Arizona Coyotes vs Winnipeg Jets final score 6-2: Coyotes suffer disappointing loss in season home opener

Arizona Coyotes cannot recover from abysmal first period; fall 6-2 to Winnipeg Jets

In an upsetting loss to one of the team’s most bitter rivals, the Arizona Coyotes skate away from their season home opener with a 6-2 loss fresh in their minds.

The team had an overall lackluster game, although it seems that no amount of improved play could have helped the team recover from the first period. Four of the Jets’ six goals were scored in those early twenty minutes, and the Coyotes had no real reason for allowing that kind of score- save some extremely sloppy play at the head of the game.

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While captain Shane Doan had one of his stronger games, the team as a whole looked very subpar- and a couple of players, Oliver Ekman-Larsson included, looked downright terrible. Sam Gagner was shaky on his face-offs (only winning 39% of them, which is nearly identical to the number of faceoffs won by Anze Kopitar in last night’s blowout game between the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings), and the team overall had extremely poor passing and puck possession numbers.

With so many negative things to say about the Coyotes in this game, though, Doan’s game was not alone in being deserving of praise. Rookie Connor Murphy may not have been given the chance to start in the defensive pairing I wished for him, he still had a breakout game- and it’s a shame that the final score won’t reflect that. He was nearly alone on the back end in strong puck possession, crafty plays, and huge hits. The 21-year-old Boston native only played in thirty games with the Desert Dogs last season, so the team is hoping that he’ll be able to continue his success beyond opening night.

Despite the increased level of competitiveness from the Coyotes in the final two periods of the game, credit must be given where credit is due. The Winnipeg Jets started off stronger than anyone expected, even with Evander Kane out almost immediately for an undisclosed lower body (most likely knee) injury.

Both Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien absolutely exploded on the offense, and the entirety of the Jets’ defense looked stronger than anything the Coyotes were offering. Their passes were cleaner, and they were capitalizing on every opportunity they could- whether it be an opportunity for a shot on goal or a takeaway at center ice.

As with almost every game played so far this season, the shot summary in the post-game report told it all. The Coyotes may have outshot the Jets in the final two periods- actually outshooting the victors 11-3 in the final period- but they did so poorly in the first period that they still only finished with an even number of SOG. The Jets also had four more players credited with SOG than the Coyotes, suggesting that a larger percentage of the Winnipeg players were both willing and able to capitalize on opportunities.

The two mystery players of the night were Mike Smith and Keith Yandle. Yandle took an immense number of shots throughout the night, but very few that were well-placed. He seemed to be strongly supported by his second pairing, Michael Stone, and spent a lot of time chasing down the puck in his own zone.

Smith, on the other hand, played a curious game. He wasn’t given much assistance on the blue line, but he still let in a couple of questionable goals.

The Coyotes will play their next game against the Los Angeles Kings, once again at Gila River Arena, this Saturday. While Coyotes fans may be groaning at the thought, though, they might be reassured by the fact that they lost by the same margin that the defending Stanley Cup champs did- but registered two more goals in the process.