I guess you could argue that this is a follow up post to my 'Tales of Tired Hockey Fan' post from over a month ago. I will admit, I was a little overwhelmed with the response to that post, so many messages of support for the Phoenix came in. Along with some obvious negativity and trollage, to be expected really!
Anyway, this post is to address the news that, by now all of you will know, the Phoenix are no more.
Its really a post about one of the most unusual days in my hockey supporting life. If the previous post was, 'Tales from a Tired hockey fan' this one, certainly in relation to UK hockey is 'Tales from a sleeping hockey fan'. The death of my club, the reaction by the vocal minority have pretty much killed off my interest in UK hockey but, not quite stone dead! I will try and explain!
Its no secret that the past year and a half has been tough as a Phoenix fan, both mentally, physically and financially. 2016/17 season was always going to be tough. So, when an opportunity arose at work, which meant I could finally get to Arizona in an affordable way, checking the Coyote schedule yielded a week where there would be 2 NHL games and 2 AHL games all at Gila River Arena I jumped at the chance. So, the last few days of January and early February, Mr & Mrs Angry Budgie flew stateside, to Arizona to attend the first live Coyote games in my 20 years of supporting the team.
Tickets were in hand for LA and Chicago at Airzona and the Checkers at Roadrunners, all at GRA. I wont go into too much detail on the games as, most of you will have watched NHL anyway. What I will say is, the Phoenix shirts caused alot of interest and interesting questions. We also got to meet up with Sarah Hall, one half of the Den Talk Coyote podcast duo. We also got to meet some other Coyote fans who have quickly become good friends.
So, the day of reckoning, the day which altered my love for UK hockey in a big way. Mrs Angry Budgie and I were relaxing, prior to the LA game, in the entertainment area outside GRA on some sofa's around a fountain. Beautiful blue Arizona skies, lovely and warm, so excited to be finally seeing an Arizona Coyote game when, via twitter, we read the news about the death of our club.
Imagine how far my spirits fell in that moment, on an incredible high about to watch the Coyotes, to learning the club I love and supported for so long has ended. In that moment, surrounded by the Arizona sunshine, other hockey fans, our emotions got the better of us. Such a surreal situation we both were numb, completely numb, not knowing what to make of our feelings. Reading the reaction from friends on twitter and facebook was heartbreaking, we suddenly felt every one of those miles from Manchester. After a good amount of time trying to get our heads around what had happened, we finally had to pick ourselves up and get ready for NHL hockey.
GRA is beautiful, finally walking the halls of my NHL teams arena was special. Going down to ice level to watch warmup and take pictures was incredible. All the while (certainly) my feelings were a little muted given the demise of the Phoenix. Still, watching the game from up in the gods, I was able to enjoy the experience, finally forgetting about UK hockey for 3 hours. The NHL is such a slick show, the Coyotes have a great media show and one hell of a goal horn. That damn thing could be heard across the country!
So, that was the most surreal day in my hockey supporting life, from an extreme high to and extreme low and back again. Watching my life long NHL team while mourning the loss of my UK team all in the space of a few hours. A year and a half of constant negativity from sections of the UK #hockeyfamily, to an organisation/team misappropriating history and being involved in the demise of my club. This has left me numb to UK hockey, I still love the game, I still love the people I have met through it. But, I think my interest solely remains to see those people, its the people I care for, not so much the teams that remain.
Who knows, in the future something may come along that I can get excited about? But, for now, I'll be supporting the Coyotes from Macclesfield, were still in with a shout of the playoffs......until mathematically impossible of course! As for the game in the UK? Im going to take a nap, wake me up when Manchester gets a new rink!
The Coyotes post season adventure continues
and the ride currently runs to the Conference finals and a matchup with
the NHL's form team right now, the LA Kings. Having nocked out the number
1 and 2 seeds the Kings were eyeing up the number 3 seeded Coyotes, for
what would be a tough series. The Kings are blessed with some hot goaltending
and some depth scoring. The Coyotes would have to work very hard and continue
with their defence first mentality.
v Kings (L)
Having the first two games on home ice
would, usually, be an advantage! Against the Kings this isn't the case,
the Kings are hot away from the Staples Centre and this game would be no
different. The Kings fought hard and with a relentless forecheck loaded
Smith with shots. By the end of the game Smith had faced 48 shots, Dustin
Brown lead the way with one goal and one assist and with Quick in outstanding
form the Kings took game one by a score of 4-2.
v Kings (L)
Losing the first game was not the way
the Coyotes wanted to start their maiden conference final effort, but the
Kings, in their current form, were not willing to let up. The Kings offence
overpowered the Coyotes and their special teams were on fire as the King's
shutout the Coyotes 4-0 to take a strong 2-0 lead in the western conference
finals. In this form the Kings are irresistible sadly, for us Coyotes fans.
It is going to take a big big effort for the coyotes to come back from
the brink.
@ Kings (L)
Down 2 games to 0 and heading back to
southern California things are looking bleak for Phoenix. The game saw
Phoenix make a better start and score first through Langkow early in the
second period. The Kings came right back though, and Anze Kopitar tied
the game just about two minutes later. The Kings continued to outwork the
Coyotes and their domination in the third period lead, un-surprisingly,
to their second and the game winner Dwight King scoring the wrister early
in the third period. The Kings now stood one game away from another series
sweep.
@ Kings (W)
One final game? One last chance? The
Coyotes had to be better! If the unlikely journey was to continue this
was a must win for the Coyotes. The players obviously thought so too and
the big game guys stood tall and were counted. Shane Doan lead the way
with two goals, Mike Smith recorded his first shutout of the series and
the Coyotes took one step back from the cliff and recorded a 2-0 win to
send the series back to the desert. The Coyotes effort broke the Kings
eight game winning streak and showed there were signs of life in the Coyotes.
v Kings (L-OT)
Another must win for the Coyotes back
in Glendale. Despite their best efforts the game would be decided on a
moment of controversy and one that would see the organisation and many
players investigated by the NHL for some of their post game comments. The
Kins were victorious in Phoenix and in doing so have become only the second
team to nock out the top three seeds in a post season run. The 'moment'
occurred during OT when Brown, leading with a knee, took out Phoenix player
Michal Rozsival who lay injured on the ice. The ensuing play saw the Kings
score, take the win and with it the Western Conference championship. More
importantly a spot in the Stanley Cup Final. Its a shame for a game to
be decided on poor officiating but, these series are not decided over one
game!
@ Kings
(not needed)
v Kings
(not needed)
So the Coyotes dream run is over, it
hurts to go out so cheaply but the Coyotes have proved the doubters wrong
in getting this far! My hope is for the Devils to now take the Cup!
After advancing to the Stanley Cup second
round for the first time since moving to Phoenix the Coyotes had a second
round matchup against the Nashville Predators. The Pred's dealt with the
Wings easily in round one and would present a very tough opposition for
the Coyotes. But, in this post season or surprises, you'd be a fool to
bet against the Desert Dogs!
v Predators (W-OT)
In keeping with the Yotes progress thus far
the first game of round two had it all at the Jobing.com! The Coyotes held
three one goal leads throughout the game, were massively out shot in the
final period 16-1 and yet still were able to dig deep and grind out the
win in another OT! The misfiring Phoenix top line also turned up, having
struggled in round one the top line had two goals in this game. With the
game going to overtime, the Coyotes set an NHL record of their first 7
post season games, 6 of them went to the extra session. This shows the
ability of this team to keep going and get the win no matter what. The
saviour this time was Ray Whitney who got his second goal of the playoffs.
v Predators (W)
Having made the best start to round
two, it was up to the Coyotes to do it again! In doing so they proved they
needed to be taken seriously, many had tipped the Predators to do the job
over the Yotes, game two showed it would be tougher than they thought.
