Howlin' Hockey
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Arizona Coyotes Won, Cat is kicked out of her family

By Catherine Silverman

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The Arizona Coyotes might have cost me my family, not a big deal or anything

Thanks, Coyotes.

We all have those games where we WANT OUR TEAM TO WIN BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD BE COOL IF THEY DIDN’T WHY CAN’T WE ALL WIN?

For those who didn’t read our game preview, I come from a very extremely long line of Toronto fans. My mom grew up in Scarborough (right down the street from Dustin Tokarski, I’m sure), and I’ve been told my blood is blue.

Whatever, the Leafs are terrible.

Anyways, my cousin tweeted this at me before the game:

It was pretty apparent by early on in the first period that the Coyotes were going to win, barring a ridiculous comeback by the Leafs (which, if we’re being honest, isn’t quite what the Leafs are known for doing. So I just had to keep praying that I didn’t jinx it.)

The Coyotes outshot the Leafs by a large margin in the first period. The home team netted goals on two of ten shots taken- in comparison, the Toronto squad only managed three shots in the first twenty minutes of play, none of which made it behind Mike Smith.

The Leafs were a perfect example of how important momentum is. Everyone loves a good comeback story, but most games end realistically- once you go up 3-0, go on the defensive and maintain your lead.

(Unless you are the Pittsburgh Penguins, in which case you are beyond help).

Nov 2, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Arizona Coyotes center Sam Gagner (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals in the third period at Verizon Center. The Coyotes won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Three things to take away from this game:

1. Sam Gagner

Who better to open up scoring Tuesday night than Sam Gagner? this center has finally started to pick up steam- incidentally, right around the time he find a nice set of lineys.

I remember reading once that Shane Doan threatened to beat up Mikkel Boedker if he didn’t stop being such a playmaker and start capitalizing on his own scoring opportunities, but he works nicely with Gagner. Did I ever think I’d praise a line with Boedker on one side and Lauri Korpikoski on the other? LOLNO. It’s working, though… might want to see if that remains a real line.

2. Mike Smith

Smith made 28 saves on 30 shots to win the game, and I’m just going to give him one completely positive article.

He’s ALMOST gotten his save percentage for the season up to a .900 (finally, thank Gawd), so he’s settling into his season rhythm. Do I think that Dubnyk should still look to challenge him as often as possible? Of course. I’m a firm believer that Smith sometimes needs the team to light a fire under his ass to see him play a good game.

Credit must be given where credit is due, though, and seasons aren’t won by spending hours harping on what happened in the past. This was a solid win for Mike Smith, and hopefully he’ll be able to lift the Coyotes back up to a .500 win percentage heading towards Thanksgiving.

3. Even Strength

We’re finally seeing the team pick up some nice even strength goals, which is reassuring. All three goals Tuesday night came from even strength play.

It seems like the team can’t just improve in all areas of the game, though, and they seem to have traded even strength play for their penalty kill. What we saw as being pretty strong once upon a time has become pretty weak over the course of the past few games- both of the Leafs goals came on the power play. COME ON, GUYS.

Looking ahead: The Ducks are out John Gibson, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry (groin injury, flu, and flu). Can the Coyotes squeak out a win against the best in the West?

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