Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Anytime you build a lead over another team in the NHL it is absolutely essential that you nurture that lead. Keep it going, keep it alive as if it were a newborn baby fawn and you were Bambi’s mama. Well, that’s exactly what the Coyotes did last night. They managed to jump ahead 2-1 in an important game coming off the heels of an important win against the Los Angeles Kings and were looking to stack a pair of W’s. Well, they lost that lead. They lost that game. And they lost some momentum, both on the ice and in the locker room.
"We’re up 2-1 to start the second and we do nothing, absolutely nothing as a group. We have a chance to put a team away up 2-1 at home and I don’t think we had a shot for 12 minutes. It’s embarrassing. That’s how the game got away. – an angry, frustrated Captain Shane Doan"
It’s tough for a team to keep losing like this. Not that the Yotes have had this much trouble lately. It seemed two entire periods were played on their side of the ice. And this was coming off a well played 1st period. A period that Tippy felt the need to keep reminding us of after the game. During his post game press meeting Coach Tippet seemed like a man searching for an answer. He kept coming back to the first period, it being the only proof last night that the Coyotes even deserved to share the ice with the Buffalo Sabres.
"The first period was good. After that- the first period I thought we had some really quality chances. After that it was very limited. – Coach Tippett"
Here’s the scoring RECAP.
1st Period: Tippy enjoyed it. In case you didn’t know.
– Buffalo jumps ahead with a Tyler Ennis snap shot. 1-0 Sabres.
– Yandle and Boedker aide teammate Vermette with a chance at goal. Yotes tie it up, 1-1.
– Coyotes take the lead off backhander from David Moss. 2-1 Yotes.
2nd Period: Sad trombone kids. Very sad trombone.
– Steve Ott gets to the net on a PPG. 2-2 Tied.
3rd Period: Saddest Trombone possible. I mean this trombone needs to take a vacation and just get away form it all it’s so sad.
– Early in the period Buffalo Sabres Zemgus Girgenson, a man with a name that sounds like an old man choking on a ham on rye sandwich, puts the game away early in the period. 3-2 Sabres.
And there you have it. I tried to make it interesting folks. Don’t shoot the messenger. Until next time, stay ornery Arizona.