Arizona Coyotes: The Morning After Vancouver Links And Notes
The Arizona Coyotes secured a huge victory last night over the Vancouver Canucks. The win gave them a 3 point cushion over Anaheim and Vancouver in the Pacific Division standings.
The Arizona Coyotes secured another Pacific Division victory last night and bettered their hold on 2nd place in the Pacific Division. The Coyotes are now 8-1-2 versus Pacific opponents, which is the best intra-division record in the NHL.
They are hanging into that playoff position despite missing their starting goaltender Mike Smith, and while battling a lack of center depth most notably due to the oft-injured Martin Hanzal.
While one might argue the absence of Smith and subsequent performance of Louis Domingue has been addition by subtraction, the same case can’t be made for Martin Hanzal. At one point he was among the NHL league leaders in assists, and his 15 apples still has him tied for 3rd on the Coyotes while Hanzal himself has played 13 less games than those ahead of him.
That’s a huge absence. Combine that with information like what is found in the chart below and things become even more sobering. With just a quick look we can see that the possession trend for 2015-16 is even worse than last year’s abysmal showing.
The Arizona Coyotes are gritting and gutting out their record this season despite being out-shot and out-chanced at nearly every turn. Over a long enough period of time that is a recipe for disaster, and ultimately the chart lines up with what we see on the ice.
The team spends long periods of time hemmed into their own zone.
If someone had told me the team would have these issues in January yet still be within actual reaching distance of the playoffs before the season, I’d have guffawed all the way to Gila River Arena on opening night. Here we are, though, and it feels good even if it is a little bit 2014-15 Calgary Flames-like in it’s sustainability.
More from Howlin' Hockey
- How the Arizona Coyotes could line-up with Logan Cooley signed
- Report: Logan Cooley could be closer to signing Arizona Coyotes ELC
- Arizona Coyotes sign Matias Maccelli to three-year deal
- Ivan Prosvetov signs one-year deal with Arizona Coyotes
- Arizona Coyotes cut Galchenyuk after reported police incident
I’ve seen the team referred to on Twitter as the “Cardiac Coyotes”. A fitting descriptor, to be sure, particularly after last night. These are also the can-do Coyotes, and they’ve proven throughout the year that they can make almost any game competitive before the final horn.
Have some links with breakfast:
About Last Night
Shane Doan continues streak to help Coyotes edge Canucks [AZCentral – Sarah McLellan]
"“I just cut to the net, and then Toby made a great pass to me,” said Dauphin, who planned to give the puck from his first goal to his dad. “I saw the open net, and I got really excited after that.”"
Arizona Coyotes @ Vancouver Canucks Instant Recap: Cruising through the Pacific [Five For Howling – Ioannis Argyriou]
"Louis Domingue had another solid performance as Arizona’s starting goaltender, making once again his case that he can be the most consistent option the Coyotes currently can use. His spectacular saves were a key to tonight’s victory."
Coyotes Talk
Mikkel Boedker: What is he worth? [Along The Boards – Sarah Hall]
John Scott, All-Star: Good thing or bad thing? [Along The Boards – Joe St. Germain]
"John Scott knows he’s not an All-Star, but he’s still a professional — what’s the harm in giving him a brief moment in the sun? It’s not like the games themselves are traditionally very competitive, so it’s hard to imagine Scott “embarrassing” himself out there."
Around The League
Aleksander Barkov draft gamble pays off for Florida Panthers [Puck Daddy – Josh Cooper]
"This report sounded familiar to Tallon. He had snatched up a well-rounded centerman before as a general manager in a draft, and understood the importance to such a position. Tallon selected Jonathan Toews with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 Draft. So when the time came to pick in 2013, he had to take the potential franchise center over the possible franchise blueliner."
Home Pekka Rinne vs Road Pekka Rinne [Today’s Slapshot – Mark Harris]
U.S. fall as hopes for Gold again crushed by Russia [Along The Boards – Neal McHale]