Mike Smith put in another stellar performance and the Phoenix big guns
all contributed to record a fine 5-3 victory. This time, no overtime was
needed! Vermette, Vrbata, Hanzal and Doan each got a goal and an assist
and the Coyotes out shot the Predators to record an all round victory.
@ Predators (L)
The Predators, back in the comfort of
Bridgestone Arena, finally woke up and decided to play in game three. Two
goals in 76 seconds and a return to form for Rinne was enough to blank
the Coyotes by a score of 2-0. The Predators showing some of the form that
got them 107 points from the regular season. With Rinne in great form and,
the Coyotes inability to score on a 5 on 3 powerplay, it is hard to begrudge
the Predators this win. Game four will be a real test!
@ Predators (W)
Both Phoenix and Nashville were know,
throughout the regular season, as tough defensive teams that were hard
to breakdown. Game four in Nashville was an example of that tenacity! Where
as in game three and four the Coyotes didn't make many big plays, the difference
was, in game four they made fewer mistakes! Mike Smith, who must be putting
in a great shout for a league MVP this season, gave the Coyotes a
25 save shutout performance and captain Shane Doan scored the games only
goal. The win giving the Coyotes series advantage and a chance to seal
it up at the Jobing arena. Hopefully this time, unlike in the first round,
they can get it done in front of the home faithful!
v Predators (W)
All back to the desert for, potentially,
the biggest game of the Coyotes history! Not only had this season seen
the Coyotes advance past the first round for the first time. Win this game
and the Coyotes could reach the conference final for the first time! Beating
teams like St Louis and Vancouver to this particular dance this season!
Mike Smith again stepped up and had a great game and the Coyotes were able
to frustrate the Predators in front of their net limiting the chances available.
The Coyotes leapt to a two goal lead in the second period through Morris
and Hanzal and, despite conceding a goal in the third to Colin Wilson,
were able to close-out the biggest win of the Coyotes history so far.
So the unfancied Coyotes dealt with
the Predators winning the series 4-1 and advancing to a conference finals
match up with the LA Kings. The win built upon the great news that, the
NHL had signed the potential deal with the Jamieson group which would keep
the Coyotes in the desert. The Coyotes head into the finals with home ice
advantage, the underdog tag and a potential new ownership situation sorted,
this summer is turning out to be a great one for the Phoenix Coyotes!
The Coyotes advanced to the post season
once again as the number 3 seed in the western conference. Unlike the previous
two season the Yotes would not face the RedWings but, the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Hawks were dominant on home ice through the regular season but lost
both games against the Coyotes, including one in the United Centre. This
series would be a tough one, but a winnable one for the Phoenix Coyotes.
v Chicago (W-OT)
Opening the series on home ice is important,
but getting the win is even more so! In what would set the tone for the
series this game was a close/tight affair, which the Coyotes would lead
and yet let the lead slip late. In fact, the Coyotes were just 14 seconds
from a regulation win before the Hawks tied the game. Thankfully the 'Hockey
the hard way' mantra the Coyotes have adopted worked its magic and, 9minutes
into the OT period Hanzal scored the winner to give the Coyotes the early
series lead. Phoenix had, earlier, built a 2-1 lead through Taylor Pyatt
and Antoine Vermette only for Brent Seabrook to force overtime.
v Chicago (L-OT)
The second game in the series, again
at the Jobing.com, would be another tight game. By the end of the second
period the Coyotes had built a 3-2 lead over the Hawks through goals from
Torres and two for Vermette. The third period looked to be goaless
and the Coyotes heading for a 2-0 series lead but, like game 1, the Hawks
got a late late equaliser. This time going 10sec better, scoring their
3rd goal with just 5.5sec left off a deflected shot. This time the Coyotes
could not regroup and it was the Hawks who scored the winner in OT to tie
the series 1 a piece.
@ Chicago (W-OT)
Game three in Chicago will probably
be remembered for a hit rather than the result. During the first period
Marian Hossa picked up the puck centre ice and made a pass without looking
up. Raffi Torres en-course for a hit left his skates and delivered a crunching
hit to Hossa who lay injured and had to be stretcher from the ice. It's
not a pretty hit and one that, subsequently, has been punished heavily
by the league handing out a 25 games suspension for Raffi Torres. The game
itself would be the third in a row to head to overtime. This time it was
Ray Whitney and the Coyotes with the OT forcing goal. Mikkel Boedker delivering
the laser shot to give the Coyotes back the series lead.
@ Chicago (W-OT)
The Coyotes are a team without household
stars, ask most people and they won't be able to name any! This under the
radar profile and hard working ethic is being tested to the max in this
series. No goals for 40 minutes left it down to a third period scoring
frenzy! Phoenix lept to a two goal lead through Doan and Pyatt, but the
late lead cough-up curse came to haunt the Yotes once more as the Blackhawks
roared back into the game. Morrison and Frolik scoring to tie the game
with 90 sec to go. The will to win that's got the Yotes through this season
would not desert them and Boedker would score his second straight OT winner
to put the Yotes up 3-1 and a chance to tie up the series back in Arizona!
v Chicago (L-OT)
Back in the desert with a chance to
win their first playoff series? Too good to be true? Sadly it was, 'Hockey
the hard way' would see to that! Typifying the series so far the game would
be another tight one that would need the extra session to decide. Brule
got Phoenix on the board early in the second period only for Nick Leddy
to tie the game mid-way through the third period. Perhaps with nerves increasing
the Blackhawks got the winner in OT though a first playoff goal for Johnathan
Toews. This sent the series back to Chicago for another game and, another
chance for the Coyotes to close out the series. With Torres gone for 25
games, every previous game going to OT the fans are certainly getting their
money's worth!
@ Chicago (W)
It's this sort of game that a teams
true mettle and reserve comes out! The game could not have indicated how
far this Coyotes team has come any better. In Chicago, needing a win, the
Coyotes exploded and rolled the Hawks 4-0 to take the series win. The big
key for this win was Mike Smith, Chicago put 28 shots on goal through the
first two period but just couldn't score. Oliver Ekman-Larsson put the
Coyotes ahead in the second period. With Mike Smith turning away every
shot the Coyotes hammered home the advantage in the third. Goals from Brule,
Vermette and Chipchura ensure the Coyotes won their first every playoff
series 4-0, with Mike Smith turning away all 39 shots he faced.
v Chicago - Not needed.
With that the Coyotes won their western
conference quarter final 4-2 and advanced to the semi final stage for the
first time in their history. This win sets up a series against the Nashville
Predators with the Coyotes once again, taking home ice advantage. What
further surprises can this Coyote team spring?
This updated covers the Coyotes regular season games in April, the next update will have their round one series against the Chicago Blackhawks.
v ColumbusApril sees the end of the regular season
and with 3 games left nothing was sorted in the Pacific division. The matchup
against the Blue Jackets would see Mike Smith set a record and secure a
shutout. With the team in front misfiring a little Smitty turned aside
all 54 saves for his shutout. Boyd Gordona and Gilbert Brule scored for
Phoenix to secure the win and keep the Coyotes in seventh place and within
the post season places.
