The Arizona Coyotes lost their seventh straight on Thursday night, falling 5-1 to the Anaheim Ducks. AHL call-up Niklas Treutle gave up five goals on just 16 shots in the loss.
The Arizona Coyotes were beaten in every facet of the game on Thursday night.
Anaheim bullied them around the ice and hemmed them in their own zone for long stretches.
They chased Niklas Treutle who was making his first start in the NHL. Louis Domingue had to enter the game for the 3rd period after the team had said earlier in the day how important the rest was for him.
To add insult to injury, the Yotes again struggled to string more than two passes together. The final pass never seemed to connect and players continually held onto pucks for too long instead of putting shots on net quickly.
All of those issues culminated in a 5-1 thrashing by the Anaheim Ducks. The game was never close and never in doubt from the drop of the puck.
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Treutle was too slow and too hesitant to deal with Anaheim’s talent, and the defense in front of him did not look much better.
The lone bright spots on the team were Anthony Duclair and Max Domi. The two kids combined for the Arizona Coyotes’ lone goal and it was Max Domi’s late foray into pugilism that will be making the headlines tomorrow morning.
The Yotes are now 10 points back of a wildcard playoff spot that they were well within reach of just two weeks ago.
They’ve lost seven in a row. It’s bad and everyone feels bad.
Arizona Coyotes Player of the Game
I can’t really think of any viable argument to give this to someone other than Max Domi. You could’ve said Anthony Duclair until the fracas with Ryan Garbutt, but after that it had to be Domi.
Puck Prose
He may be suspended one game for taking that instigator penalty in the last five minutes of the contest. I suspect he’s fine with that.
The View From The 200 Level
Where do you go from here if you’re the Arizona Coyotes?
As sad as it is to say, the best course at this point is to bottom out and get the best draft pick possible.
That’s not something players like Shane Doan or Oliver Ekman-Larsson are going to want to hear or take part in, however, so Dave Tippett and Don Maloney are going to have to continue being creative if that becomes their intention.
The Coyotes are just four points ahead of Calgary for the second worst record in the league. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the worst record all but locked up, however.
It’s amazing to think the Coyotes were four points out of a playoff spot two weeks ago and now they are four points away from being the second worst team in the NHL. The rollercoaster of the NHL is a real thing.
If the Yotes are able to sneak into the top three picks and win the lottery to nab Auston Matthews, or trade down and grab assets while also acquiring Jakob Chychrun or Mikhail Sergachev they should definitely look at doing so.
Next: Domi Goes After Garbutt For Questionable Hit On OEL
The playoffs are a distance memory at this point, but the future is bright.
The Arizona Coyotes take the ice again Saturday night against the Florida Panthers.