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 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 on 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 real 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 with 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

Tampa Bay Lightning  19-23-4 (42 points – 14th in the East)

at

Phoenix Coyotes  21-19-8 (50 points – 12th in the West)

8:00 pm EST

6:00 pm Phoenix Local Time

If there were a team to play that would help turn a losing streak around, you would think the team tied for the fewest points in the Eastern Conference would be it. The Lightning had plenty of their own issues during their recent 7-game losing streak. However, that streak was snapped this past Tuesday with a solid win against the Northeast Division leading Bruins. They followed that up with a win at Dallas, their first road victory in 7 tries. Goaltending had been a catalyst for the Lightning lately surrendering an average of 4.75 goals per game over an 8 game stretch before getting a strong performance from Mathieu Garon last night. Expect to see Garon between the pipes again tonight.

At the other end, former Lightning goalie Mike Smith has been one of the stronger players for the Coyotes this year. The Lightning released Smith at the end of last year after a couple of injury plagued seasons, but he has been steadfast for Phoenix starting 36 of 48 games this year.

This is the 2nd game of a six-game homestand for the Coyotes, after earning 1 point in shootout loss to Detroit on Thursday night.

Tonight’s game can be seen on FoxSports Arizona (FSN) and can be heard on XTRA Sports 910 (AM).

DET-3  PHX-2   F/SO

The Detroit Red Wings were in Glendale Thursday night to face the slumping Coyotes. This must be one of Detroit’s favorite road trips. The weather is sunny and 70s, the crowd has a huge percentage of Red Wings fans, and they win. Detroit has now won 8 of their last 9 road games against Phoenix, including knocking the Coyotes out of the playoffs each of the last two seasons with both series clinching wins coming in Glendale.

The Coyotes continue to have no answer to Pavel Datsyuk and the top line of the Red Wings. Datsyuk added two assists Thursday night to give himself 30 such tallies in the past 30 games. The Wings’ top line of Datsyuk, Todd Bertuzzi and Johan Franzen is bigger, faster, tougher and more talented than their Coyotes counterparts. The Coyotes starting forwards of Shane Doan, Daymond Langkow, and team point leader Ray Whitney continue to get outplayed in matchups against Detroit.

The Coyotes saving graces tonight came in the form of the fourth line. Bruiser Raffi Torres gave the Yotes a 1-0 lead early in the 1st, and newcomer Gilbert Brule tied it at 2 late in the 2nd. Brule continues to impress in his first week as a Coyote scoring his third point in as many games. Kyle Chipchurra also continued his hot streak by adding two assists and amassing five points in his last five games. We would also be remiss not to mention the spectacular game put forward by goaltender Mike Smith. One night after a sloppy 6-goal performance in Anaheim, head coach Dave Tippett showed great confidence in the 29 year-old and Smith delivered stopping 33 of 35 shots. Smith was key to the Coyotes salvaging a point in the shootout loss.

The Coyotes have only 3 wins in their last 14 games and are quickly slipping out of the playoff picture. They currently sit tied for 10th in the Western Conference, 2 points behind the 8th place Avalanche. One of the main reasons for the current slide is lack of discipline and organization. The Coyotes took 4 bad penalties Thursday, 3 of which were bench penalties for having too many men on the ice. 3 times? That is inexcusable and it has to fall on the head coach. A silver lining to such egregious penalties is that Detroit was 0-5 on power play chances, so give credit to the Coyotes penalty killing unit.

The Coyotes next 5 games are at home, and the All-Star break is next week. This would be a great time for Tippett and the Yotes to clean up their act and turn this thing around. The last month has been real rough.

Perhaps for the last time? I don’t know but that is for a different blog anyways.

The Coyotes played their best game as a group in game 4 of their series against the Detroit Red Wings but Ilya Bryzgalov let the desert dogs down again giving up two bad third period goals en route to a 6-3 loss and a sweep at the hands of the Wings.

Tied at three in the third period Bryzgalov gave up a terrible goal to Dan Cleary on a shot from behind the goal line in where Ilya cheated off the post and Cleary bounced it off Bryzgalov’s side and into the net. Followed a couple minutes later by a Todd Bertuzzi wrap around that hit a skate a trickled into the net. You wouldn’t think of that as a bad goal except for the fact that Bryzgalov lost the puck in his vision and was looking the wrong way when it went in. It wasn’t a goal he would be very happy with himself for letting in.

Those goals broke the back of the Coyotes who had battled so much better than they had in the first three games. Captain Shane Doan was more controlled in game four and really led the troops well. But all is not bad for the future of the Coyotes. Players like Kyle Turris, Laurie Korpikoski, and David Schlemko took some huge steps forward in this series and show promise for the future.

At the end of the day the Detroit Red Wings were just better than the Phoenix Coyotes up front, on the back end, and between the pipes. No matter what the future holds for the Coyotes there are pieces in place for a bright future and no one should take away their great season making the playoffs in the hardest conference in NHL history.

The Red Wings will now go home and wait to see who their next opponent will be, and I would suggest that there will be a lot of work done on their penalty killing which Phoenix did expose in the first round as being weak.

