Los Angeles 4, Phoenix 2

KINGS 4, COYOTES 2: Dwight King scored twice as Los Angeles struck first in the Western Conference final.

King picked an ideal time for his first career two-goal game, striking once in the second period and again in the third to cap a relentless Kings attack as Los Angeles improved to 9-1 in the postseason.

Game 2 goes Tuesday night in Glendale, Ariz.

Following a back-and-forth 40 minutes, Los Angeles seized its third lead of the game 2:11 into the third period. Slava Voynov sent an outlet pass to Dustin Brown, who went in on a partial breakaway and snapped a shot past Coyotes netminder Mike Smith.

King's second of the game into an empty net secured Los Angeles' first conference finals victory since 1993, when it eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs en route to its first and only Stanley Cup finals appearance.

Kings netminder Jonathan Quick made 25 saves in the win. Smith was sensational in defeat, turning aside 44 shots.

The Kings opened the scoring 3:53 into the game. Anze Kopitar pounced on a loose puck near the right faceoff dot and flipped a backhand shot that beat Smith high over his glove hand.

The Coyotes drew even just under 10 minutes later on one of the strangest goals of the playoffs. Defenseman Derek Morris intercepted a Los Angeles dump-in attempt on his own side of center ice before reaching the red line and unleashing a 100-foot slapshot that skipped over Quick's right pad and into the net.

The Kings continued to pour on the pressure in the second period and were rewarded with the go-ahead goal at 8:02. Mike Richards' initial shot on a Los Angeles 2-on-1 was turned aside by Smith, but King shoveled in the rebound for his second goal of the playoffs.

Phoenix answered again with less than two minutes remaining in the frame, as Mikkel Boedker buried a Shane Doan feed from the side of the Los Angeles net.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Phoenix came into the night averaging more than 36 shots against per game. ... Sixteen different Los Angeles players had a shot on goal, led by Brown's seven. ... Brown finished with a goal and an assist, giving him eight points in his last five games.

• Phoenix will play their next game at home against Los Angeles . The Coyotes have a W/L % of .476 after a win and .550 after a loss.
• Los Angeles will play their next game on the road against Phoenix . The Kings have a W/L % of .425 after a win and .548 after a loss.