VAN – 2 PHX – 1 F/SO

The Coyotes were on the road Monday night and took their 5-game winning streak to Vancouver to face the Northwest Division leading Canucks. In a game where neither team could maintain an edge, Phoenix went toe-to-toe and found a way to earn a point against one of the league’s best teams

Phoenix goalie Mike Smith, who was awarded NHL Player of the Week last week, was given a rest and backup goalie Jason LaBarbera got the start. LaBarbera, the former Canuck, was 4-2 in his previous 6 starts against Vancouver including a 3-0 record in games played at Rogers Arena. Despite not having a win since December 21st, LaBarbera played very well stopping 21 of 22 shots through 3 periods plus overtime.

“He was solid,” head coach Dave Tippett said of LaBarbera. “He’s played well in this building before… He stopped the ones he had to (and) managed to give us a point.”

At the other end, former All Star Roberto Luongo was equally sharp making 23 saves of his own, but almost gave away the game in the final minutes. With only 2 minutes left in the 3rd and the Canucks leading 1-0, Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle intercepted a clearing pass at the Vancouver blue line and dumped it harmlessly towards the Canucks net. Luongo was caught off guard and to the surprise of both teams plus the sellout crowd, the puck found its way to the back of the net tying the game at 1.

“I was caught deep and it kind of dropped a little bit and went off my stick. It was totally my fault,” Luongo told reporters after the game.

As good as both goalies looked in regulation and overtime (minus the one gaffe by Luongo), they looked porous in the shootout. LaBarbera was only able to stop 2 of 6 shots, getting beat twice through the 5-hole and twice on straight shots without dekes. His shattered stick in the tunnel leading to the visitors’ locker room was a clear indication of his frustration.

“It would have been nice if I would have made a save in the shootout,” an angry LaBarbera said in the locker room after the game. “That would have helped a little.”

Luongo wasn’t much better stopping only 2 of his first 5 shots before stopping Boyd Gordon for the victory,  but his spirits were higher in the home locker room. When asked about the soft goal he let in at the end of regulation, he joked, “Why win 1-0 when you can win a shootout?”

For the Coyotes, they can take a lot of positives away from this game. For starters, they earned a point while giving Mike Smith a well-deserved rest after he started 16 of the last 17 games. Their defense also continued to play strongly allowing only 4 shots in the 1st period and 2 shots in the 3rd.  This from a high-powered Canucks offense that won the Western Conference last year. Their penalty kill unit didn’t allow a goal on 3 chances for Vancouver including a short 5-on-3. Phoenix’s forechecking was also the best its been all season. Down 1-0 throughout the 3rd period, the Coyotes we consistently causing turnovers in the offensive zone and extending play. It was that hard work plus a never-say-die attitude for 60 full minutes that caused the turnover that led to the Coyotes’ lone goal. Continued play like that in the offensive zone will serve the team very well down the stretch and in the playoffs.

The winning streak may be over, but this has to be considered one of the better losses of the year. The Coyotes still have some momentum going into a very important 4-game stretch. 2 of which are against division rival Los Angles, who the Coyotes trail by just 2 points in the standings.  The other 2 games are against Dallas and Calgary, both of who are nipping at Phoenix’s heels. At the end of the season, this is going to be a week to look back on.

Coyotes Notes:

Taylor Pyatt left the game early in the 2nd period with an upper body injury. There is no timetable for his return

Ray Whitney scored in the shootout, but his point-scoring streak is snapped at 8 games

The Coyotes play Vancouver 2 more times this season, including next Tuesday, February 28th at Jobing.com Arena

PHX – 3    CHI – 0    F

On the night when the Phoenix Coyotes organization honored one of the greatest players in franchise history, the current team put forth an effort worth remembering. During an emotional pregame ceremony, the Coyotes welcomed Jeremy Roenick to the Ring of Honor and retired his #97 jersey.

Roenick, a longtime Blackhawk, was traded to the Coyotes in the 1996 before their inaugural game in Phoenix.  After establishing himself as a superstar over his first 8 seasons in Chicago, the Blackhawks dealt the center who they thought was past his prime.  He proved them wrong by playing 13 more seasons, 6 of them in Phoenix.  During his tenure with the Coyotes, he amassed 152 goals and 237 assists (389 points), which is good for 4th all-time among Coyotes.

