PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Coyotes aren't known for scoring in bunches. Ladislav Nagy might change that.
Nagy scored a career-best three goals to lead the Coyotes to a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
"Hopefully it's not the last one," Nagy said about his first hat trick. "I'm going to try to score more of them in my career."
The 24-year-old left wing is considered the Coyotes' best prospect to develop into a prolific scorer. Phoenix has looked for one since trading Keith Tkachuk to St. Louis in March 2001.
Nagy, who also had an assist for a career-high four points, was part of the package the Blues sent to the Coyotes in the deal.
"Laddy, he's kind of been a hidden secret over here in Phoenix for a couple of years," said Shane Doan, a member of the Nagy-Daymond Langkow line. "Obviously, he's emerging now. He's one of the most dangerous guys on the ice when he's got the puck."
Doan had a goal and two assists, and Langkow had two assists, helping the Coyotes snap a three-game losing streak.
Branko Radivojevic also scored, and Tyson Nash added an empty-net goal with 37 seconds left.
Phoenix's Sean Burke made 19 of his 39 saves in the final period.
"They came at us hard in the third period, and, obviously, Burkie's the first one to indicate he gave a couple of soft ones early," coach Bob Francis said. "But I'll tell you what, he was outstanding when it counted."
Roman Cechmanek stopped 17 shots for Los Angeles.
"I don't know how wide-open it was," Kings coach Andy Murray said. "They got 22 shots on goal. Totally ridiculous loss on our part. The chances we gave them we presented up on a platter."
Aaron Miller, Mike Cammalleri, Jon Sim and Eric Belanger scored for the Kings, and Luc Robitaille became the second left wing with 700 career assists. He passed the puck to Cammalleri, who tied it at 2 on the Kings' only successful power play 1:01 into the second.
"What milestone?" Robitaille asked. "I didn't even know. It doesn't even matter."
Nagy, among the NHL's goal-scoring leaders with 13, opened the scoring, tied it at 3 with 8:30 left in the second period, and got the winner 28 seconds into the third. He won a race to the puck along the boards, dragged it behind him through the circle, and beat Cechmanek under the crossbar to give Phoenix a 5-3 lead.
"Those are three pretty good goals," Doan said. "And to finish it with that goal, I mean, that's his type of goal - come down the line, put it right up under the bar. I had a good view coming in behind."
Belanger lifted a rebound over Burke's skate with 3:25 to play to tighten the game.
Nagy scored at 9:40 of the first period -- 12 seconds after the Coyotes killed his high-sticking penalty -- and Radivojevic made it 2-0 with 8:41 left when he wristed a shot past Cechmanek after a teammate knocked the Kings' Brad Chartrand off the puck.
But the Kings scored three straight goals, the last two in a 45-second span early in the second period.
After Nagy tied it, Doan got the go-ahead score -- a redirection off his skate after a pass from Radoslav Suchy. It handcuffed Cechmanek with 3:05 left in the second.
Notes
- Ziggy Palffy, the Kings' top scorer, sat out his second game. He lost two teeth when he was struck in the face by a puck on Saturday, missed Tuesday's game against New Jersey, and was placed on the injured list Wednesday.
- The Kings fell to 6-3-0-1 on the road.
- The Coyotes recalled RW Fredrik Sjostrom, their 2001 first-round draft pick, on Wednesday, but he was a healthy scratch.
- Langkow has 199 assists.
- Cechmanek lost for the second time since earning his 100th win against Nashville on Nov. 19.
- John Bucyk's 813 assists and 1,369 points are the most by a left wing.
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