Anaheim Ducks Fall to the Arizona Coyotes in 4-0 Shutout
Sep 22, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Coyotes right wing David Moss (18) shoots on Los Angeles Kings goalie Jeff Deslauriers (33) during the third period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
So, here we are.
After a long two and a half hours of my unbearable sass taking over the Howlin’ Hockey Twitter Account, here’s what you missed:
The Coyotes Won, 4-0.
Yes, you read that correctly. Just a day after falling to the reigning Stanley Cup champs in Los Angeles, the Coyotes stormed the Honda Center in Anaheim to post the team’s first shutout of the preseason.
The shutout wasn’t for lack of trying by Anaheim, though. Before Arizona’s fourth and final goal, the Desert Dogs were being outshot 34-26.
34-26.
In amidst the snooze-fest that was the play-by-play announcing in Anaheim, a couple of notable things to point out-
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Oil On Whyte
First, the Coyotes saw extremely good netminding from both Louis Domingue and Marek Langhamer, who played the final period of the game. John Gibson wasn’t doing a poor job on his own end, either- he was simply getting hit with the right kind of shots and the right time by the Arizona Coyotes players.
Lucas Lessio started off the scoring eight minutes in, tossing an assist to Alexandre Bolduc as they put the ‘Yotes on the board early on in the game. The first period was a flurry of action- first the Lessio goal, then a fight OH WAIT AND ANOTHER FIGHT AT THE SAME TIME, which- incidentally- saw Arizona’s RW Krys Barch and Anaheim’s RW Tim Jackman taken out of the game for game misconduct calls.
It only took the Coyotes another two minutes for David Moss, assisted by a surprisingly strong powerplay unit of David Schlemko and Michael Stone, to net another one for the Coyotes. That would be the last time Arizona outshot Anaheim, though; they would only take two shots in nearly twenty minutes of play time between Moss’ goal and the first goal of the night for Coyotes’ forward Justin Hodgman.
The Coyotes saw extremely strong play from both David Moss and Justin Hodgman throughout the game, in addition to a large amount of consistency from Fantastic Five member Lucas Lessio and the teams’ youngest defensemen. Connor Murphy didn’t notch an assist like Schlemko and Stone did, but he took his share of shots on net as well.
“Noticeably missing from the action tonight on both sides of the ice were the team vets- the game was almost exclusively played by those vying for roster spots. Names absent from the Coyotes roster today included defenseman Keith Yandle and forwards Martin Erat, Antoine Vermette, and Mikkel Boedker; for Anaheim, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf stayed out of the action.”
Noticeably missing from the action tonight on both sides of the ice were the team vets- the game was almost exclusively played by those vying for roster spots. Names absent from the Coyotes roster today included defenseman Keith Yandle and forwards Martin Erat, Antoine Vermette, and Mikkel Boedker; for Anaheim, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf stayed out of the action.
Justin Hodgman, though.
After this game, I feel kind of bad leaving him out of the Fantastic Five. He and Perlini can start a support group for people that I’ve grossly underestimated in the majority of my pre-season analysis.
I don’t think that this is Hodgman’s year to start with the club, but he could easily see himself being the go-to call-up guy this upcoming season. With the only two goals scored in the final two periods of tonight’s game, it’s clear that the 6 foot 1 center from Brampton, Ontario knows how to keep the pressure going- even when his team’s in the lead. This is something that so many teams are missing, as we’ve all watched our clubs lose two-plus goal leads.
(I mean, let’s talk for a second about the playoffs this past spring. EVERY TIME THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS HAD A 3-1 LEAD, THEY BLEW IT- INCLUDING WHEN IT WAS A SERIES LEAD. The Columbus Blue Jackets did the same thing. It was ridiculous.)
Having a player who can hold onto a lead is crucial in the NHL, and even more crucial in an increasingly competitive Western Conference. If you think this is a joke, just ask the San Jose Sharks how they did in the first round of the 2013-2014 postseason. Hodgman, who was an undrafted player signed to the Blackhawks back in 2009, is back in the NHL for the first time since he went overseas for a four-year stint in the KHL. Expect to see him flying all over the Portland-Arizona rosters this year.
I promise, we’ll give you more to chew on tomorrow- and then we’ll be back live tweeting the game in Sylvan Lake! See you guys then.