The Coyotes had so much in their favor entering Saturday’s game, the Chicago Blackhawks never had a chance. The crowd at Jobing.com Arena, which was over capacity, was rocking by the end of Roenick’s ceremony. In addition, the Coyotes were riding a season-high four game winning streak, while the Blackhawks were in the midst of their own 7-game skid. The Coyotes took advantage of the energy in the building and jumped all over Chicago. Coyotes captain Shane Doan set the tone to what would be a very physical night, with a huge hit on Brent Seabrook a minute into the game. With the crowd still on their feet, the excitement level was turned up a few notches 30 seconds later when Kyle Chipchura dropped his gloves and dropped Chicago’s Andrew Shaw to the ice. Less than two minutes later and with the noise already at fever pitch, Radim Vrbata forced a turnover in the Chicago end and executed a perfect give-and-go with Ray Whitney. The standing-room only crowd at Jobing.com Arena exploded as Vrbata’s wraparound attempt took a fortunate bounce off Blackhawks’ defenseman Sami Lepisto and found the back of the net. Everything was going Phoenix’s way, and less than three minutes later another fortunate bounce found it’s way to Boyd Gordon’s stick at the side of the net and he buried it giving the Coyotes a 2-0 lead.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get better for the Coyotes, Mike Smith showed up with his best game of the year. After a high-flying first period in which the Coyotes dominated and outshot the Blackhawks, Chicago outshot Phoenix 28-14 the rest of the way. Smith was nothing short of brilliant while killing off three power play opportunities and making 38 total saves for his third shutout on the season. Kyle Chipchura notched his 2nd goal of the year late in the 2nd period to give the game its final 3-0 score.

Defense continues to be the name of the game for the Coyotes. Despite giving up 38 shots Saturday, good positioning forced a lot of those shots to come from the outside. Strong backchecking, blocked shots and punishing hits were also all on display by the Phoenix defensemen who are led by veteran Keith Yandle.

Yandle was quick to spread the credit around, though. “The forwards did a great job of helping us out. Overall this was a great team effort, but we know we have to keep playing at a high level to stay in the playoff picture.”

That picture has the Los Angles Kings in 7th place, 3 points ahead of the Coyotes. The Coyotes play the Kings twice in the next four games, so hold onto your hats. This is about to get really interesting.

Coyotes Notes:

Ray Whitney extends his point-scoring streak to 8 games. He has 15 points (2G, 13A) in his last 10 games. He also recorded his 35th assist and 51st point to lead the Coyotes in those categories

Radim Vrbata scored his team-leading 26th goal of the year

This was the Coyotes 3rd sellout and had the highest paid attendance of the season

Mike Smith was the game’s top star for the fourth consecutive game. He has stopped 151 of the last 157 shots he has faced

Kyle Chipchra was awarded the game’s second star with a goal, 5 hits and a fighting major (1 assist shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick).  He is currently on a 3-game point scoring streak

PHX – 2   CGY – 1   F/OT

The Phoenix Coyotes put their three-game winning streak on the line when they hosted the Calgary Flames Thursday night. Phoenix is quickly moving up in the standings in a tight Western Conference race and began the night tied with the Minnesota Wild for 8th place. Calgary, playing their second road game in 24 hours, was coming off a big win in San Jose and was just 1 point behind Phoenix in the standings. With Minnesota losing to Vancouver earlier in the night, the winner of this game knew they would hold sole possession of the West’s final playoff spot.

They Coyotes were looking to get off to a fast start and keep the tempo up against a tired Flames team. In the first period they did just that. Through the first 12 minutes of the game, the Coyotes were outshooting Calgary 10-4 and were clearly the faster team on the ice. Goalie Mike Smith looked very sharp and withstood a flurry of Flames’ chances late in the period.

The Coyotes are 21-4-5 when scoring first this season, and are 28-3-5 overall when Taylor Pyatt scores a goal. So things were looking good for Phoenix when Pyatt got the Coyotes off to the fast start they were looking for. With only 8 minutes gone in the 1st period, Pyatt led a 2 on 1 rush in on Flames’ rookie goaltender Leland Irving, who was making just his 5th career start. Wanting to test the young netminder early and often, Pyatt passed up the opportunity to feed Brule and took the shot himself beating Irving through the 5-hole. Irving looked shaky at first, but was equal to the task stopping 11 of 12 Coyotes’ shots in the 1st, many of which came from inside the slot.

“Yeah, I was a little rusty,” Irving said. “They seemed to shoot from everywhere, and it took me a while to settle into the game.”

