourselves in a tough position, (but) we also know it has been done," said Doan. "I guess that's what sports are all about, trying to do something that someone hasn't done for a while, try to do things (when) the odds are kind of stacked against you. Our group is special." "Nobody wants to be in the position we're in. But our group is special." Doan scored the eventual game winner at 14:19 of the first period when he skated out from the right corner and lifted a backhand over Jonathan Quick's shoulder from a sharp angle, just the third shot of the game for Phoenix. His second goal came off a faceoff win in the Kings' zone and the shot caromed off the television camera in the back of the net, fooling the officials who let play continue. At the next whistle, the Coyotes protested and a video review showed that the puck had crossed the goal line. Smith had to be sharp from the opening faceoff as the Coyotes managed just five shots on goal in an otherwise lethargic first period. Phoenix picked up their play in the second but the Kings still controlled much of the tempo in the first two periods, outshooting Phoenix 23-14. "We did the things that make you move forward," said Tippett. "We live for another day. "We want to go home and grab some momentum from this game."