H A P P Y VA L E N T I N E ‘S D A Y ARIZONA COYOTES FANS ! !
Feb 1, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; The Arizona Coyotes players celebrate after defeating the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, I thought that called for a photo captions piece to celebrate.
The Arizona Coyotes have been playing much better hockey of late, and that has fans encouraged — if not for this season, for certain next season. The games are watchable again — even if they ARE giving some of us heart failure.
With ten points in their last nine games, things are looking much more promising than they were prior to the All Star Break — for three very important reasons.
- Better goaltending
Mike Smith seems to be getting out of his funk — and except for the Ottawa 7-2 drubbing, his play has improved. Let’s not forget the play of Louis Domingue, who notched his first NHL victory against the Montreal Canadians. He showed his potential in the NHL; between these two, the Coyotes have had a rather decent start to February.
- Better defense
Even counting the Ottawa 7-2 loss, the Coyotes have given up a slightly more respectable 2.67 goals a game — versus the 3.27 GAA they’ve recorded for the entire season. A significant improvement, and the young defense is starting to play more solid hockey in front of Mike Smith — of which I’m sure he’s appreciative.
- Better puck possession and fore-checking
This was evident in the Blackhawks game, where the Coyotes managed to bottle up the Hawks — similar to how they were being locked in their zone previously. I thought the physical play — especially by Andrew Campbell and Connor Murphy — took the Hawks out of their offensive zone, and the penalty kill was exceptional. Of course, Captain Coyote Shane Doan played his usual solid game, creating havoc for the Hawks whenever he was on the ice.
Next: More about Shane Doan on the next slide, though