The Coyotes kept applying pressure throughout the 2nd period and the game got very physical. Phoenix outshot the flames 10-4 in the period and, despite being saved by the crossbar, Irving singlehandedly kept the Flames in the game.

Momentum shifted in the third period when the Coyotes defensive leader, Keith Yandle, had a rare lapse in judgment and was unable to stay out of two separate skirmishes. The first of which led to matching roughing penalties and two minutes of four on four hockey. Calgary took advantage of the open ice and Olli Jokinen tied the game at 1, scoring his fifth goal in his last three games. Calgary almost seized control of the game when Yandle’s second penalty in 6 minutes, this time a double minor for roughing, gave the Flames numerous scoring chances. Mike Smith and the Coyotes killed off that penalty and, with the help of a broken door along the boards that halted play for a few minutes, they regained the momentum of the game.

Due to the physicality of the game, both teams were very worn out by the end of regulation. In the overtime period, the fatigue on both sides led to numerous odd-man rushes up and down the ice. A penalty on Mikael Backlund gave the Coyotes a 4 on 3 power play. Flames center Blair Jones was hit in the foot during the power play and was unable to move. In what was essentially a 4 on 2 power play, Radim Vrbata set up Shane Doan for a one timer that sent the Phoenix crowd into a frenzy and gave the Coyotes a season-high 4 game winning streak.

Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett was not overly pleased with his team’s performance Thursday night, but will take the win. “It was a sloppy game, there were pucks bouncing all over the place,” Tippett said postgame. “We didn’t generate much… but we’ll take these (two) points, stick them in the bank and move on.”

He had to be pleased with his team’s defensive play, though. All night long the Phoenix defensemen, rotating only 5 for the most part, outhustled, outhit and frustrated the Flames top offensive weapons Jerome Iginla, Alex Tanguay, and Olli Jokinen. Backchecking was also a strong point for the Coyotes who surrendered only 24 total shots.

In a post game interview, Shane Doan tried to keep things in perspective. “Nine days ago we lost to Anaheim and we were 5 points out of the playoffs with four teams above us.”

After crawling back into playoff position, the Coyotes are now in control of their own destiny.

Now we’re where we want to be, but at the same time we can’t be content with that,” Doan added.

“We’re not looking to just crawl. We’re looking to run with this.”

Coyotes Notes:

Ray Whitney had an assist on the game-winning goal in OT. He leads the team with 50 points and has a 7-game point scoring streak (2G, 9A)

This was the first of 4 games between the Coyotes and Flames this season

Kyle Chipchura added an assist and has 14 points on the year, a new career high

PHX – 4   DAL – 1   F

The Coyotes found themselves in unfamiliar territory Tuesday night. They were on the road for the first time since Jan 18th. They cracked the playoff barrier for the first time since November 15th. They won 3 straight games for the first time since November 3rd, and for the first time all season they won 3 straight games in regulation. The surging Coyotes have now won 4 of their last 5 including wins against the Division-leading Sharks and the Conference-leading Red Wings.

Playing for the third time in four nights, Phoenix came into the game riding a wave of momentum and playing with confidence through the first two games of the three game stretch. That continued Tuesday with the Stars on their heels right from the opening faceoff. Coyotes’ center Martin Hanzel split the defense and almost netted a goal 20 seconds into the game. Phoenix kept applying the pressure and four minutes later, Keith Yandle, one of the league’s top-scoring defensemen, gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead.

Tied at 1 late in the 2nd, Radim Vrbata scored his team-high 25th goal of the season tipping it over the Dallas netminder after a beautiful feed from Rotislav Klesla. Raffi Torres added to that lead early on in the 3rd, and Phoenix cruised through the final period with a two-goal advantage. Derek Morris put this one away scoring with his first goal of the year with just under four minutes to play.

The game was really a goaltending duel even though the score might indicate otherwise. The Coyotes outplayed the Stars throughout the game and if it weren’t for the play of goalie Kari Lehtonen, the Stars would have been helplessly out of it. That point was driven home by Stars’ coach Glen Gulutzan during the postgame press conference. “We weren’t very good. Even with a real good goalie performance (by Lehtonen), we got outworked by a team that played last night.”