@ St Louis
The Coyotes would finish their regular
season on the road, starting with a tough game away to the St Louis Blues.
With their playoff berth secured the matter for the Coyotes now is, where
would they finish and who would they face in the first round of the playoffs.
Vrbata and Doan scored just 2 minutes apart to break a tied game and a
further market from Boedker ensure the Coyotes left the Scottrade Centre
with a great 4-1 victory over the Blues. The win also went a long way in
securing the Coyotes first ever division title!
@ Minnesota
Win the size of the prize the Coyotes
went all out to get in, and they did in some style! The Coyotes made the
best start with goals from Boedker and Pyatt giving them the lead. Dany
Heatley pulled one back but another one from Pyatt and Vrbata's 35th of
the season ensured the Coyotes win, by a score of 4-1. A great win to secure
the Pacific Division title and a deserved win for Phoenix too dominating
the game from start to end. With the win the Coyotes not only take the
title but also home advantage in the first round of the playoff's.
The penultimate month of the season saw
the Coyotes fighting for a playoff spot in the Pacific Divison, the division
title was also within reach.
v Flames (L)
The mantra of the Coyotes this season has been 'Hockey the Hard Way' throught
the previous games the Coyotes have playedit dangerously at times and the
run had to come to an end at some point! Along the way the Coyotes have
been able to haul themselves out of some tough spots, their first period
form has been poor. Against the Flames this ability came to an end, 3-0
down after the first period the Coyotes rallied in the second through Torres
and Rozisval but an Iginla empty nett goal in the last minute condemned
the Yotes to their first regulation loss in 12 games.
v Blue Jackets (L)
After the disappointing loss to Calgary the Coyotes had a chance for redemption
against the lowly Blue Jackets. Coming into the game the Blue Jackets were
buoyed by the news that star player Rick Nash would not be leaving, it
would be Nash who would haunt the Yotes this game. Continuing the theme
of their poor starts, the Coyotes found themselves 2-0 down early in the
second before Whitney and Korpikoski goals hauled them level. The Coyotes
poor third period would see them concede 3 goals and the game, condemning
them to a loss and an 0 and 2 record against the Blue Jackets.
@ Penguins (L)
The Coyotes March madness continued against the high flying Pens. Again,
another poor first period saw the Coyotes 2-0 down heading into the second
period. The Coyotes huffed and puffed but found Marc-Andre Fleury in scintillating
form. Zybnek Michalek and Chris Kunitz put the pens ahead before Ray Whitney
got his 21st goal of the season early in the third period. This set up
an tense final period but the Coyotes were unable to find the game levelling
goal.
@ Blue Jackets (L)
If the Coyotes wanted to ensure their participation in the post season
they need to shake out of this slump. February was awesome, March, very
much less so! The Coyotes travelled to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets
for the second time in a few days. The symptom of this poor form has been
the Yotes poor starts in games. Tonight would be no different, in just
4 minutes the Blue Jackets were two goals to the good. Vermett did get
one back for the Coyotes before the end of the first period. Derek MacKenzie
put the Blue Jackets two clear before Yandle reduced the arrears again.
This left the Coyotes with one period to get leveller, sadly this did not
come and the Phoenix poor run was extended again.
v Wild (L-SO)
The Coyotes just cant catch a break so far in March, they started this
game against the Wild in, predictably, slow fashion. By the end of the
first period the Wild were 2 goals up through Brodziak and Kampfer. No
goals came in the second period but the Coyotes dug deep and pulled the
game back in the third through Torres and Korpikoski forcing overtime.
At least the Coyotes would get some points from the game and get the scoreboard
ticking again. Dany Heatley secured the extra point for the Wild and the
Coyotes finally got moving in March.
v Sharks (W)
The Coyotes needed to bounce back and get going in March, the Sharks would
provide tough opposition. The Coyotes bounced back in some style, Mike
Smith got his fifth shutout of the season and goals from Mikkel Boedker,
Michael Stone and Raffi Torres ensure the Phoenix got a morale boosting
3-0 win. The win meaning so much more as it came against division opposition.
Coming on from the SO loss against the Wild this win gave the Phoenix some
much needed momentum.
v Predators (L-SO)
The Coyotes-Predators games so far have
been epic encounters, the latest instalment at the Jobing arena was far
far different. Both teams traded goals and ended the 60 minutes of regulation
tied at 4 a piece. For the second time in the month of March the Coyotes
went to a shoot-out, this time against the league leading Pekka Rinne.
Rinne stopped Whitney, Vrbata and Boedker to give the Predators the extra
point. Disappointing to loos the game the Coyotes did, at least, get something
from it to keep their Pacific Division challenge alive.
@ Canucks (W)
When your struggling for form and scratching for wins the Rogers Arena
in Vancouver is a difficult place to go! The Coyotes, in their own way,
obviously didn't see it that way! With Vrbata lost to illness and then,
allowing the Canucks a two goal head start the fight back and eventual
win for the Coyotes was all the more impressive. In the end Antoine Vermettes
PowerPlay goal in the third period would be the winner. The Coyotes began
their short Canadian road trip in style.
@ Flames (L)
Next up for the Yotes was the Calgary Flames. Sadly the high from the win
against the Canucks would not carry over into this game. In fact the Flames
pounded the Coyotes in this game and ran out 4-1 winners. Jerome Iginla
gave the Flames the lead before Ekman-Larsson pulled one back for Phoenix.
Matt Stajan and an Alex Tanguay short handed effort killed off the Coyotes
and gave the Flames the win. With the Flames being in the western conference
the loss could well hurt the Coyotes come playoff time.
@ Oilers (W-SO)
This game would be Dave Tippett's 400th game in charge and the Coyotes
would ensure it would be a happy marker. Throughout early March the Coyotes
have made a habit of falling behind in the first period, this game they
fell behind in the second period to goals from Eberle and Hemsky in just
about 30 seconds. Thankfully, the ingrained fighting spirit of the Coyotes
saw them come back into the game in the final session. Whitney and Torres,
again, stepping up to force overtime. Nothing came from the extra session
but the Coyotes won the game in the shootout.
@ Stars (L-SO)
The coyotes trip to the state of Texas saw the Coyotes take on another
division rival in the Stars. After getting a win against the Sharks earlier
in the month this would give the Coyotes a chance to make a real push for
top spot. The prize for the Coyotes was to retain top spot in the division
and it would take that fighting spirit again for the Coyotes. Trailing
the Stars 3-1 after two periods Ekman-Larsson and Whitney brought the Coyotes
level. Kari Lehtonen stopped all five shots the Coyotes had in the overtime
period and, and for the fourth time in a month the Coyotes were headed
for a shootout. Sadly, despite winning in a shootout against the Oilers,
the Stars prevailed this time!
v Avalanche (W)
In a sign of how tight the race in the west is, at the start of the game
the Coyotes were on the outside of the playoff race looking in. But come
the end of the game the Coyotes went from ninth to third with a 3-2 victory
over the Colorado Avalanche. For most of March the Coyotes habit has been
to make a slow start and recover, this time it was the Coyotes who made
the better start. Towards the end of the second period the Coyotes were
3 goals to the good through markers from Langkow, Chipchura and Torres.
The men from Phoenix had to fight off an Av's comeback during the thrid
period but were able to seal the win.
