Apr 1, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Winnipeg Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec (31) makes a save on Phoenix Coyotes right wing Radim Vrbata (17) during the shootout at Jobing.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Hey, guys!
As some of you might know, I’ve taken up part-time residence at the FanSided.com News Desk. For the NFL season, we do this nifty game preview for each game: as someone who’s gotten to see firsthand the success that having that kind of info all in one post brings, I thought I’d carry the concept over here. Hope you Coyotes fans find this as useful as I hope!
Arizona Coyotes vs. Winipeg Jets
So. *deep breaths* The Arizona Coyotes have home-ice advantage for their first four games, and expect them to use it. This is going to be a classic matchup between two teams determined to prove that all the critics are wrong- so expect somewhat of a physically aggressive game.
Puck Prose
While the Arizona Coyotes didn’t make a whole ton of moves in the off-season, they practically did a roster rehaul in comparison to the Jets, who did next to nothing. The Winnipeg franchise still has Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler in their arsenal, and will hopefully be able to get some use out of them on the offense. In contrast, the team isn’t very confident in the abilities of goaltender Ondrej Pavelec- this game will be a test on both sides of the ice to see how ready both goaltenders are.
Date: Thursday, Oct. 9th
Start Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Glendale, AZ (yay! We’ll be at home!)
Arena: Gila River Arena
TV Info: Fox Sports AZ (yep, this is a home-broadcast game)
Live Stream: GameCenter NHL
Ticket Information: check out our schedules tab for direct links to ticket purchases.
Keys To Victory
Ondrej Pavelec is coming off a season with 3.01 GAA and a SV% to match it. This team has plenty of key players who you would assume are coming to Arizona to win- in addition to Kane and Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien should never be overlooked as the overweight underdog, and new guy Adam Lowry has a 15.7 SH% from his time with the St. John’s Ice Caps. The team’s roster had all the makings of a playoff-contending team last year, though, as well- so assuming that all the players will come together and perform well isn’t an assumption one can make easily.
That being said, the Arizona Coyotes are team riddled with uncertainties, as well- and shouldn’t underestimate the Jets. Ideally, this is their game to lose. Inconsistent defending, low SOG, or even subpar goaltending could mean walking away from the season home opener with an 0-1-0.
I gave my final score in my “Let’s Talk about the Winnipeg Jets” article yesterday, and I’ll stick with what I said- Arizona 5-3 Winnipeg. The Jets have the power to reverse these numbers, though, and an overconfident Arizona squad could mean disaster for the Desert Dogs.