Los Angeles: Max Domi had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut to help the Arizona Coyotes beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on Friday night.
Mike Smith made 40 saves for the Coyotes in their opener after a tumultuous summer that featured a contentious battle over the terms of their arena lease.
Zbynek Michalek, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Tobias Rieder also scored for Arizona. Domi, the son of former NHL enforcer Tie Domi, scored 4:43 into the second period when the Coyotes capitalized on a weak attempt to clear the puck by Kings rookie Jordan Weal. Steve Downie caused Weal’s indecision by bodying up on the young center, Connor Murphy held the puck in at the blue line, and Domi grabbed it and launched a blistering shot past Jonathan Quick to make it 3-0.
Domi, the 12th overall draft pick in 2013, had an assist on Ekman-Larsson’s goal. He became the first player to score multiple points in his debut with the Coyotes franchise since current captain Shane Doan had two assists for the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 7, 1995, according to Stats LLC.
Tyler Toffoli scored for Los Angeles.
Since scoring on the first shot of their season, the Kings allowed nine straight goals before Toffoli followed up Jeff Carter’s short-handed breakaway miss and put it in the net with 57 seconds left in the second period. The Kings lost their opener 5-1 to San Jose on Wednesday night, and again did little to indicate they were ready to return to the postseason and push for a third Stanley Cup title in five seasons.
Before Toffoli’s goal, the Staples Center fans did not hide their displeasure, booing and jeering Quick when he touched the puck long before Rieder make it 4-0. Quick finished with 18 saves.
Michalek scored exactly 2 minutes into the game, his shot deflecting off Nick Shore’s stick and fluttering in.
While the Kings dominated long stretches of the first period, the Coyotes doubled their advantage when Ekman-Larsson scored on a one-timer from between the circles with 48 seconds remaining, with Martin Hanzal picking up the first of his two assists.