@ Sharks (L-SO)
Another important division match up
saw all the goals scored in the first 25 minutes of the game. Phoenix and
San Jose traded goals until they were tied on 3 a piece. In a show of how
tight the division has been, regulation couldn't separate them and neither
could overtime. The game would require another shootout to decide the extra
point. For Phoenix Boedker and Whitney tried but had their efforts saved
and Handzus and Clowe scored for the Sharks giving the men from San Jose
the extra point.
v Blues (L)
The Blues may have been stuttering in
recent games but they are hot in the NHL this season, this game versus
the Blues would also see Shane Doan sit out his final game of his suspension.
To add to the struggle Vrbata and three other first team players were missing
through injury, so the stars were not quite in alignment for the Coyotes.
In the end Elliot in goal for St Louis was outstanding and the Blues were
just too hot for Phoenix as they secured a win and moved above the Rangers
in the Presidents Cup race.
v Sharks (W)
It's games against the Sharks that the
Coyotes needs to win, especially as the pacific division is so tight every
point is vital. The Coyotes March has been a little up and down so far
but they have managed to grab points from a few losses this month. Going
into this game Vrbata had been struggling with illness and been in a scoring
slump. With Mike Smith having a storming game against the Sharks, banishing
that debut loss to San Jose. Vrbata bounced right back with two goals in
a 2-0 win for Phoenix. Both assisted by Ray Whitney to put him on 999 career
points in the NHL. The Coyotes are now and amazing 29-1-0 in games after
leading going into the final session.
v Ducks (W)Ray Whitney is proving to be one of
the most important acquisitions in the Coyotes history! Released, bought
out and waived during his 19 year career he is still going strong at the
age of 39. The game against the Ducks saw him cross another milestone in
his career, his 1,000th NHL point. A dominant Coyotes took the lead in
the first period and sealed the deal in the second! The Coyotes special
teams doing the damage with three goals in the second. Ray Whitney got
the 1,000th point with an assist and then his 1,001st with a goal. Whitneys
marker and Mike Smith's shutout got the Coyotes another valuable win.
February would be a tough month with plenty of games in a short month for the Coyotes, the month would see a fairly even split of home games versus away games. There would be some tough ones, especially against those in the same division as the Coyotes.v Sharks (W) The month began with the Coyotes taking on the San Jose Sharks, one of the teams Phoenix will be battling with for play off position in the pacific division. Going into this game the Coyotes had lost to the Ducks with Mike Smith giving up 4 goals on 18 shots. Something had to give, and the bit back began against the Sharks. Smith redeemed himself stopping 32 shots to give the Coyotes a good base and Korpikoski gave the Coyotes the offensive punch they needed getting a pair of goals. Raffi Torres and Hanzal each chipped in with a goal and Radim Vrbata ensured the Coyotes got February off to the best start they could with the empty net insurance goal. v RedWings (W) The Wings are a team the Coyotes always struggle with, and always seem to meet in the playoffs. With Hanzal and Gordon back in the lineup the Coyotes were balanced and finally were able to solve their Wings problem. Smith gave the Coyotes another good based to start with, a great 30 save effort and the Coyotes finally got the offence to beat the Wings. Gordon getting things off the best of starts with a short handed effort early on. With each team trading a goal in the second period it came down to an Empty Netter to seal the points for the Coyotes. With Hanzal getting the insurance with less than 30sec to go.@ Stars (W) The Coyotes made the short...ish trip south to Texas to take on the Stars and hope to get much needed points off a division rival. Mike Smith continued his great form with a 28 shot save effort and with the Phoenix scoring spread over 10 players the Coyotes got a deserved win against the Stars. Yandle got the Coyotes train rolling and goals from Vrbata and Torres kept it moving before Derek Morris got his first of the season to add the icing on top. Lhetonen in goal for the Stars had a worrying moment stopping a slap shot with his head, credit to him he stayed in the game for the Stars. For the Phoenix Yandle left the game during the third with a lower body injury but nothing too serious.v Flames (W) The Coyotes returned to the Desert to take on the Calgary Flames, having been back in 12th place just a week ago, the Coyotes recent hard work has seen them return to the playoff hunt. With Mike Smith putting in another impressive performance between the pipes, Phoenix were able to beat another playoff contender and extend their recent winning run. Taylor Pyatt got the Coyotes on the board first, but Olli Jokinen pegged them back. With the game going into OT the Coyotes were guaranteed at least a point but, one thing that typifies this Coyotes team is hard work and a will to win. This was evident when Shane Doan scored a one time shot with just 1min 53sec in OT to give the Coyotes the W!v Blackhawks (W) Perhaps all the omens coming into this game were giving the Coyotes the edge before it began. Three weeks prior the Blackhawks had the best record in the NHL, one week ago the Coyotes were 13 points behind Chicago and, with Mike Smith getting a shutout in this game. The tables have turned! With Jeremy Roenick in the house to be inducted to the Coyotes 'Ring of Honor' the Coyotes had a reason to play. Kyle Chupchura got things going with a fight less than two minutes into the game which got the, standing room only, crowd going. Vrbata and Gordon got the scoring going for the Phoenix and, after his earlier fight, Chipchura capped off his game with the Phoenix 3rd in a 3-0 shutout of the Blackhawks,@ Canucks (L-SO) The Coyotes winning run would be sorely tested on this visit to the cold north west and the Vancouver Canucks. A team boasting the offensive talent of the Sedin twins are almost always guaranteed to score. With LeBarbera giving Mike Smith a rest the Coyotes 5 game winning streak came to an end with a shootout loss to the Canucks. Yandle's eight goal of the season cancelled out Booth's earlier score for the Canucks. LeBarbera was left frustrated after conceding the game winner in the 6th round of shots. A sign of how fare this Yotes team has come is how frustrated they are with the loss. Any team would be pleased to get anything from Vancouver, but LeBarbera and the Coyotes were not. Still a loss was recorded but the leaderboard point total is kept ticking over!@ Kings (W) Heading back south along the pacific coast the Coyotes next stop was Staples Centre and the LA Kings. This game would not be pretty, each team are involved in the playoff race and this one would not be for the purists! Four fights and 40 penalty minutes in the opening period alone set the tone for the night. Maybe it was not a surprise that the game was settled by a solitary goal. Phoenix put up a big effort in the third period restricting LA to just four shots in the first 15 minutes and denied the Kings on their 6 on 4 advantage for the final 90 seconds. Mike Smith got his fourth shutout of the season and the red hot Vrbata's 27th of the season gave the Phoenix the win and got them back on winning ways.v Stars (W-OT) Over the past two weeks the mantra for the Coyotes has been simple! Mike Smith will do the shot stopping and Radim Vrbata will do the scoring! That formula has resulted in 15 points from the past eight games. Phoenix got on the board first with Mikkel Boedker scoring in the first period. Mike Smith ended the game with 30 saves and Vrbata got his 10th game winner with an overtime effort just 1min 15sec into the OT period, The Stars Michael Ryder scored an impressive mid air goal to tie the game but the Coyotes ground out another win, their second of the month against division rivals the Dallas Stars. A big crowd in the Jobing.com witness the legend Alice Cooper perform the ceremonial puck drop on Alice Cooper Bobblehead Night!v Kings (W-SO) After their previous 'Battle of Los Angeles' something wasn't right for Phoenix at the start of this game. A poor beginning saw the Coyotes 3-0 down after the first session. The Kings had goals from Doughty, Loktionov and Brown to give them a comfortable lead the Coyotes would have to show some desire and fight to get back into this game. The Coyotes got the perfect star in the second period with Vrbata getting a power play goal after 50 seconds! Shane Doan got his first of two in the period on the powerplay and his second came after Williams for the Kings had scored. Though the comeback was not complete the outlook on the game was far rosier than it had after the first! Vrbata is on fire at the moment and what a time to get his 30th of the season, with less than three minutes to go his 30th came on the poerplay and tied the game sending it to OT and penalties. In the third ound of the shoot out the experienced Ray Whitney secured the extra point for the Coyotes to keep the Coyotes train rolling.