Drew Doughty Finally Finds The Back Of The Net In Win Over Phoenix Coyotes

The tilt between the Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes was exactly what we’ve come to expect after their heated meeting in last year’s Western Conference Finals.

After a few quiet contests this year, which lacked intensity, there was no shortage of it on Tuesday night, as the Kings overcame a couple of late Shane Doan goals in order to keep the struggling Coyotes down.

It was a game that definitely featured some questionable play from each side, including hits from Doan on the Phoenix side and multiple skirmishes after the whistle, including when the game ended. But the big story from the LA side, outside of the win, was the fact that Drew Doughty finally scored a goal.

Doughty’s failure to find the back of the net was something that had been well-documented this season. Many expected him to be a Norris Trophy candidate this year, which means quite a bit of goal scoring from the blue line is something of a requirement.

But almost two months into the season, Doughty hadn’t scored and had just 10 points on the year. Though he was playing a solid defensive game, they needed more production out of their no. 1 d-man in the offensive end. That finally came on Tuesday.

Doughty scored in the second period, on a goal that gave the Kings a 2-0 lead. One has to wonder if this will help Doughty catch a little fire and start putting up points with more regularity. Not that the Kings need the offensive help these days, as they’ve turned their early season struggles around.