The Stars were not without their chances, but Mike Smith was in lockdown mode with another spectacular performance. The Coyotes killed all four of Dallas’ power play opportunities, but it was Smith who was primarily responsible for that. Most notably with the game tied midway through the 2nd period, Phoenix took a double minor giving Dallas a four minute power play. Big saves by Smith on that penalty kill, including stoning Steve Ott from 8 feet away during a flury in front of the net, really helped swing the momentum away from Dallas. “I think it was a big momentum booster for us,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said when talking about killing off the double minor penalty. “Getting the kill there and exhausting ourselves doing it was a boost to the rest of the guys on the bench.”

Three minutes after that double minor penalty, Vrbata scored what turned out to be the game winner.

The Coyotes are playing exceptional hockey as of late. Their worst performance of the season against Anaheim last week, served as a wake up call and they have been high-flying ever since. Mike Smith is leading the charge stopping 90 of 95 shots during the win streak and Phoenix is averaging 4 goals per game since centers Martin Hanzel and Boyd Gordon have both returned to the lineup full time. The Coyotes are now tied with Minnesota for the 8th and final playoff spot, and only 3 points separate the 8th and 12th place teams in the Western Conference.

There is no rest for the weary, though. After a travel day on Wednesday, Phoenix returns home to face the Calgary Flames on Thursday. The Coyotes hold a 3 point advantage over Calgary so every game continues to be crucial.

Coyotes Notes:

Ray Whitney notched 2 assists to extend his point-scoring streak to 6 games and has 13 points (2G, 11A) in his last 9 games.

Defenseman Keith Yandle left the game with a knee injury in the 3rd period. He is currently listed as day-to-day

10 different players earned at least 1 point in the win

PHX – 3 DET – 1

Detroit had made quite a home away from home here in Phoenix winning 8 of their last 9 trips to the desert. The Red Wings had also taken the last 7 games overall against their former playoff foes. The Coyotes put a halt to those streaks as they wrapped up their season-long 6 game homestand where it started, against the NHL’s top team.

The Coyotes were coming off a win against the Sharks, but had not put back to back wins together since December 21st. Having now won 3 of their last 4, the Coyotes moved past Colorado and Calgary into a tie with the Dallas Stars for 9th in the Western Conference, and are only 2 points behind Minnesota for the 8th and final playoff spot. The Coyotes play the Stars in Dallas tomorrow and return home to face Calgary this Thursday at Jobing.com Arena.

The Coyotes had been hurt by injuries to Martin Hanzel and Boyd Gordon, both of whom missed substantial time before the All-Star break. With both players now healthy, they centered the Coyotes top two lines and were the difference in the game.

Special teams was the name of the game tonight. The Coyotes penalty kill unit continues to play strong as of late, and gave Phoenix the lead midway through the first period when Boyd Gordon stole the puck on a defensive miscue by the Detroit defensemen and beat backup goalie Joey MacDonald on a shorthanded breakaway. The Coyotes power play also came alive in the 2nd when Martin Hanzel netted his seventh goal on the year giving the Coyotes a 2-0 lead. Special teams play was not over, though, and after Rostislav Kiesla was called for a delay of game late in the period, the Coyotes penalty kill could not hold off the Detroit power play.

Mike Smith was named the game’s #1 star as his second spectacular performance in a row shut down the vaunted Red Wing offense in the 3rd. The play was in the Phoenix end throughout the final frame, but Smith stood tall stopping all 11 of Detroit’s shots before Martin Hanzel put the game out of reach with an empty net goal in the game’s final minute. Hanzel now has 3 goals and 4 points in 2 games since returning from injury.

The Coyotes continued to play with the newfound energy that they had the other night against San Jose. In the last game against Detroit, they looked lost and spent the game chasing the Red Wings’ players. On Monday they dictated play much more, outhit the Red Wings, and contained Pavel Datsyuk and Detroit’s top line. It is this type of game that is going to be needed to get the Coyotes into the playoffs, where there is a good chance they will see Detroit again.

Coyotes Notes:

Ray Whitney added 2 assists and leads the Coyotes with 47 points. He now has a 5-game point scoring streak and has 11 points (2G, 9 A) in his last 8 games. This was also his 1200th career game

PHX – 5   SJ – 3   F

After a disappointing start to the second half of the season, the Coyotes continued their homestand Saturday night against the Pacific Division leading San Jose Sharks. The Coyotes have been struggling in many phases of the game recently and they were in need of someone to step up and make a big game-changing play. Lauri Korpikoski answered that call. Twice.

The Coyotes, in a lackluster performance Thursday night, gave up 3 goals over an 8-shot span in the 2nd period. However, they pulled a complete 180 and netted 3 of their own goals on 6 shots in the middle frame Saturday.

