[0] KINGS GET A HIGH FIVE PALFFY SCORES TWO MORE TO HELP DEFEAT COYOTES KINGS 5, PHOENIX 2.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

PHOENIX - You don't have to tell the Kings that the Pacific Division is the toughest in the National Hockey League.

A night after getting embarrassed by the last-place Mighty Ducks, the Kings scored five consecutive goals Wednesday to defeat the division- leading Phoenix Coyotes 5-2 in front of 14,029 at America West Arena.

Ziggy Palffy had his second two-goal performance in the last three games and the game winner came on a blast by captain Rob Blake with 25 seconds remaining in the second period.

Fittingly, the fourth goal came from Bob Corkum, who played three seasons with the Coyotes, but joined the Kings last month after Phoenix elected not to re-sign him.

However, the most impressive part of the Kings victory, their fourth in six games, was that it came after Phoenix took a 2-0 lead just eight minutes into the game.

It was no way to start, especially after losing to the Mighty Ducks and now having to look forward to facing the Dallas Stars on Friday. The Stars, who entered the game tied with Phoenix for the lead in the Paci

fic, have not lost to the Kings in the last 22 games, dating back to 1995.

The only other time the Kings won a game this year when they trailed by two goals was Oct. 28 in a 5-3 victory over Pittsburgh.

For a team that was never heard from after allowing four second-period goals Tuesday, the Kings appeared to take Phoenix's early lead as a challenge.

Jamie Storr, who took over after Stephane Fiset was pulled against the Ducks, rebounded from early goals by Keith Carney and Rick Tocchet to shut down the Coyotes.

Phoenix, which came in tied with Dallas with 65 points, had won six straight before losing to the Stars.

The Coyotes also had won three of the four meetings with the Kings this season.

Storr, the goalkeeper, had the only victory over Phoenix. Now he has two. The other also came in Phoenix, 3-2.

It didn't look good at the beginning.

Just 77 seconds into the game, the Coyotes had a 2-on-1 break and Dallas Drake with the puck.

Both Blake and Storr guessed Drake would take the shot, but they guessed wrong.

Drake slid a cross-ice pass to Carney, who fired at a near empty net with Storr sprawled on the ice. The Coyotes made it 2-0 on a power play goal with just 8:05 gone.

With Glen Murray off for interference, Teppo Numminen lifted a soft pass into the middle and off the stick of Greg Adams.

Tocchet, a former King who has made a career in front of the net, got the loose puck on his stick and fired it between Storr's legs for his 11th goal of the season.

But then Palffy started the comeback with 12:44 gone in the first period, when he scored a power play goal after a slick pass in front by Jozef Stumpel. It was Palffy's 20th goal of the season.

Palffy, who had two goals a week ago in an impressive victory over Detroit, later would assist on Blake's blast from the slot.

With just two minutes remaining in the first period, the Kings tied the game on a goal by Jozef Stumpel, another hot hand who has four goals in the last five games.

But Blake, who represented the Kings at last Sunday's All-Star game in Toronto, provided the momentum shift when he scored the on a blast from the slot at 19:35.

The Coyotes kept the pressure on in the third period, but never recovered.

The Kings added two more in the third, the first on Corkum, who played for the Mighty Ducks before signing with the Coyotes three years ago.

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Photo: Kings goalkeeper Jamie Storr is unable to stop the puck from going over his shoulder and into the net on Wednesday night as Phoenix's Rick Tocchet scores.

Paul Connors/Associated Press