Arizona Coyotes: Desert Digest, Vol. VI
The week in review for the Arizona Coyotes
So, on the plus side, the Arizona Coyotes have a better record than the Edmonton Oilers– which isn’t saying a whole lot, since that’s a franchise that’s slowly self-destructing, but it’s still better than nothing.
This week has seen good Coyotes play, bad Coyotes play, and a little bit of roster movement. Here’s what you’ve missed:
Two consecutive victories
The Arizona Coyotes notched a hard-fought victory over the Los Angeles Kings in game two of the season, pulling ahead 3-2 in overtime with a game-winning power play goal by Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Then, the team went on to win 7-4 in a sloppy but successful victory over the aforementioned disastrous Oilers, which helped… ya know, as much as a regulation time victory can help within your own division.
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It was nice to watch the Coyotes start to win early on, particularly against a team like the defending Stanley Cup champs. The Kings didn’t exactly start off the season on a strong note, but the Coyotes were able to match their play well and take home a win based on strong special teams and good adaptive senses from all the players on the ice.
Even against the Oilers, the Coyotes didn’t look terrible. They were a little messy, and Mike Smith has yet to really hit his A-game, but the team is still developing line chemistry. A lot of teams that had solidly set top-six lines (and even bottom six lines, to be frank) are having trouble finding their rhythm this season, so we can’t count the Yotes out this early.
To read the game recap from the Kings victory, click here.
To check out the commentary post-Oilers win, click here.
Bonus: Mikkel Boedker is a beast
Can we all just fangirl over Mikkel Boedker and give this eighth overall pick the attention he so strongly deserves? Check out this sick recap-
Yeah. That’s a pretty nice set of goals there. We’re drooling, too.
That’s right: Mikkel Boedker recorded his first career hat trick on Wednesday against the Oilers, and is currently near the top of the league leaderboard for both goals and overall points. If you didn’t draft him for your fantasy team, you’re probably loathing whoever did.
The St. Louis Blues proved too much to handle
That which goes up must, at some point, come back down- and the Coyotes found that out the hard way when a loss of momentum saw them fall 6-1 to the St. Louis Blues Saturday night.
The team started off the first period strong, with Mike Smith making 14 consecutive saves and the skaters matching game style with the Blues for the first eighteen minutes of play. Then, Blues captain David Backes accidentally kicked the puck under Mike Smith in a dogpile late in the first period- off a power play caused by an interference call on OEL, no less- and it was all downhill from there. The team fell apart, and the final score saw the Coyotes down 6-1.
To read the game recap of the loss, click here.
Around the league:
I’ll start with the joy that is Slava Voynov the scumbag, who is indefinitely suspended by the Los Angeles Kings for domestic abuse charges.
To read ESPN’s coverage of that, click here.
Then, there’s the update that Eric Staal might be back with the Canes on the ice soon- and if he is, he could request out of Carolina. Not good news for the struggling franchise, but potentially good news for players elsewhere?
According to NHL Trade Rumors, it’s possible that Brandon Gormley wants out, as he’s unhappy being stuck in Portland. This could develop into something, keep an eye out for that.
Keep checking back with us throughout the week, as we continue to give you coverage and analysis on everything going on around the league and with your Arizona Coyotes!