Right from the game’s opening faceoff, the Coyotes played like a different team than the one who had only 1 win in their previous five games. Despite being outshot in the 1st period, the Coyotes dominated play and had 4 quality scoring chances to the Sharks’ zero, including 2 shots going off the goalpost.

Phoenix continued to control the tempo of the game in the 2nd period. Again they were outshot in the period, but they were flying all over the ice continuously outhitting and outhustling the Sharks. Even with the Sharks scoring first, the Coyotes were never deterred and Raffi Torres promptly responded 32 seconds later tying the game at 1. They Coyotes never trailed again. Korpikoski’s great effort following the play gave Phoenix their first lead of the game midway through the period. With the game tied at 2, the hustle that the Coyotes demonstrated all game paid off again in the final minute when Ray Whitney and Martin Hanzel created a 2 on 1 that took a fortunate bounce off Sharks’ defenseman Brent Burns’ stick. While it was a fortunate bounce, it was an example of how you create your own luck through hard work and perseverance.

The Coyotes continued to wear the Sharks out in the third period with physical play, and finished the game with 38 hits compared to only 19 for San Jose. Korpikoski essentially put this game away midway through the period when he gave the Coyotes a 2-goal lead. Mike Smith, who got the start coming off his worst game of the year Thursday night, was magnificent stopping 32 of 35 shots and quelled any chance of Sharks comeback late in the game.

Phoenix felt that it really had something to prove this game and it showed. Everything that they had struggled with lately was corrected tonight. Passes were crisp and connecting, the defense was strong and punished the Sharks every chance they got, Smith was back in typical form, and the Coyotes finally put three strong periods together. The message was clear. The Coyotes can play with the top teams of the Western Conference. If they can continue to play like this, they are well on their way to becoming one of those teams

Coyotes Notes:

Ray Whitney added 2 assists and leads the Coyotes with 43 points

ANA – 4 PHX – 1 F

The Coyotes returned to action at Jobing.com Arena after the much-needed All-Star break. Seems like some of the players thought they were still on break. The last place Anaheim Ducks rolled into town and with 3 goals over a span of 8 shots midway through the 2nd, the Ducks chased goalie Mike Smith and made quick work of the Coyotes.

The second period belonged to the Ducks’ Andrew Cogliano who had a natural hat trick in the second period. It’s hard to discredit a man who scored the fastest natural hat trick in franchise history, but it was three of the softest goals Mike Smith has let in all season. After trying to play the puck behind the net, Smith got trapped back there and the puck squirted to Cogliano for an open net goal. That really seemed to rattle Smith, and just three minutes later Cogliano’s wrist shot from a really bad angle seemed to go right through him. Things got worse for Smith when just under four minutes later Cogliano’s backhander from 30 feet away when right through Smith’s legs. It was either a horrible goaltending performance or Cogliano just had the magic touch. Both teams seemed to think it was the former.

“That might have been the ugliest hat trick I have ever seen,” said Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau, “but I’m glad they went in.”

The Coyotes had a strong 1st period outshooting the Ducks and getting a goal from Ray Whitney who notched his team-high 43rd point on the year. But after the Ducks’ 3 goal barrage in the 2nd, the Coyotes were never in it. Even after Anaheim took back to back penalties giving the Coyotes a 5 on 3 advantage late in the 2nd, Phoenix’s power play looked anemic and uninspired. The Coyotes power play got only 1 shot on net during the 2:36 man advantage, which included 1:24 of 5 on 3, and they had 2 turnovers and 2 offsides called. That just shows a complete lack of discipline by a unit that already ranks close to last in the league.

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett was disappointed by a couple referee calls that he felt could have really changed the game. He believed the refs missed an obvious offsides call that resulted in the Ducks’ third goal, and a Coyotes goal was called back after the referee declared that Martin Hanzal interfered with Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller.

“When both teams are amazed that a call is being made, you have to wonder about it.” Tippett said post game. “There was no contact with the goalie whatsoever.”

Referee calls aside, the Coyotes were not the better team on the ice Tuesday night. The defense played poorly, passes were off target, the offense looked slow, shots repeatedly missed the net, they were outplayed physically and Mike Smith’s head was clearly not in the game.

Not the start they needed going into the second half of the season.

