Bryzgalov, a Coyote, beats Kings

He morphed from a Duck into a Coyote on Saturday morning, and by 3:30 in the afternoon, Ilya Bryzgalov had one more memory to savor in what had been a tumultuous, if not quirky, 30 or so hours for the 27-year-old goaltender.

His third career shutout.

Bryzgalov, who was claimed off waivers from the Ducks by Phoenix about 9 a.m., stayed steady early and went on to make 28 saves, leading the Coyotes to a 1-0 victory against the Kings before 15,659 at Staples Center. The lone goal came from Shane Doan at 11:24 of the second period, on a two-man advantage.

As for Bryzgalov, at least he knew how to get to Staples Center from his home in Yorba Linda. This was where he sat on the bench Thursday night in the Ducks’ 6-3 victory against the Kings, said goodbye to his teammates afterward and returned to meet his new colleagues Saturday morning, arriving just in time for the team meeting.

And he didn’t quite have time to completely shed his old Ducks identity.

“I will paint Phoenix colors on it for sure,” Bryzgalov said of his mask and gear. “ . . . I just walked into the locker room and my new teammates were excited and made me feel like I’ve always been here.”

He went out of his way to praise the Ducks organization, in particular General Manager Brian Burke, calling him “a great man.” Burke accommodated his wish to be a starter and put him on waivers Friday, knowing he would surely lose a quality goalie and get nothing in return, other than picking up $250,000 in salary-cap room.

“We are very happy for Ilya,” Burke said. “He’s a great kid who deserves a chance to be a starting NHL goaltender.”

Bryzgalov, who was 2-3-1 with the Ducks this season and making $1.36 million, was asked whether he was sad that things did not work out in Anaheim.

“Not sad. It was a great time in Anaheim, but it’s time to build something new,” he said, “help build this great, young organization.”

The Coyotes knew first-hand of his capabilities. Bryzgalov was 7-2 with a 1.99 goals against average in 10 games against Phoenix, and his first NHL victory came against the Coyotes on March 16, 2003.

His phone was busy after the Ducks put him on waivers, which was arguably the most dramatic move of this young NHL season. Destination, unknown, made it a long day for Bryzgalov, who didn’t skate Friday.

“I tried not to think about it,” he said. “Lots of people were calling me, ‘Where are you going? Where are you going?’ ”

The timing couldn’t have been better for the Coyotes, coming off three straight losses to San Jose and allowing 15 goals and scoring once in that stretch, and enduring a goal-less stretch of 202 minutes, ending when Doan scored. Coyotes Coach Wayne Gretzky called him shortly after 9 and told him to get ready for the 1 p.m. game.

“I knew it was probably going to be a hard day,” Gretzky said. “Twenty-four hours ago, he wasn’t sure where he was going to go.”

Not to the Kings.

Though it was a moot point -- the Coyotes were ahead of the Kings in the waiver selection order -- Kings management said Friday that it was not interested in acquiring him, opting to develop its own goalies.

Goaltending was not the problem for the Kings against the Coyotes.

There were deeper issues: long spells with no shots on goal, almost looking like droughts at the start of the second and the third. Their first shot in the third period didn’t come until 10:52.

Goalie Jason LaBarbera, no fan of early starts, stopped 37 shots. He was reminded that the Kings didn’t have many more 1 p.m. starts, and he responded by nodding his head, saying: “I already looked ahead.”

He suggested that the road might be the tonic for the struggling team. The Kings have won once in their last five games, and this was the first time they had been shut out at Staples Center since April 6, 2006, against San Jose.

So, can a team simply be at home too long?

“I don’t know about that,” Kings Coach Marc Crawford said. “If our people are wishing to play on the road, they’re going to get their wish.”

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