Arizona Coyotes Veterans Finally Helping Offense

With Max Domi and Anthony Duclair stepping up the scoring for the Arizona Coyotes, it was a good change of pace to see the veterans put the puck in the net.

It took Mikkel Boedker a bit longer to get going this season, than last season when he got a hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers in his third game. This time he waited until game eight against the Ottawa Senators to thrill us all on that front.

More From Howlin’ Hockey -> Arizona Coyotes Games Six Thru Ten Predictions

More from Coyotes News

After scoring in the first period, when the Senators got sloppy in their own zone, Boedker netted two goals exactly two minutes apart at the 15:49 mark, and again on an open net at 17:49.

Boedker told NHL.com Correspondent Chris Stevenson,

"”That was real important, especially on a longer road trip. We still have two more games on this road trip. I think that was real important for us as a group to show that we can win on the road and we can win tight games, so that feels really good and I think we can bring that on to Toronto.”"

For the Arizona Coyotes it was a real shot in the arm to build their confidence on this road trip. So far they have three points with a 1-1-1 record on the trip. Heading into the Senators game they were 0-3-1 after starting out with three straight wins.

Now, the next stop for games four and five of this five game road swing will be Toronto on 10-26-15 and Boston on 10-27-15. The Arizona Coyotes have done well against the Maple Leafs in Toronto going 4-0-1 in their last five visits. The Leafs without their star scorer Phil Kessel have not started out too well this new season, going 1-4-2 thus far, and have lost three in a row. They do have Mike Babcock as their new head coach this season, if that means anything.

The game against the Leafs will feature two teams struggling with their power play. Toronto is just 2 for 21 (9.5 per cent), and the Coyotes are even worse at 3 for 34 (8.8 per cent). The penalty kill is much better for the Yotes with a 83.9 per cent success ratio, compared to the Leafs 75 per cent.

The Leafs rank second in the league in shots on goal, averaging 33.9 shots on goal. With that statistic the Coyotes will need to play better in the center ice area, and not allow the Leafs to penetrate towards the Coyotes’ defensive zone.

One trivia note: The Coyotes will be facing two former teammates in Mark Arcobello, who signed when the Coyotes didn’t re-sign him, and Daniel Winnik.

The Senators game marked the first time Antione Vermette missed a game for 482 games dating back to 2009. His lower body injury took him out of the last two games he played, and Head Coach Dave Tippett thought it best to have him heal up instead of aggravate the injury, possibly causing a long term absence.

Another good note was the performance of goalie Anders Lindback who was named the First Star of the Game in the Ottawa game. He collected 35 saves, including a barrage of 18 second period shots enroute to his first victory in an Arizona Coyotes’ uniform. Mike Smith got a well-deserved rest, which gave him time to refocus after starting out the season so well, and then falling into the losing streak the team experienced.

Editor’s Edits:

So far my game predictions aren’t right on exactly, but not horrible either. I predicted the Rangers game the best, predicting the Arizona Coyotes would lose 3-1, when it wound up being 4-1, after an empty netter by Rick Nash ended it. I’m sporting a 25% correct team prediction so far.

This will be a regular weekly post where I predict the games for the team over a week’s time.

Howlin’ Hockey hopes you have enjoyed it, and if so pass it on to your friends and family.

Next: Arizona Coyotes Martin Hanzal Making Killer D’s Go

More from Howlin' Hockey

Home/Coyotes News