Sep 28, 2015; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin (33) battles with Arizona Coyotes defenceman Michael Stone (26) and forward Steve Downie (17) in the third period period at Rogers Arena. Vancouver won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
** With this post, this Arizona Coyotes series will move to a weekly series predicting games one week at a time.
Game 11: Vancouver Canucks at Arizona Coyotes October 30, 2015
The road weary Arizona Coyotes finally get to sleep in their own beds after a long 12 day, five game road trip on the east coast of the U.S. and Canada, just in time for tricks or treats.
Last season the Arizona Coyotes won one of four contests against the Vancouver Canucks. The lone win at Vancouver was highlighted by Martin Hanzal’s natural hat trick. The last three games were games which were not really very close, with the Canucks winning one 7-1, and another 5-1. The only close game was on 3-22-15 when the Canucks won 3-1, giving the Coyotes their eighth straight loss at the time.
Newly acquired center Brandon Sutter of the Canucks is doing well with his new team, netting three goals, three assists in eight contests this new season. The Arizona Coyotes will need to find a way to stop him, and the Vancouver Canucks will likewise need to ascertain how to contain the Dynamic Duo of Max Domi, and Anthony Duclair. The two teams met in the pre-season with the Canucks squeaking out a close 1-0 victory.
Vancouver has a similar record as the Arizona Coyotes going 4-2-3 over nine games, with the Desert Dogs with 11 points, as of 10-29-15 in the Pacific Division standings. With the impressive 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on 10-26-15, the upstart Coyotes, who were predicted to dwell in the cellar of the NHL standings, are currently in tied for second place in the Pacific Division.
They ended their five game road trip in a frightful manner by getting thrashed (no other word describes it better) by the Boston Bruins by a score of 6-0. They must be happy to know that they will not face the Bruins again this season after losing twice to them in 12 days. David Krejci was SCARY. He is leading the league in scoring, and showed the Yotes why.
Whenever you play the Vancouver Canucks you must be aware of the Sedin brothers, and former Coyote sharpshooter Radim Vrbata. These two clubs have a competitive rivalry going, and this game will come after the Arizona Coyotes return from a long road trip and have several days to rest up. They also hope to get back two centers in Vermette and Hanzal who are nursing lower-body injuries on a day-to-day recovery schedule.
Prediction: Arizona Coyotes 4, Vancouver Canucks 2
Next: Colorado Avalanche 11-5-15
Feb 28, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Phoenix Coyotes right wing Shane Doan (19) scores on Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov (1) in the first period at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Game 12: Colorado Avalanche at Arizona Coyotes November 5, 2015
The Colorado Avalanche have not had a very successful start to the 2015-16 season, owning a 2-4-1 record thus far. They have managed wins against the Ducks and Stars, but lost to the Blue Jackets, and the Hurricanes who have a combined three wins between them.
If the Arizona Coyotes can take advantage of the Av’s recent poor play, they should have a good chance to win this contest. They need to start increasing their home record of 1-2. If they can win their three home games, they can get on a roll, and add to their successful road trip.
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-4Dallas Stars have a successful hunt beating the Arizona Coyotes 7-0 /
Last season the Av’s took both games from the Coyotes, winning one game in overtime, and the other by a 5-2 margin.
They have lost Ryan O’Reilly, and with his off-ice activity they may not be missing him. The defense is suspect, and the goaltending isn’t doing much better. This would be a good time for the Arizona Coyotes to take advantage of the poor start by the Avalanche and start a winning streak at home. The road trip was successful enough with a 2-2-1 record for five points.
The Coyotes were playing short-handed with three injuries to key players giving them challenges they could not recover from in Boston. Antione Vermette was out for his lower body injury, and what we all feared came true when Martin Hanzal also was out with a lower body injury. Add in that Connor Murphy also missed for the same reason, and you must wonder if Head Coach Dave Tippett is thinking about ordering some lower body armor for his troops.
What it really signifies is that too many shots are being taken, and blocks are great, but eventually someone will get hurt, and it hit them hard with injuries to players they needed on the ice.
Oct 22, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers center Dominic Moore (28) and Arizona Coyotes center Martin Hanzal (11) fight during the first period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Game 13: New York Rangers at Arizona Coyotes November 7, 2015
These two teams met in New York on 10-22-15 with the Rangers coming out on top 4-1, with former Arizona Coyotes Keith Yandle scoring a goal against his former team. Of course star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist had a lot to do with that by stopping 34 shots sent his way by the Coyotes.
With Yandle playing for the Coyotes for nine seasons he still has friends on the team, and he had dinner with several former Arizona teammates at his favorite restaurant in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.
The embarrassing event in this game was Mike Smith’s gaffe when he heard a player yell at him for the puck, only to realize he had turned it over to the opposing team. Kevin Hayes got his Christmas gift early with a wide open net, with Smith trying to scurry back into his net. It seems that Smith has not learned to stay in his crease, and on this play it cost him.
The New York Rangers are playing well, with a 6-2-2 record after 10 games. The leading scorer for the Rangers is Oscar Lindberg. I know… who? He has five goals and two assists, and has a salary of $600,000.
The Arizona Coyotes just need to focus more for this game, and score early. They will be at home, and it seems when the home team scores first it has a good result for the game outcome.
This will be the second meeting for Keith Yandle against his former team, as well as for Anthony Duclair. Right now it appears that the trade made for each player has helped both teams. The upside for the Arizona Coyotes, of course is that they got the younger of the two players in Duclair. Yandle is 29, while Duclair just turned 20 in August. Long term, the deal favors the Arizona Coyotes hands (paws) down.
Prediction: New York Rangers 4, Arizona Coyotes 2
NEXT: @Anaheim Ducks, @ L.A. Kings, Edmonton Oilers at home, @Columbus Blue Jackets