@ Flames (W-SO) In a month of pairs the Coyotes headed back north to Calgary to try and secure their second win over the Flames in a month. For the second game in a row the Coyotes had a poor first period where they found themselves down a pair of goals. Much like the Kings game the Coyotes determination and will to win would see them haul themselves back into the game. While the first was the Flames, the second was the Coyotes. Goals from Langkow and Doan brought them level and Whitney gave them the lead in the third. Jokinen tied it again on the PPG for the Flames and, with no goals in OT, the game would go to penalty shots. The second in a row for the Coyotes. It was down to Whitney again to score the game winner in the shootout and ensure another pair of points headed back to the desert.@ Oilers (W) At the beginning of the month the Coyotes looked to be falling out of the playoffs, this game and the win, saw them climb to the pacific division summit. Mike Smith backstopped the team with another superb effort turning aside 21 shots and the senior players putting up the offense the Coyotes beat Edmonton 3-1. The first period start gave the Coyotes the edge with goals from Ekman-Larsson and Whitney. Nugent-Hopkins got one back for the O's but Shane Doan got his 20th of the season towards the end of the third to secure another win.With the win the Coyotes swept Alberta to head home to the desert.v Canucks (W-SO) After losing a shootout in Vancouver this was a chance for the Coyotes to exact revenge and cap an amazing February. In a sign of how hot the Coyotes currently are, even the NHL's best team could not stop them on home ice. Vancouver got the first goal of the game in the first period on the powerplay, but the Coyotes tied things up through Ray Whitney in the third. For the second time the extra 5min session couldn't separate either team and it was down to a goalie duel. However this time Mike Smith would emerge victorious, As he has so many times this month Ray Whitney scored on the shoot out and, with Boadker also scoring, the Coyotes rounded out February at the top of the Pacific division and a record of 11-0-1 month.
Into 2012 and a tough month ahead for the Coyotes!
@Blues This would prove to be a tough game for Phoenix, the Blues on the back of a three game loosing skid faced the Coyotes who began a stretch of 10 games, 8 being road games. The Blues backlash began within 5 minutes of the first period and the Blues would end the first 2-1 up. Knowing how the Coyotes play the Blues got in their face quick, disrupted the play and got the lead early on. Coming into the second the next goal would be huge, and the Blues got it. Taking that 3-1 lead on the PP the Blues TJ Oshie but the game firmly in their hands. Into the third all the Coyotes could do was pressure the net, but St Louis held on and added an empty net marker with less than a minute to go. Final score Blues winning by a score of 4-1.@Kings It says alot about the game when the top stars are the two goalies! The Coyotes rode into LA and came up against a resurgent Kings under the guidance of Darryl Sutter. A tight game with few chances can often be decided by a brilliant play, or a blown call. It has to be said the Coyotes got both, a massive glove save from Quick denied the Yotes early in the third during some great pressure. For the Kings to get some fortune after a missed call. The goalie interference by Johnson on Mike Smith, denied the chance of the save and the Kings found the winner in OT from Drew Doughty. Another loss, a frustrating one as the goal, maybe, shouldn't have stood. The only thing to hold onto, heading back to the desert was, the solitary point taken from the OT loss.v Islanders Next up for the Coyotes, the visit of the struggling Islanders. This would be the Coyotes 19th home game of the season, coincidentally captain Shane Doan wears number 19....good omens maybe? Captain fantastic would be the star of the show and, after amassing over 1,100 NHL games and 305 goals the stars would align and Doan would get his hattrick. A slice of luck was needed too, with time running down Whitney had the puck looking for Doan and with less than 4.5sec in the game, the two connected for a goal. Or would it, the play went to review and, to the delight of those in attendance the goal was good! Phoenix needed this win, 5 one goal losses over the past 7 games hurts, so with Doan's hattrick and further markers from Ekman-Larsson and Pyatt the Phoenix dominated the Islanders.@Rangers After a morale boosting win against one of New Yorks teams, the Coyotes headed north east to the big apple to take on the NHL's form team, the New York Rangers. Another tight game for the Coyotes the only goals of regulation didn't come until the third period. Fedotenko putting the blueshirts ahead only for Vrbata to bring Phoenix level. OT couldn't separate the two teams and, it seems, even penalty shots nearly couldn't! Going into the sixth round of shots Gaborik had to score to keep the Rangers alive, he did, and Derek Stepan clinched the extra point. So the Coyotes couldn't topple the leagues best tonight, but another point was secured.@Red Wings No easy game for the Coyotes on this mini roadtrip! Rangers one night, now a trip to the Joe and the Red Wings. Phoenix coped well for this game and took the lead twice, but you know the Red Wings will keep coming. One goal is never enough, the Coyotes needed two, just couldn't get it! Vrbata and Pyatt put them ahead twice only for Filppula and Franzen to drag Detroit back into it. Like the previous night against the Rangers, OT couldn't decide the extra point and another shootout was needed. Six rounds were not needed tonight, just four! Henrik Zetterberg scoring for Detroit and, when Korpikoski's effort was saved Detroit got the other point!@Blue Jackets After 'simple' games against the Rangers and Wings the Coyotes travelled to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets. The Coyotes worked hard, but by the end of the second it wasn't looking good. 4-2 down after goals from Kubalik, Nash, Russell and Brassard for Columbus and goals from Aucoin and Korpikoski for Phoenix the Coyotes had to go all out in the third. Vrbata brought the Coyotes within one goal midway through the third but the 4th never came. Maybe the gas was running on empty but it wasn't for trying! A tough loss to take, especially after taking points from the previous two losses but sometimes the bounces just don't go your way!v Avalanche Heading into this game the Coyotes have, primarily, played the first half of the season on the road, the second half, 21 of 35 will be played back in the desert. After loosing the previous three games the Avalanche were sure to be in-line for a reaction. Some reaction too! Doan got his 40th multi-goal game and six other Coyotes recorded multiple point games as the Coyotes crushed the Avs. Doan and Boyd Gordon had a pair Klesla got a goal and Gilbert Brule got his first goal as a Coyotes ensured Phoenix picked up the two points. Chuck Kobasew got the solitary marker for Colorado.