Arizona Coyotes Carry Two Game Win Streak To Pittsburgh

Arizona Coyotes Get a Second Shot At Penguins In Last Four Games

These two teams battled on March 21st, and the Penguins came away victorious by a 3-1 margin. The Arizona Coyotes came out in the first period and dominated their opponent outshooting them 13-3, and taking a 1-0 lead on a Tobias Rieder short handed goal — his third short-hander of the year.

Then this happened…

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Let’s hope Smitty doesn’t do that again… Brandon Sutter, the recipient of the goal had this say:

"“I kind of thought (Smith) was going to shoot it. I was trying to cover my face and it hit me right in the butt,” Sutter said of his 16th goal of the season. “I’ve never had one like that before for sure. Those you’ll take.”"

This game has all the earmarks of an upset in the making, with the Penguins going 1-5-1 in their last seven games. Missing important players like Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, and Christian Ehrhoff has not helped matters.

Conversely, the Arizona Coyotes have put together two wins, both in overtime to gather four points in a rather optimistic manner. Defeating the rival Red Wings was a step in the right direction, even if they didn’t hold the lead four different times — they hung in there, and Smitty played a strong game in goal. What’s even more encouraging is the offense FINALLY caught fire and has scored NINE goals in the last two games. That is more like it!

Then last night, they rolled into Buffalo to again start out impressively, only to allow the Sabres (the worst team in the NHL) back into the game. This weakness has to be addressed if they intend to improve next season. In any sport, when take the lead the exemplary teams go for the jugular and finish off their opponents.

The Arizona Coyotes need to take this game to show they can compete, and their confidence has not diminished. Ending this season in a positive fashion, will only help going into what should be an improvement next season. They have some young prospects who will show us what they’ve got, and hopefully allow all of us to forget this miserable season.

Speaking of misery… the Arizona Coyotes made this announcement about their radio color analyst, Nick Boynton:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, March 26, 2015 GLENDALE, ARIZONA — The Arizona Coyotes have issued the following statement regarding Nick Boynton. “Early this morning, Coyotes radio color analyst Nick Boynton was involved in a situation at a Buffalo casino. A police investigation is underway. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and until the continuing legal process is completed, we will have no further comment. Mr. Boynton has been placed on a leave of absence.”

Next: Arizona Coyotes Score First, Still Fall To Penguins 3-1

Arizona Coyotes Get a Second Shot At Penguins In Last Four Games

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