Yandle’s late goal gives Coyotes franchise record-tying ninth straight home win

Yandle lifts Coyotes past Kings

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Keith Yandle scored with 9:20 to go and the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on Saturday night for their franchise record-tying ninth straight home victory.

Los Angeles’ Michal Handzus scored a power-play goal at 3:58 of the third period, backhanding a rebound off Anze Kopitar’s shot to tie it at 2.

But Yandle came on as the trailer on a rush by Taylor Pyatt and Peter Mueller and took a pass from Pyatt between the circles. Jonathan quick stopped Yandle’s initial shot, but the defenseman wrested the rebound home from the top left of the crease.

Adrian Aucoin and Martin Hanzal also scored for the Coyotes, who matched the franchise record set from Dec. 27, 1992, to Jan. 23, 1993, when the team was in Winnipeg. Phoenix is 11-2-0 in its last 13 home games and has won six of its last eight overall.

Dustin Brown also scored for the Kings, who were playing for the first time in eight days. Los Angeles has lost three of its last four.

Los Angeles had a three-man advantage for the final 48 seconds courtesy of two Coyotes penalties and Quick being pulled for an extra attacker.

Brown gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 5:49 of the first when he skated untouched between the circles and backhanded a long rebound at the top of the crease past Ilya Bryzgalov’s left skate.

Aucoin tied it at 8:45 on a one-timer off Robert Lang’s pass from behind the net.

Hanzal snapped a 1-1 tie at 13:56 of the first period when he won a faceoff to the left of Quick and chipped the puck off a pack of players on the front left edge of the crease. The puck deflected into the air and just past the outstretched left glove of defenseman Rob Scuderi into the right side of the net for an unassisted goal.

Kings right wing Justin Williams was taken off the ice on a stretcher after apparently injuring his right knee early in the first period.

Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski checked Kings center Anze Kopitar back into Williams and both players fell on top of the 28-year-old as his knee buckled beneath him with 15:33 left in the first. The team said Williams had a lower-body injury.

Jovanovski went to the ice after the left side of his face was driven into the glass by a hard hit by Brandon Segal. Jovanovski got to his skates and tried charging Segal, but was restrained by a lineman and guided to the bench.

NOTES: Segal and right wing Wayne Simmonds had been activated off the injured list by the Kings earlier Saturday. Before the game, the Coyotes honored captain Shane Doan for playing in his 1,000th career game — all with the Phoenix/Winnipeg franchise — on Dec. 16 in Columbus.