Arizona Coyotes vs Florida Panthers ROUND TWO: previews and predictions
AYYYYY, WE’RE GOING IN FOR A SECOND ROUND!
There is nothing the Coyotes need more than to come back from Tuesday night’s catastrophic loss. It took me a six-mile run (okay, and maybe a bottle of Apothic Dark, but whatever) to get over it, and fans everywhere probably feel the same way.
The Coyotes beat the Panthers the first time around, and hopefully this game will have the same outcome. Here are your game details:
DATE: Thursday, Oct. 30th
TIME: 7:30 pm (EST)
LOCATION: Sunrise, Florida
ARENA: BB&T Center
TV Info: Fox Sports AZ, Fox Sports Florida
Keys to Victory:
The Coyotes need desperately to shake off their Tuesday night loss and head into this game ready to win. Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose, and all that jazz.
Mike Smith is starting in net once again, and he needs to get his head on straight.
I have no particular issue with Smith being in net, so long as he can hold down the fort. The Panthers are good but young (aka they show ‘promise’, which is a nice way of saying the Coyotes should prooooobably win this game), and they’ll be trying to capitalize on opportunities. They play with a strong defense, so the Coyotes need to try and do the same- and that extends to the man in the net.
Mikkel Boedker and Martin Erat have looked nice this season, but this game can’t be all on them. Shane Doan scored his first goal… now let’s shoot for his second. Sam Gagner got another assist… let’s shoot for three, and maybe notch that first goal of the season. It would be nice if Antoine Vermette could play a strong game, and will Hanzal be okay? He needs to be.
Also… Keith Yandle is topping the team in points (again), but scoring another goal wouldn’t be so bad for him, either.
Line Combinations:
A few changes today. Top line back together, Klinkhammer-Hanzal-Erat, Gagner-Hodgman-Korpikoski-Chipchura/McMillan-Vitale-Crombeen.
— Sarah McLellan (@sarah__mclellan) October 29, 2014
THAAAAAAT means we’ll be seeing a top line of Antoine Vermette, Mikkel Boedker, and Shane Doan.
I can live with that.
****Side note: confirmed that Zbynek Michalek and his best friend Oliver Ekman-Larsson are back together. Yay!****
Prediction:
I think this game will end in regulation, this one in the Coyotes favor. If Mike Smith gets scored on more than once, I think he’s being yanked. I’m crazy like that.