Five Things You Missed: Arizona Coyotes vs Edmonton Oilers

I know it seems like pretty much the only thing to happen last night was Mikkel Boedker’s hat trick lighting up the Edmonton defense, but there were a couple other key things in there to take note of:

1. Connor Murphy.

I spent the majority of the summer petitioning for Connor Murphy, and I’m really glad that the 21-year-old isn’t letting me down. It’s relatively rare for the Coyotes to place such a young player in the opening lineup- just take a look at the team’s offense, where no rookies made it past the final round of cuts- but Murphy seems ready to handle the responsibility.

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So far, we’ve seen the blue liner play with both Chris Summers and David Schlemko, and he’s done well with pretty much whoever he’s next to. I pointed this out back when I was on my campaign to get Murphy added to Keith Yandle‘s line; the normally offensive-minded defenseman is able to quickly adapt his play to whatever best supports the guy on the ice with him at the time. This is BEYOND valuable, Arizona.

This kid is still on his entry-level contract through 2016, but I wouldn’t be mad if he eventually requested “Toews money”.

2. Mikkel Boedker

Since Boedker‘s been getting all the spotlight, I wanted to start with Connor Murphy- but really, this was the main attraction.

Boedker walked away from Wednesday night’s rivalry matchup with three goals and an assist, putting him at five goals in three games and six points overall. He’s second in the league- that’s right, in the entire NHL- for goals right now, and sits proudly in sixth for his points total. Not bad, considering the Coyotes are as much as two games behind some of the other franchises across the league.

What made Boedker so valuable during this game, though, wasn’t just his goals- without him, the team would have still at least tied the game and gone into overtime- and potentially a shootout, where the final score is really just a crapshoot.

(I’m sorry, but let’s watch that goal one more time.)

Boedker’s true value lay in his immense two-way play: he walked away from the game having scored, assisted, and helped on the defensive end. He walked away from the game with a +/- of +3, a shooting percentage of 75%, and 23 shifts. Many were worried that the 8th overall pick from 2008 would never fully live up to his potential, but he’s already gearing up for a breakout year.

3. Smith still needs consistency (as does the blue line)

Oct 15, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith (41) stretches prior to the game against the Edmonton Oilers at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

A couple of the goals that Mike Smith let in were largely due to the team’s semi-sloppy defending. I hesitate to criticize the Coyotes for poor play comparatively, as they dominated the Oilers overall, but there was no reason for Smitty to let in four goals on only 27 shots.

I don’t want to compare him to Jonas Hiller, who has proven already that he’s got some elite goaltending left in him with the Calgary Flames. Smith has never been an ‘elite’ level netminder, and won’t come close to winning the Vezina any time soon. He’s signed to a hefty contract for a good long while, though- and his NMC doesn’t start to deconstruct until the end of next season. When you’ve got a nice price tag on your goalie mask, and the insurance to guarantee you won’t be stripped for on-ice parts in the near future, you need to perform as such. Had the Oilers stepped it up in their own zone at all, the game would have been much closer- and not in a good way.

Feeding off that, the Coyotes are famous for their heavy-bearing defense… so where was it in this game? Oliver Ekman-Larsson played his second lackluster game of the season, and Keith Yandle was above average at best. Zbynek Michalek isn’t exactly being counted on as a game-changer; he’s supposed to supplement OEL on what seems to be this year’s second-pairing defensive line. Connor Murphy did his part, but the remainder for those in his position failed to pull through.

4. Shane Doan might need a Ritalin

I’m all for stepping up and showing some leadership. Boston Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron, who many consider Zdeno Chara‘s successor and the true backbone of the Boston franchise, leads his team through exemplary on-ice behavior and spotlessly clean play. Alex Ovechkin leads his team with high-energy goals. Sidney Crosby plays an all-around game, pitching in with as many assists as he does goals, and even Jamie Benn knows when to drop the gloves to keep the energy pushing with a forward momentum during a game.

That being said, Shane Doan‘s play has been aggressive bordering on reckless in the past three games. He’s dropping the gloves too often (in my opinion), and taking shots- that aren’t finding the back of the net. I’ve made the kind of bold prediction that this is Doan’s last year as a top-six forward, and that could be why he’s throwing himself into the game with 110% effort and renewed vigor.

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He needs to tone it down just a tad, though- putting your team on the power play early on in the first is a poor call. I like the sentiment, but I’m overall getting annoyed with Shane Doan’s antics… and it’s only Game 3.

5. The Bottom Six

The team’s bottom six is horrendously thin, with no room for injury- GMDM and Dave Tippett have sent Justin Hodgman back down to the minors, so the team is sitting on a 22-person roster… one of the smallest in the league.

I’m enjoying the play of the bottom six, but I don’t really sense any kind of line chemistry down there yet. Every week, I check the final lineup for the game, and- with the exclusion of Brandon McMillan and Joe Vitale, who should never ever EVER be separated- really have no feels regarding the team’s third and fourth offensive lines. I was mildly surprised to see Rob Klinkhammer on the second line wing, just like I really had no idea that David Moss would be playing with Sam Gagner. Also, I still can’t tell if I care less about Lauri Korpikoski, Kyle Chipchura, or BJ Crombeen. I know the team needs room for the new, young guys to move in- but lack of identity in the bottom six can ruin a team.

Going back to the Boston Bruins as an example, the team excelled for so long because the bottom six wasn’t a place for young guys to occasionally pop in and get inadequate playing time- it was a six-person powerhouse known for its penalty kill and physical dominance. Chris Kelly is a $3 million AAV third-line center who’s also an alternate captain, because the team knows that the best leadership comes from those pulling the grunt minutes.

The Coyotes will be fine with the bottom two lines they have in place now, but I’m not opposed to seeing lots of movement among the players there and their positions. I want the team to have a fast, flashy, shiny top six… but as a team that rolls all four lines, the bottom two need to work together like a family. I’m just not getting that sense quite yet.

Oct 15, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes center Kyle Chipchura (24) celebrates with center Joe Vitale (14), left wing Brandon McMillan (22)and defenseman Michael Stone (26) after scoring a goal in the first period against the Edmonton Oilers at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

This Saturday, the Coyotes play the Florida Panthers, once again at home in Gila River Arena. Keep checking back for more Coyotes news, analysis, and updates!