@Ducks After the big win against Colorado the visit to Anaheim was the big come down for the Coyotes. Since their last meeting the Ducks are much improved under Boudreau no long solely reliant on the top line the Ducks got scoring from across their roster. With the loss the Coyotes road streak extended to 6 losses, their worst since 2009. Anaheim were 4-2 up going into the third period and shutout the Coyotes, scoring twice themselves to rout Phoenix 6-2. Francois Beauchemin lead the way with 3 points, Langkow and Chipchura getting the two goals for the Coyotes.v Red Wings The Coyotes kicked off a 6 game homestand with the visit of the Red Wings to the Jobing.com arena. After watching the game, its amazing how many Red Wing's fans their are in Phoenix. Why don't they go more often, and not just turn out for Wings games? Anyway the Wings are a good team and would be difficult to beat. The game saw the Phoenix fourth line stand tall and score the goals. Ray Whitney and a second for Brule cancelled out goals for White and Bertuzzi for Detroit. OT, again, couldn't separate the teams and another shootout was needed. No goals scored in the first two rounds but a lovely effort from Bertuzzi secured the win for Detroit.....again! The homestand kicked off, but sadly with a loss!v Lightning The Lightning came to town and for Mike Smith a chance to renew old acquaintances, especially with Roloson in goal for Tampa. The Lightning turning to the 42 year old as they are depleted on numbers. It would be a night of banging their heads against walls for the Coyotes, being 4-1 down by the end of the second it was obviously not going to be a good night for the Coyotes. Having said that, 40mins of frustration replaced by 20mins of a little success brought the Coyotes within one goal of sending it to OT. Ray Whitney scoring a PPG with just 4 mins to go gave the Coyotes a chance but the Lightning, and Roloson in particular, stood tall the secure the win.v Senators The Senators came to town and, so did Kyle Turris, the contract hold-out was booed on every shift and nailed on his first foray onto the ice. The Coyotes needed to re-group after the poor loss to Tampa and respond with a performance. That, they got! Mike Smith putting in a stellar effort to give them the chance, the Coyotes were 2-1 up going into the third through goals from Brule and Doan. An early marker from Vrbata, giving some breathing room in the third was quickly cancelled out by Chris Neil made the third a tense affair. The Coyotes caught some luck when a Senators goal was disallowed and, with the win, the Coyotes snapped a 10 game one goal loss streak that had been building up!v Ducks Despite early control the Coyotes were unable to remain so for the full 60 minutes. Badly struggling for some consistency the Coyotes sank to another loss on home ice, and a second in a row to the Ducks. Ray Whitney put the Coyotes ahead, but a devastating hattrick from Andrew Cogliano in the second period ripped the game from the Coyotes grasp. With the wind well and truly taken from their sails the Coyotes had no answer in the third. The Ducks got one more marker through the evergreen Teemu Selanne as the Ducks left the desert with a 4-1 win.
The Coyotes ended the month with a 3-5-4 record.
A 16 game December is next for the Coyotes, a schedule not exactly relaxing for the festive month! There's no repeat of the epic 5 game road trip experienced in December but a packed month none-the-less. The month also gives the Yotes their first taste of action against the Oilers and NY Rangers. There'll be some banter with Gem over that game!
@Jets, First up for December was a return trip to Winnepeg to face the Jets.The Coyotes had won the first game in the series 4-1 at the Jobing and this was a chance for revenge back at the MTS centre. Going into the game the Coyotes were on a 2 game winning streak and expected a hostile reception. Despite being booed throughout the game the Coyotes pressured the jets all game, but the result would be a win for the Jets. Only one goal scored in the game through Bryan Little. So a disappointing return to Winnepeg but not the end of the world.
v Flyers, The Coyotes returned to Phoenix to take on the, aptly named, Flyers. Riding high and scoring loads of goals the Flyers took the game to the Phoenix and, effectivly, won it in the first period. The game would also see Mike Smith pulled for the first time this season conceding 4 goals on 17 shots. The stats don't look good for Smith, but the goalies can only do so much when the team in front is not helping out! The Flyers first period goals came from Read, Simmonds, Giroux and Hartnell. With LeBarbera in for the 2nd and 3rd periods the Coyotes steadied the ship and did not concede any further goals. In fact they staged a little comeback and make the score look a little more respectable. A second period goal from Whitney and a second goal in the final minute of the third from Boedker gave the home fans something to cheer about.
@Blackhawks, Just six days ago the Coyotes were in Chicago and left the windy city with both points, this time around the Coyotes would again leave Chicago with the win, but a much harder fought win this time. Once again the Coyotes jumped out to an early lead. By the end of the first session the Yotes were two goals to the good through Rafi Torres and Vrbata, damn that guy can't stop scoring! Yandle put the Coyotes 3-0 up early in the second, this goal seeming to wake up the Blackhawks as they scored soon after through Toews. Toews would cut the deficit again by deflecting a shot from the point by Duncan Keith. The game tying goal capped off the comeback when Patrick Kane was found on the back post to score in the top corner. A solid third period from the Coyotes saw the game head to OT and Penalty Shots, Oliver Ekman-Larsson got the game winner. So thats two games in Chicago and 4 points, as a Yotes fan, iv'e got to be happy with that!
@Nashville, The day after their win in Chicago the Coyotes head south to Nashville to take on the Predators. their previous game against the Pred's came on the day of Rinne's birthday and the day he signed a massive contract. The Coyotes were determined this would be different, the Coyotes took the lead just 9 seconds into the game through Taylor Pyatt. The Coyotes/Jets franchise record is 5 seconds, so nearly a new record! The Pred's did tie the game in the first period scoring with 12 seconds left in the session. What was it with the early/late goals!?!? No goals followed in the second period, but the third would burst into life. Ray Whitney put the Yotes ahead before Weber would, once again, tie the game. The two top players on the Phoenix roster would step up and secure the win. Shane Doan made a great play to find Keith Yandle to make the final score Preds 2 Coyotes 3!
@Detroit, The Coyotes rolled into Detroit on the back of two road wins in Chicago and Nashville, the game against Detroit would be their third in four nights and see the Yotes return to Detroit for the first time since being swept out of the playoffs last season. The Wings absolutely obliterated the Yotes in the first twenty minutes by scoring 5 unanswered goals. I think the Yotes were still on the plane or in a different time zone! Mike Smith came into the game in great form, yet he wouldn't last the period! Goals from Bertuzzi, Filppula, Holmstrom, Helm and Hudler sealed the win for the Wings early on. LeBarbera came in after the fourth and only conceded one more for the game. The Coyotes finally got on the board in the second thanks to a laser shot from Vrbata and the scoreline was made more respectable in the third after a PPG from Martin Hanzal. Normally I would not expect much going into Motor City, but had the first period been different, I wonder what the result may have been?
vWild, The Coyotes came back to the desert to face the high flying Wild and the slow start would hurt the Coyotes....again. After their first period capitulation to the Wings the Coyotes endured another awful start to the game, and were 4 nil down going into the last ten minutes. Mike Smith again in goal put alot of the blame on himself which can be a little unfair, there is only so much a goalie can do without a team in front of him! The other major issue at the moment is the Coyotes PP, dead last in the NHL standing at just 10%! That has to change if the Coyotes have any hope of winning games. The solitary scorer for the Coyotes was Korpikoski who scored at the 11min mark in the third period. A disappointing loss, especially as the Coyotes were leading the Pacific Division coming into the game.