Coyotes Notes:

Center Daymond Langkow left the game with a facial injury, but returned in the 3rd period. He is not expected to miss any games

This was the Coyotes 4th game of a season-long 6 game homestand (1-2-1)

PHX-3 OTT-2 F

The Phoenix Coyotes were host to the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night for their final game before Keith Yandle and the rest of the NHL’s best head up to Ottawa for this weekend’s All-Star festivities. While the Senators wanted to end their current two game skid, the Coyotes were desperate for a win, having amassed only 3 wins in their last 15 games. Phoenix got the win, and they did not look desperate in getting it. The Coyotes were strong in all facets of the game and played with confidence while the Senators played more like the desperate team.

The Coyotes controlled the pace of the game throughout the 1st period. They were able to get traffic and create chances in front of Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, something they have not done well in recent games. Defensemen Chris Summers’ big hit on Senators forward Kyle Turris set the tone for what would be a physical game and sent the Phoenix crowd in a fury. Turris, who Phoenix dealt to Ottawa on December 17th after sitting out two months in a contract dispute, was booed relentlessly all night by the Phoenix faithful. The boos became jubilation when Gilbert Brule gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead late in the 1st period after a brilliant setup by rookie Mikkel Boedker. This was Brule’s third goal and fourth point in his first seven games as a Coyote since being called up from the AHL on January 12th.

The Senators have been plagued by slow starts and Tuesday night was no different. This was the seventh consecutive game that Ottawa surrendered the game’s first goal.

The real story of the game was Mike Smith in goal for the Coyotes. After a poor performance Saturday against the Lightning, he was nothing short of spectacular Tuesday, especially in the 2nd period while preserving the Coyotes 1-0 lead. That lead was extended when yet another beautiful save by Smith started a rush the other way. Lauri Korpikoski made a strong move past the Ottawa defense and captain Shane Doan finished the play for his 15th goal and 30th point on the year. Korpikoski continues his hot streak with his sixth point in his last six games.

Head coach Dave Tippett was praising Smith performance after the game. “(Smith) bounced back and gave us a real strong game and that’s what we needed tonight… He’s come in and solidified himself as a strong number one goaltender in this league and we expect him to carry us the rest of the way.”

The biggest issue for the Coyotes over this past month has been their ability to finish close games. Going into Tuesday, the Coyotes were 0-5-5 in the ten previous games that were decided by 1 goal, a trend they knew they had to turn around. The Coyotes answered that call and never trailed in this game. Up 2-1 going into the 3rd, the Coyotes took advantage of a Senators team that started the period tired and flat. 90 seconds in, Radim Vrbata netted his 23rd goal of the year giving the Coyotes their second 2-goal lead of the game.

“That’s what you like to see,” Tippett said postgame. “When you’re up a goal going into the 3rd period. You go out and push the game ahead further.”

Vrbata’s goal woke up the Senators who quickly responded with a goal 14 seconds later. They continued to pressure the Coyotes zone throughout the 3rd period and outshot Phoenix 12-7 in the final frame. Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson thought he had tied the game with just over 8:00 to play, but the goal was called off due to goalie interference on Nick Foligno. Smith stood tall the rest of the way and Vrbata’s goal held up to be the game winner.

This was a big win for the Coyotes going forward, and they can take a lot out of this game. They continue to have a really strong penalty killing unit, giving up zero goals and only two shots in three chances for Ottawa. Their defense played very strong and physical against a speedy Ottawa team that is among the Eastern Conference’s elite. The Coyotes also welcomed center Daymond Langkow back to the lineup as well as starting defensemen Adrian Aucoin, who missed the last four games due to injury. Phoenix moves within 3 points of the Minnesota Wild who currently hold the 8th and final playoff spot.

“We all recognize where we’re at and where we’ve got to get to,” Tippet added. “And I think the (All-Star) break comes at the right time.”

