Jeff Carter scores a hat trick in Game 2 against Phoenix.

The NHL’s playoff road warriors are heading home with a commanding lead in the Western Conference Finals.

The Los Angeles Kings tied three NHL records — and more importantly got themselves halfway to the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-0 win Tuesday in Game 2 at Jobing.com Arena. The Kings lead the series 2-0 with Game 3 set for Thursday at Staples Center in Los Angeles (9 p.m. ET; NBC, TSN, RDS).

Jeff Carter, who had only one goal in the previous 10 playoff games, became the first Kings player since Wayne Gretzky in 1993 to score a hat trick in a playoff game. Jonathan Quick made 24 saves for his second shutout of the postseason and Los Angeles ran its streak of successful penalty kills to 28 with four more.

“We really want it right now,” forward Dustin Pennertold NHL.com. “We want the first goal. We want the next goal. It’s that intensity and that passion that drives us. It’s that good type of fear that stops you from letting games get away from you and continues to push you forward. We use that fear of losing to motivate us as opposed to shrinking to it.”

The Kings have gotten bigger and better away from Southern California.

They have won seven straight road games in these playoffs, tying a record last matched by the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks. Their 7-0 road record to start the playoffs ties a record set by the 1999 Colorado Avalanche. They’ve won nine straight on the road dating back to last spring. That ties the record for most road wins spanning consecutive postseasons, previously done by the Islanders in 1982 and 1983.

The 2010 Blackhawks, 1982 Islanders and 1983 Islanders have the same thing in common — they all won the Stanley Cup. The 2012 Kings are two wins away from giving themselves the opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup against either the New Jersey Devils or New York Rangers.

“We try to get away from all that outside jargon, whatever you want to call it,” Penner said. “It doesn’t matter where we are, what the temperature is outside, we just go out there and play the game the way we’re supposed to play, within the system. The outcome will take care of itself.”

The Coyotes had to play the final 23:31 without captain Shane Doan and the last 8:59 without centerMartin Hanzal. Both were given five-minute majors for boarding and game misconducts.

Doan was tossed 16:29 into the second after crunching Trevor Lewis into the boards near the right corner, leading to a 5-on-3 goal for the Kings. Hanzal was sent off at 11:01 of the third period after hitting Kings captain Dustin Brown between the numbers roughly three feet from the end boards in the defensive zone. Brown stayed down for a few moments, but he stayed in the game after getting some assistance on his way to the bench during the TV timeout.

The Coyotes were called for 13 penalties totaling 56 minutes. Carter scored two of his three goals when the Kings were skating with a 5-on-3 advantage.

“I think you have to give them credit, how they’re playing,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said of the Kings. “I certainly think that we can show better than we are right now. I liked the first period, first part of the second period. We’ve got to find a way to sustain that, obviously keeps some pucks out of our net, be more disciplined, capitalize on a chance or two; at least give ourselves a chance where we feel like we’re competitive in the game.”

The Kings jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Dwight King‘s third goal of the series and fourth of the playoffs 13:15 into the first period. Phoenix had several quality chances to tie the game within the first four minutes of the second period, but Quick came up with seven saves to preserve the 1-0 lead that ballooned to 2-0 when Carter scored the first of his three goals at 4:47.

Getting the two-goal lead was something the Kings could not do in Game 1. That’s how the Coyotes, despite being badly outplayed and outshot, were able to keep the game tied going into the third period.

They couldn’t come close to doing that in Game 2.

“It was huge, especially because we didn’t have the best start,” Kings center Anze Kopitar said of Carter’s goal to make it 2-0. “We were up in shots, but we were in and out of their zone the whole time. Quickie held us in it again and we were able to get our legs underneath us and push through. Getting the second goal and obviously getting the PP goal was huge for us to get more insurance. After that we brought it home safe.”

Carter extended the lead to 3-0 when he deflected Kopitar’s shot from the right circle past Mike Smithduring a 5-on-3 after Doan’s boarding incident on Lewis. Keith Yandle was already in the penalty box for roughing and Daymond Langkow went off at the same time as Doan for slashing Brown.

“Penalties took the game away from us,” Tippett said.

Penner was the difference in the Kings taking a 2-0 lead. He used his big body to create a scoring chance for Carter.

Penner beat both Yandle and Doan to the puck at the end boards. He shielded Doan, allowing Mike Richards to take the puck and bring it into the corner. Penner got it back with his back to the right post, tipped a pass to Carter, who beat Antoine Vermette in and got just enough on the shot to send it underneath Smith’s glove.

Tippett spoke about the need to win more puck battles after Game 1, but on that goal three of his players — Yandle, Doan and Vermette — all got beat.

“We got outcompeted again, outbattled,” said Smith, who made 36 saves. “In the first period we played a little better and competed a little harder, but it’s not enough.

“There’s no need to hit the panic button, but we do need to play better.”

It’ll help if they can avoid the penalty box, avoid the frustration that was so obvious Tuesday night.

