Arizona Coyotes – Howlin’ Hockey’s Thursday’s Thoughts

From Duck soup to putting out the Flame…

Martin Hanzal continued his march of putting points on the board in this contest against a Flames team who dominated the Arizona Coyotes last season. He got the very important first goal of the game, and was assisted by his talented winger Tobias Rieder. The Flames came back to score a power play goal to knot the affair before the second period ended.

Nov 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (23) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game winning goal in overtime to beat the Calgary Flames 2-1 at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

This game would go into overtime. OVERTIME?… Oliver Ekman-Larsson repeated (can’t you just envision him rubbing his hands together).  Just his cup of tea. OEL survives on game winning situations, and this game was not any different. With just 40 seconds remaining in the exciting new format of 3-on-3 overtime, Brad Richardson (who has really elevated his playing level lately) found Ekman-Larsson in the slot for a one-timer that won the game.

This style of play was the way the Arizona Coyotes won so many games in their classic 2011-12 season, where they went to the Western Conference finals against the L.A. Kings. They did just enough to win, and had excellent defense, along with special teams performing well, to come away victorious. Calgary only converted one of six extra man advantages, and that was pretty much the deciding factor in this game.

One other footnote: This victory was Head Coach Dave Tippett’s 500th career win. He was given the belt from the players, and Tippett exclaimed that the players win the games. It was a typical Tippett win, an ugly kind of game, but it’s still two points in the standings against another tough Western Conference team.

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