The Coyotes next game is Tuesday, January 31st when they host the Anaheim Ducks

Coyotes Notes

This was the third game of a six game homestand for the Coyotes (1-1-1)

Ray Whitney notched an assist and leads the team with 43 points

Keith Yandle scored his 29th point of the year, good for 7th in the league among defensemen

Defensemen Derek Morris missed Tueday’s game with an upper body injury he sustained Saturday against Tampa Bay. He is listed as day-to-day

Radim Vrbata is currently 8th in the NHL in goals with 23, and was not picked for the All-Star game

Ottawa Senators 27-18-6
60 Points (5th in the East)

AT

Phoenix Coyotes 21-20-8
50 Points (12th in the West)

9:00 pm EST
7:00 pm Phoenix Local Time

The Ottawa Senators, suddenly losers of two in a row, take on the Phoenix Coyotes tonight at Jobing.Com Arena in Glendale. This is the third of a six game homestand for the Coyotes, and the last game for both teams before the All-Star break. Both teams are looking to turn around their current streaks and gain a little momentum going into the break. The Senators are just two games back of the Conference-leading Bruins and Rangers and need a win to keep pace. The Coyotes are fading fast with only 2 wins in their last 10 games. A big win tonight against one of the East’s top teams could be the spark they have been looking for. While the Coyotes currently sit 12th in the West, they are only 4 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot. With 5 teams separated by 4 points and fighting over only 1 spot, every win is crucial.

There are question marks at both ends in net tonight. For the Coyotes, Mike Smith started the last 4 games and has lost the last 3. He is also coming off a poor performance Saturday against Tampa, so don’t be surprised to see Jason Labarbera get the start. For Ottawa, Craig Anderson has started the last 13 games, but he got pulled after 2 periods last night in a 4-1 loss to the Kings. Anderson is also winless in five starts against the Coyotes, so it could be backup Alex Auld getting the nod.

Tonight’s game can be seen on FSAZ-Plus (Cox channel 73, DirecTV channel 695)

The Game will also be broadcast on XTRA Sports 910 AM

Coyotes Notes:

Starting center Daymond Langkow is listed as doubtful

TB-4 PHX–3 F

The Tampa Bay Lightning were in Glendale Saturday night to take on the Phoenix Coyotes in the second game of their six game homestand. And while both teams sit on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, the Lightning are gaining ground and the Coyotes are losing it. Tampa Bay won its second straight road game and third overall, while the Coyotes continue to skid losing their third straight and 8 of their last 10.

“Missed opportunities” was the theme that kept coming up in the Coyotes postgame locker room. The Coyotes came out strong tonight and peppered Dwayne Roloson, who got the start over Mathieu Garon, with 15 first period shots, but the 42 year-old netminder was up to the challenge turning away all 15 shots. The Coyotes got another burst of energy midway through the 2nd when a strong shift by captain Shane Doan was soon followed by a beautiful shorthanded goal scored by Lauri Korpikoski. 39 seconds after the goal, Tampa Bay’s Brett Clark took an interference penalty giving the Coyotes their first power play and seizing momentum of the game. That momentum was dashed after they were unable to capitalize on their power play chance and Steve Downie scored for the Lightning giving them a 4-1 lead after 2.

The Coyotes were not without their share of chances. Throughout the game Coyotes’ scoring opportunities and shots from in the slot continuously missed their target. And while Roloson did his part stopping 33 of 36 shots on goal, including a spectacular glove save stopping Ray Whitney point blank, the Coyotes did him plenty of favors finishing the game with 22 shots missing the net.

While Dwayne Roloson’s stellar play was the difference in the game for the Lightning, Mike Smith’s sub-par performance was a big part of the Coyotes defeat. He gave up a terrible rebound late in the 1st giving Purcell a wide open net and putting the Yotes in a 2-0 hole after the 1st period.   The 2nd period goal by Downie was not only soft, but it really took the wind out of the Coyotes’ sails and also turned out the be the game winner.

Overall I thought it was a real poor performance by Phoenix. The goaltending let them down, the defense was slow and sloppy, and they did nothing to stop Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier, the leading scorers on Tampa Bay, all of whom finished with at least 1 point.

If anything positive can be taken from tonight, it is the special teams play. The Coyotes penalty killing unit was superb tonight allowing only 3 total shots and scoring a shorthanded goal. Their power play also scored tonight netting their second goal in their last 10 chances, a good sign from a unit that currently ranks 29th in the league. Another positive was the resiliency that the Coyotes displayed tonight. Down 4-1 at the start of the 3rd period, the Coyotes were swarming all around the net in the offensive zone, scoring twice. They still have that never-say-die attitude that served them well last season. If they can put forth that kind of effort for three periods consistently, then they can be contenders out West. But until then, they will continue to be on the outside looking in.

Coyotes Notes:

Ray Whitney scored his team-leading 39th goal of the season Saturday night

Starting center Daymon Langkow missed Saturday’s game with an injury he sustained after taking a puck to the face early in the first period of Thursday’s game against Detroit.  He is listed as day-to-day