“We have to keep going. We have to keep finishing our checks,” Brown said. “When you have everyone, whether it’s your best players or your role players, finishing checks, doing everything they can to get in the way, it can get frustrating (for the other team). The intensity is high, and at this stage of the playoffs it’s important to understand that if they are frustrated we have to keep doing what we’re doing.”

Martin Brodeur makes a spectacular diving glove save on an open-net chance for Marc Staal.

Henrik Lundqvist needed three seconds to leave his mark on Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He left the rest of the series-opening victory to his stable of capable defensemen.

The Hart and Vezina Trophy finalist needed to make just 21 saves for his second shutout of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but made three consecutive stops on Devils captain Zach Parise with the game still scoreless in the second period to allow the New York Rangers a chance to take over in the third period and emerge with a 3-0 victory.

The Rangers were on a power play with 5:55 remaining in the second period when Parise busted through to release three dangerous shots in three seconds, all of which were turned aside by a scrambling, yet steady Lundqvist.

After escaping the second period 0-0, defenseman Dan Girardi scored the winner 53 seconds into the third period to put the Rangers ahead for good, but it was Lundqvist’s heroics with his team under siege in the second period that set the stage for the win.

“Yeah, as a goalie you always have to step up when your team needs you, not when you feel good and have your moments,” Lundqvist said. “A lot of times, it’s when the team’s struggling that you have to step up. It’s fun, too, to be there and make a difference when your team is going through a tough stretch.”

The Rangers were playing their 15th game of the postseason after winning in seven games in each of the first two rounds, while the Devils were coming off a five-day break after eliminating the Philadelphia Flyers in five games. Despite the disparity, Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh appeared to have to the freshest legs of anyone on the ice in the first period.

About seven minutes into the game, Parise escaped through the neutral zone for a clear-cut breakaway opportunity. McDonagh, who played 24:27 and blocked three shots, unveiled his speed to track down Parise and knock the puck away before a shot could be released.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, McDonagh repeated the feat about four minutes when Devils sniperIlya Kovalchuk found himself with a 1-on-1 chance against Lundqvist. McDonagh couldn’t deny the shot altogether this time, but he steered Kovalchuk into a backhand attempt that was far less dangerous than it could’ve been.

“You don’t want to cut in and let him get to that forehand,” McDonagh said. “I see Hankie coming out pretty far there and I’m just trying to make sure he stays to the outside. I didn’t think I could get my stick right onto the puck, so I just tried to make sure he couldn’t get to his forehand.”

“He’s such a good skater, and looked like he was pretty far behind but he would catch up pretty fast and made a great play,” Lundqvist said. “And because he’s such a great skater, he can be aggressive in his game. And it means a lot to the forwards, he can join the rush, but he also he’s really quick to recover if something happens.”

One of the few gaffes made by a Rangers blueliner happened in the second period when Girardi tried to make an outlet pass that deflected off Devils rookie Adam Henrique and resulted in a chaotic scene around Lundqvist’s net. It didn’t take long for Girardi to redeem himself with his second goal of the playoffs early in the third period.

Rangers rookie Chris Kreider, who added an insurance goal later in the period, pushed back the Devils defense with his speed as he crossed the blue line. Girardi joined the play from the bench and unleashed one-time blast from the blue line that eluded Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur to make it 1-0. Brodeur couldn’t track the puck with Rangers forward Derek Stepan parked at the top of his crease.

The goal changed the tenor of the game and gave the Rangers a lift over the final 20 minutes after they were outplayed during the first 40 minutes.

“It wasn’t our best two periods,” Girardi said. “We had to just go hard, play our style of game and work hard on the forecheck and it worked out for us. I saw (Kreider) coming up the wall there and I was delaying to see what he was going to do. I saw no one got to the point and I kind of stepped into it and got it through.”

Less than two minutes later, Lundqvist made a difficult save off a one-time try by Kovalchuk from the left side. Lundqvist pushed across and not only made the save, but left no rebound for an opportunistic Devil to jam home.

Kreider would put the game away with eight minutes left in the period, finishing a pretty passing sequence involving Artem Anisimov, who salted the win away late with an empty-net goal, and Girardi in the neutral zone. Kreider scored his third goal of the playoffs by snapping a quick shot past the glove side of Brodeur to make it 2-0.

Lundqvist was called upon to make four saves in the third period, but he stayed focused and once again gave his teammates time to score a big goal.

“They had some good chances where Hank had to make some big saves — again,” said defenseman Marc Staal, who had five of the Rangers’ 26 blocked shots in 24:55 of ice time. “At times in the third he wasn’t busy, but he’s always so mentally sharp and he stays with it and makes those key stops.”

The Rangers also forced another 15 shots to miss the net.

“It wasn’t anything we weren’t prepared for, we knew it was coming,” Parise said of the Rangers’ shot-blocking skills. “We just have to do a better job of getting the point shots through and get it past the first guy.”

That’s just part one of the plan. Part two is getting those pucks past Lundqvist, who leads all playoff goaltenders with a 1.57 goals-against average.

“We want to play well in front of him,” Rangers forward Brian Boyle said. “He bails us out. It’s huge. You think about the end of the game when you don’t want to have to put him in situations like that. We know what we have in him, and he’s been huge for us all year long.”