Let the insane rumors commence!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

Detroit took the play again to the Phoenix Coyotes and came out with a 4-2 win to go up 3-0 in the first round series. There is no big secret or magic formula as to why the Coyotes have dropped all three games so far and it was the same reason tonight. Once again the Coyotes best players were not their best players.

Ilya Bryzgalov and Shane Doan were simply just not good enough again tonight. Starting with Ilya he just wasn’t sharp and ready to play and Detroit’s Jimmy Howard completely outplayed Bryzgalov. Dave Tippett is going to have to seriously consider giving Jason Labarbera the start in game 4 as the Ilya Bryzgalov of the regular season has yet to arrive in the playoffs when his team has needed him the most.

Shane Doan seems to have completely forgotten that he is this teams leading scorer and not a third line grinder. It’s fine to go out and finish your checks, but going out of your way to lay a hit also takes yourself out of the play. Couple that with a couple undisciplined penalties and you can see why the Coyotes best line has been their fourth line so far.

I honestly don’t know where to draw hope from for Wednesday nights game 4 of the series. The Phoenix crowd showed up and was loud and did their jobs the players however have to step up and make plays. Good on the Coyotes fans for not letting jobing.com turn into Joe Louis in the desert!

All I know is the Coyotes had better be ready to play Wednesday from the opening face-off or this series will be over in four games. Detroit is just too experienced and disciplined that if Phoenix doesn’t come out strong the Wings will eat them alive.

Have a good one!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

Well I’m sure being down 2-0 in the series was not part of Dave Tippett’s plans. But thanks largely to another all world effort from Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk’s goal and three assists that is the situation they are facing heading into Monday night’s game 3 back in Glendale.

Detroit came out and was ready to go from the start and overwhelmed the Coyotes early and built it up to a early 4-0 lead early in the second period. But the Coyotes have a positive to build on. They didn’t quit. Radim Vrbata got his second goal of the series on the power play in the second period to cut the lead to 4-1

Fast forward to the third period and Phoenix’s physical play started to show signs of paying of as Johan Franzen and Todd Bertuzzi took a couple of dumb stick penalties, and Darren Helm got nailed for interference to give the Yotes a 5 on 3 PP as well. The Coyotes capitalized on their chances and made the game 4-3 with all three of the Coyotes goals coming on the PP. Certainly a far cry from game one. In the end the Coyotes could not generate enough pressure 5 on 5 to push ahead for the tying goal and Detroit held on for the win.

First off you have to give it up to Johan Franzen who got crushed by Shane Doan in the first period when he went face first into the boards on a clean hit. Twenty one stitches, and a period later Franzen was back in the game. ‘The Mule’ certainly showed he was as tough as one.

If the Coyotes want to get back in the series they are going to have to do a much better job of containing Datsyuk. Pavel is just killing Phoenix all over the ice. Phoenix also has to be much better 5 on 5 against the Wings or this series is going to be over quickly.

Keith Yandle who has been under the weather didn’t have his best game again tonight, but the biggest problem for the Coyotes is that Ilya Bryzgalov was once again average in net. Detroit’s Jimmy Howard has played save for save with Ilya so far for the first two games and Ilya is going to have to find a way to step up and steal a game.

But it is not all bad for the Coyotes. They need to hold serve back home and even the series to make it a best of three. If they can keep pounding the Wings they may be able to draw them into more undisciplined penalties. They also need to start taking advantage of Brad Stuart who has looked shaky on the Wings blue line for the first couple of games.

Lets also see how the fans of the Coyotes respond Monday night. Could be a big boost for the players.

Have a good one!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

Well you couldn’t have asked for a better start in game 1 for the Phoenix Coyotes when Kyle Turris went roof on Jimmy Howard a couple minutes into the game for a quick 1-0 lead. It quickly went downhill from there. The Yotes had numerous opportunities to put the game to bed after that goal getting five power plays in the first period including a 5 on 3 for a minute and a half and couldn’t get another goal or two. The Red Wings survived the first period only down 1-0 and it should have been much more.

Detroit woke up in the second period and Ilya Bryzgalov looked human. Datsyuk, Franzen, and Rafalski powered the Wings to three second period goals and a 3-1 after two periods. Ilya Bryzgalov got beat a couple times on the blocker side on shots he has to have.

It was curious to see how the Coyotes would respond coming out for the third period and their response was not what coach Tippett had in mind. three minutes in and Jiri Hudler potted another one for Detroit and the Wings had a 4-1 lead. The Coyotes never had a great push to get back in it though Radim Vrbata tucked one home to cut the lead down to 4-2 but that would be as close as the desert dogs would get.

Two things were absolute disasters for the Coyotes is game 1. First the special teams were atrocious! 0/6 on the PP killed them, and the Wings went 1/3 on their chances. Secondly Jimmy Howard was Ilya Bryzgalov’s equal if not the better goaltender in game 1. If Bryz can’t pick up his game this will be a short series.

The good news for Phoenix is the old saying that a team isn’t really in trouble until it loses a game at home. I agree with that assessment so no need to panic yet for the Coyotes but the special teams have to be better.

Have a good one!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer