Mikkel Boedker News

After scratching and clawing their way deeper into the playoffs than they had ever been, the Coyotes were struck by the did-that-just-happen shock of an overtime goal that simultaneously ended Game 5 of the Western Conference finals and their season.

Tuesday night's elimination of the Phoenix Coyotes didn't just end the 2012 Stanley Cup aspirations of the team from the desert, but it also ended the run of a few fresh faces to late-Spring hockey.A One of those was young Danish forward Mikkel Boedker , who posted four goals and four assists in Phoenix's 16-game Cup run.

Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar, left, of Slovenia, and Phoenix Coyotes right wing Mikkel Boedker battle for the puck during the first period in Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals on Sunday, May 20, 2012, in Los Angeles.

With the Coyotes drowning in a 3-0 hole, the captain was on a mission to extend the Western Conference finals series for at least one more game.

May 20, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Phoenix Coyotes right wing Mikkel Boedker controls the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period of game four of the Western Conference Finals of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Staples Center.

One of the more-disappointing factors for the Coyotes in falling behind 3-0 to the Kings in the Western Conference finals has been their lack of offense.

Los Angeles Kings' Justin Williams moves the puck as Phoenix Coyotes' Mikkel Boedker attempts to knock it away in Game 3 of the Western Conference final.

Down 2-0 in the Western Conference final to the Los Angeles Kings and playing without top-six forward Martin Hanzal, you'd have to think that the Phoenix Coyotes' chances in this series have drifted from slight underdog to shrinking long shot.

Phoenix Coyotes' Taylor Pyatt and Shane Doan skate off the ice after a loss to the Los Angeles Kings after the third period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals, Sunday, May 13, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz.

Anze Kopitar congratulates captain Dustin Brown after the goal that put Los Angeles ahead to stay on Sunday in Glendale, Ariz.

Royal flush: Kings winger Dwight King celebrates his goal against the Coyotes on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona.

Let's get something straight. That there should be ice hockey in the desert is not the least bit preposterous.

Vindicated. That is what Captain Shane Doan said he feels today on the Bickley and MJ radio show .

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, center, and right wing Dustin Brown, right, congratulate goalie Jonathan Quick after Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series against the St.

After 1,198 regular-season games and 50 more playoff outings, 35-year-old Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan will embark on his first visit to the conference final, when his Coyotes meet the Los Angeles Kings in the West final opener on Sunday.

If I thought the hangover was long for the first series victory, man I'm still feeling beat after watching the Phoenix Coyotes close out the Nashville Predators on home ice Monday night.

Phoenix Coyotes' Shane Doan smiles as he celebrates with Mikkel Boedker , of Denmark, in a series win over the Nashville Predators after the third period in Game 5 in an NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference semifinal playoff series Monday, May 7, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz.

On the day the Phoenix Coyotes' latest prospective ownership group was introduced to the media, pre-game - is that three now, or four? - the National Hockey League's feisty stepchildren took the next big stride in their amazing journey through the Western Conference playoffs.

Monday could be a historic day for the Phoenix Coyotes franchise on two fronts. First, with a win over the Nashville Predators the Coyotes would be playing in their first Western Conference Final ever.

Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne , of Finland, stops the shot of Phoenix Coyotes right wing Mikkel Boedker , of Denmark, in the first period of Game 4 in an NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference semifinal playoff series, Friday, May 4, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn.