Adam’s Three Keys to the Game: Los Angeles Kings at Arizona Coyotes

With the start of the 2014-2015 season officially underway, the Arizona Coyotes are ready to get the ball rolling on their journey to a Stanley Cup championship. After last night’s 6-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the Coyotes are ready to learn from their mistakes and bounce back for when the Los Angeles Kings come to town on October 11th. Let’s not forget that the Kings are searching for their first win of the season as they lost to the San Jose Sharks 4-0 in their opener as well. The Coyotes/Kings rivalry is one of the most entertaining ones in the Western Conference as fans do not forget the 2012 Western Conference Final. Simply put, these two squads do not like each other in the slightest and it is apparent on the ice.

Here are your three keys to Rivalry Night: Los Angeles Kings at Arizona Coyotes.

1) Shake It Off…Shake It Off:

It’s safe to say that Thursday night was extremely rough. A 6-2 loss is not the way that anyone wants to start their season off. Whether it was first night jitters or the stellar play by the Winnipeg Jets, we have to put this game behind us. Lucky for us, hockey seasons are 82 games so the Arizona Coyotes technically have a shot at going 81-1-0 (optimism people). All jokes aside, Tippett will need his squad to put Thursday night in the rear view and keep pushing forward. The LA Kings will be just as tough so all of the focus will need to be shifted to them in order to come out on top.

2) Keep a Cool Head:

The LA Kings are not afraid to get down and dirty as they will try to instigate and draw penalties for an advantage. The key to the Coyotes success will be their ability to keep calm under pressure. There’s no need to give up a coincidental minor penalty after a cheap shot from the other team because essentially, that is what they want. It’s easy to let anger take over in rivalry games like this one. Harness the energy of the rivalry, don’t succumb to it.  Stay smart and play Coyotes hockey.

3) Goaltending:

Dave Tippett himself cites goaltending as one of the issues contributing to last night’s loss against the Jets. Not a lot of people would have thought that Mike Smith would give up six goals against the Winnipeg Jets at home in the season opener. The inconsistency that is Mike Smith unfortunately continues. Smith needs to find himself and play his own game. On the other hand, Mike Smith’s career stats against Los Angeles are not bad at all. He is 11-4-1 with a goals against of 2.16 and a save percentage of .928 against the Kings. Will he bounce back against LA tomorrow night? Tune in and find out.