@Ducks, The Coyotes headed off to California for their next game against the Anaheim Ducks, the Ducks worked hard and came out of the game with a well deserved 4-1 victory. Martin Hanzal getting the only goal for the Yotes. Despite spending much of the second period in the Ducks zone the Coyotes only had the one goal to show for their efforts. The Ducks outworking and out thinking the Coyotes across the ice. Mike Smith was again in goal and unfortunately for him picked up the loss too.
vOilers. The Coyotes needed a big game, a bounceback game, and the Oilers gave it to them. The Coyotes worked hard and traded goals with the Oilers, but ground out a 4-2 victory massively out shooting the Oilers 42-20 in the process. Korpikoski and Vrbata scored hussel goals for the Coyotes only to be pegged back by Taylor Hall, both times, to bring Edmonton back into the game. After Hall made the scores 2-2 6mins into the third period the next goal was always going to be massive. This is where you need your franchise players to step up, and Shane Doan did just that! Oliver Ekman-Larsson added a 4th goal for insurance and the Coyotes got the deserved win, dominating the Oilers over the full 60minutes. The game also giving Mike Smith a morale boosting win!
vRangers, Rangers were next to the Desert and this game would see a heartbreak ending. The Rangers took the lead through Gaborik only for Korpikoski netting a short handed goal with 9 sec left in the first period. The Coyotes would take the lead in the second period with Cal O'Reilley scoring a PPG, that special team unit really clicking for the Yotes. The Ranges pegged them back early in the third period when Gaborik scored his second of the night. That goal was Gaborik's 300th in the NHL. The game was destined for OT only for Ryan McDonagh for the Rangers battled in the corner, back handed a pass towards the goal for Brad Richards to deflect it goalwards. After review the goal was ruled good and the Rangers won the game with 0.1 seconds to go. As I said, a real heartbreaking end!
@Panthers, the Coyotes had to wait three nights to get over the pain of losing a game with a tenth of a second to go. The opposition this time were the Florida Panthers. Perhaps this game saw lady luck smile on the Coyotes after she so harsly ditched them against the Rangers. The Coyotes went 2-0 after the first half of the game through goals from Whitney and Vrbata, both PPG's showing that unit finally clicking. The Panthers narrowed the gap through Brian Campbell in the second setting up a close third period. Just before lady luck got warmed up, she would give the Coyotes one last kick, Mike Smith suffering a groin injury just 3mins into the period. LeBarbera came in and would be involved in the moment where Lady Luck shone for the Coyotes. Stephen Weiss got a penalty shot opportunity late on for the Panthers but LeBarbera pulled off a big save and the puck trickled towards the goal line only to stop short. Giving the Coyotes the win!
@Hurricanes, A stanley cup winner with the Hurricanes, Ray Whitney returned to Raleigh and in front of friends and family got the Coyotes rolling towards a great 4-3 win. A win which saw the Yotes come from 3-1 down in fact! After allowing Ruutu, Nodi and Tlusty to fire the Hurricanes into the lead the Coyotes dug deep and hit back with 3 unanswered of their own. Further goals coming from O'Reiley, Klesla and Korpikoski with the game winner. So a satisfying return for Whitney, and a welcome break from the Coyotes 1-11-1 record when trailing after the first two sessions. They hung around and it paid dividends!
vBlues, The Blues came to town and, on the day the Coyotes inducted Keith Tkachuk into their ring of honour the Blues would be the party poopers! No goals came in the first period the Blues won the second 2-1 and fought a hard 1-1 third to get the 3-2 win. Steen and D'Agostini for the Blues and Doan for the Yotes were the scorers in the second period. Arnott and Yandle traded markers in the third and it finished 3-2 Blues. The 30 minute induction ceremony may have contributed to the sluggish start, but its remarkable to think that all but 18 games of Tkachuk's career were played for the Blues and Coyotes!
@Kings, The injury hit Coyotes went to Los Angeles to take on the Kings on the back of a western conference leading away form of 11-6-1. Unfortunately that road record would count for nothing when a combination of injuries and the LA Kings offence turning up saw the home side skate out with a 4-3 win. LeBarbera was in goal once again but then gaveway to Curtis McElhinney after conceding the 4th goal of the night. Scuderi, Torres and Richardson traded goals in the first period leaving it 2-1 Kings. Torres got his second of the night with the only marker of the second period. Mitchell and Brown gave the Kings the advantage in the third period and only one goal for the Coyotes Langkow gave the home side the win.
vBruins, The Stanley Cup champions came to town and a soldout Jobing.com awaited them. Before the puck drop I would have said the Coyotes would be lucky to get anything from the game, but in reality they came so close to the win! In a game short on goals the Bruins exploded out the blocks with a goal after just 47 seconds from David Krejci. Ray Whitney got his 13th of the season and tied the game 1 a piece. It would stay this way all the way into OT. Before OT was even 1 minute old lady luck deserted the Coyotes, a shot from Dennis Seidenberg deflected off Coyotes defenceman Derek Morris between LeBarbera's pads giving the Bruins the extra point! So a point against the Bruins.....i'll take that!
@Avalanche, The Coyotes went to Colorado to face a team who's past seven wins have been by one goal margins. The teams traded goals throughout the first and second periods with the Avs going first. Kevin Porter, then Mikkel Boedker made it 1-1. Then Stefan Elliot and Mikkel Boedker (again) made it 2-2. With the scores tied, win the third and you win the game. Gabriel Landeskog would score the only marker of the third session to give the Avs yet another close win.
@Wild, The coyotes went to Minnesota to avenge their early month loss to the Wild in the Jobing.com arena. A season high crowd in the Excel Energy Centre greeted both sides. Curits McElhinney was in goal once again as the injury riddled Coyotes looked to get back to winning ways. No goals in the first period gave way to two in the second. Pierre-Marc Bouchard scoring first for the Wild only for Langkow to score a PPG to tie the game. The fourth period went crazy with goals. A pair for Radim Vrbata would give the Coyotes the ultimate edge in the third period. Matt Cullen scored a penalty shot to make the scores 3-2 and, I was even able to listen to the last 5mins on my phone through the NHL gamecentre app McElhinney stood tall for the Coyotes and stoned the Wild in the dying minutes. Ray Whitney broke into centre ice and was able to add the empty netter for the Coyotes.
The Coyotes went 6-9-1 through the month of December!
