Arizona Coyotes First Five Games Prediction
Apr 11, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; A fan of the Anaheim Ducks looks on during the game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
- Game Three: Arizona Coyotes at Anaheim Ducks October 14, 2015
The arch rival Ducks did some significant changes as well to try to propel them past the Western Conference Finals, and to the road to the Cup. They more than likely won’t have to contend with the Blackhawks this season to get to that point, since they gutted their team due to inefficient salary cap planning.
The Ducks brought in: G Anton Khudobin, LW Carl Hagelin, D Kevin Bieksa, C Shawn Horcoff, RW Chris Stewart, and RW Mike Santorelli.
They lost: RW Kyle Palmieri, D Francois Beauchemin, LW Matt Beleskey, and G Jason LaBarbera.
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That’s a better team than they had, and it will be a chore beating them in this third game on the road at the Duck Pond. One factor which will be intriguing to see how it factors into the game results, is the BIG John Scott factor. He was brought in to protect the smaller, younger players, and I’m sure he will see action in this game as well as the first game in L.A.
Both SoCal teams love to use their brute force and size to intimidate opponents. Not this year, BIG BAD John will take matters into his huge hands. He certainly wasn’t brought in for his offense.
The Ducks did lose a good forward in Beleskey, who was overpaid by Boston. They may feel a bit of a sting losing Beauchemin, but got Bieksa to patch that hole.
The Arizona Coyotes need to strike first, and strike fast. The Ducks have a such a great group of forwards in Getzlaf, and Perry that their firepower will definitely be difficult to stop. This will be a good test for the new Arizona Coyotes defensive units of OEL/Stone, Michalek/Dahlback, Murphy/Grossman, with Elliott used as a fill-in when needed.
Prediction: Anaheim Ducks 5, Arizona Coyotes 2
Next: Game Four: Minnesota Wild