October is done and in the can, November will prove to be a tough month for the Coyotes. 13 games and a killer five game road trip in the middle visiting both the west and east coasts of America!@ Avalanche, The Coyotes opened November with a trip to Colorado and the Mile High city to take on the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche came into the game with a good record, 7 wins going into the game and the Yotes came in on the back of a two game winning streak. It would be a tough game for the team from the desert and needed some big performances. The Coyotes got them, once again Mike Smith came up big in the game turning away 39 of 40 shots to give the Yotes dependable goaltending. Of the skaters Radim Vrbata had a two goal game including one spectacular goal as he was taken down from behind. While the Coyotes advanced to a third win in a row, they condemned the Avalanche to their fourth defeat in five on home ice. The team famed for its sell out streak is struggling! The Coyotes....are starting to warm up!v Predators, Nashville, a difficult place to play a game and, with Rinne fresh from signing a seven year $49mil contract extension the Coyotes had to get past a goalie who would be in the form of his life and happier than larry! Unfortunately for the Dog's luck was just not on their side in Nashville, LeBarbara started in place of the red hot Mike Smith and was done by two pieces of bad luck, nothing to do with him! The first was the go ahead goal for the Predators which went through traffic and the legs of a Nashville player before sneaking past LeBarbaba. The second was a turnover from Korpikoski which gave the Predators a 2 on 0. In the end, the birthday boy millionaire was in such good form the Coyotes were unable to breakthrough and left Nashville with null points!v Oilers, After the loss in Nashville the Coyotes returned home to take on the hot Edmonton Oilers who went into the game on the back of a six game winning streak. A scoreless first period gave way to a two goal second period which would give the Coyotes the edge. Daymond Langkow and Adrian Aucoin scored goals and the Coyotes defence strangled the Oilers offence to send the Yotes on the way to a 4-2 victory. Further goals coming from Boyd Gordon and a sixth for Ray Whitney, an empty net goal. This defence first mentality the Coyotes brought to the ice also brought head coach Dave Tippet his 100th win behind the Yotes bench. What better way than to celebrate the milestone with a home win at the Jobing!v Canadiens, The Coyotes second game at home, in a row, saw the men from Montreal come to the desert. The Canadiens arrived missing three forwards and facing a three game skid the Canadiens would be hungry. With Langkow missing due to family reasons the Phoenix toplines had to be juggled around and it showed. With the Coyotes goals coming from their third and fourth lines. Despite withstanding a 34 shot Montreal first period the Coyotes could not get the win in regulation. But thanks to Mikkel Boedker and Raffi Torres the game went to OT, only for the Canadiens Josh Gorges to seal the extra point for the Canadiens. Against a team like Montreal who, I would expect to be challenging come the post season, to get a point, im a happy Coyotes fan. While a home win would be so much better, 1 point is better than a big fat 0!@ Sharks, After the loss to Montreal the Phoenix headed to California to face division rivals the San Jose Sharks. This game would also give the Coyotes a chance to atone for their opening day loss to the Sharks in Cali, when they allowed 52 shots. So far this season the Coyotes have been red hot when scoring first, since Dave Tippet took over the Coyotes have won 73 games when scoring first. It's almost like the stars were aligning for a Phoenix win after the first period, as the Yotes exploded out the blocks. After the first session the Yotes were 2-0 to the good through goals from Vrbata and Boyd Gordon. The Coyotes now had to ensure that lead was not surrendered! Step up Mike Smith, he did and then some! Only one more goal would be scored....by a Coyote! Patrick O'Sullivan got the insurance and Mike Smith got the shutout!@ Maple Leafs, The Phoenix roadtrip continued with a trip to Toronto to face an improved Maple Leafs, after picking up an OT loss and a win the Coyotes were up to 3 points so far on the road trip. The Coyotes once again played an excellent first period and, again, would find themselves 2-0 up after the first session. First period goals from Shane Doan and Oliver Ekman-Larsson would see the Yotes into the lead up until the third period. Mike Komisarek and Phil Kessel brought the Leafs back into the game, and forced OT. With no goals scored we went to every fan's favourite hockey time, the shootout! Thankfully Mike Smith came up big again and saved both Toronto's attempts in the shootout while O'Sullivan and Vrbata scored with theirs, giving the Yotes the win!@ Flyers, Next up for the Yotes roadtrip was a trip to Philadelphia and the first game against ex Coyotes Ilya Bryzgalov. The game would turn out to be an old fashioned goalie duel with new Phoenix nettie Mike Smith coming up against his predecessor. In fact, so tight was the game that, it was only decided with just 18.6seconds left on the clock. The Flyers went ahead in the second period through James van Riemsdyk only for Boedker to tie the game early in the third period. Matt Read got the winning goal and give Bryzgalov the win against his old team. The victory for the Flyers also broke the Coyotes five game road win streak.@ Sabres, The Coyotes turned north and headed to Buffalo for game four of this roadtrip and for the first time ever in his NHL career gave Paul Bissonnette a chance to play in front of family. With around 50 family in attendance Bissonnett would break a 2-2 tie and give the Coyotes the go-ahead goal and impetus to win. Towards the mid point of the game Phoenix and Buffalo traded goals. Doan and Vrbata scoring for Phoenix and Adam and Kaleta scoring for the Sabres. In fact Vrbata and Bissonnette's goals came within 70 seconds of each other and really knocked the stuffing out of the Sabres. Buffalo only managed 15 shots after and the Coyotes were the only team to score another goal. Radim Vrbata getting his second of the game, an empty net goa, with just over a minute to go.http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011020276&navid=sb:recap@ Capitals, The last stop in the Coyotes west to east roadtrip ended in the nations capital against the Capitals. In the end it was almost de-ja-vu for the Coyotes, facing an opposition on the slide and a head coach on the cusp of a milestone victory. The capitals on the back of a 6 in 7 loss streak and Boudreau looking for win number 200! Phoenix, with LeBarbara in net looked to spoil the party by jumping to a 2-0 lead through goals from Vrbata and Korpikoski, both short handed in fact look to have put the Yotes on the way. Only for Washington to score 4 unanswered to ultimately win the game. That comeback coming from Carlson, Eakin, Backstrom and Laich. Korpikoski would get his second of the game to bring the Yotes within one, but the comeback was not to be and the Caps held out for Boudreau's 200th win.v Ducks, The Yotes returned to warmer and more familiar climbs after their epic road trip, to begin a three game homestand against Division rivals the Ducks. Despite the Ducks scoring first through Koivu the Coyotes hit right back with 4 unanswered goals to win the game. Mike Smith proving he has the Ducks figured out improved to 5-0-1 against the Ducks. The Phoenix hot streak came from Yandle, Eckman-Larsson and current player in form Vrbata with two. Vrbata's pair of goals lifting him to 11 for the season. Corey Perry would get his 8th of the season and the Ducks second of the game but the Yotes got the win and began the homestand with the W.v Canucks, Last seasons Stanley Cup finalists were next to come to the desert and bring the much heralded Sedin twins to the Jobing ice. Going into the game I would have expected a loss, but would have been delighted with a point. Unfortunately it wasn't to be and the Canucks rolled the Coyotes and left with a 5-0 shutout and two points. Mike Smith's recent hot form, 8-1-1 over a month and a save % of .946 was blown out of the water by goals from Salo, Kesla, Booth, LaPierre and Burrows. The one possible bright spot for Tippet and the Coyotes was the penalty kill unit. Phoenix stopped the NHL's best PP unit on all 5 chances and 1min 31sec of 5 on 3. Not many positives but an impressive one none the less!v Stars, After such a tough loss against the Canucks the Coyotes welcomed the Stars to Phoenix. So far the Coyotes had managed to surrender winning positions to the Stars late in the game, this would be an opportunity to right that wrong. The game also saw Langkow return to the coyotes lineup after his own personal tragedy. The Coyotes were brilliant, after surrendering those late leads and two OT losses to Dallas the Coyotes responded with a 3-0 shutout win on home ice. That shutout was Smith's 13th of his career and improves him to 3-0-0 against the Stars in regulation. The Coyotes goals came from Boedker, Whitney and Pyatt.@ Blackhawks, The Coyotes rolled into Chicago to take on the Blackhawks and played their best road form. Able to play their hard-checking, suffocating style of play the Coyotes raced into the lead and never looked back. With Mike Smith in fine form between the pipes the Coyotes took the lead in the first period through Daymond Langkow's fourth goal of the season. Shane Doan then blasted a slap shot from the right circle that went straight through Crawford, giving the Yotes a 2-0 lead midway through the game. The Coyotes wrapped up the game in the first 5 minutes of the third period, Vrbata continuing his hot streak scoring the Yotes 3rd just after the start of the period and Whitney making it four at the 5min mark. The Blackhawks finally gave their fans something to cheer about when they got their only goal of the game in the last minute, denying Mike Smith a shutout, Patrick Sharp making the final score 4-1 Coyotes.Coyotes end the month 8-4-1
