Should the Arizona Coyotes dare to dream of the playoffs?
By James Reeve
The Arizona Coyotes earned a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, begging the question – can the team reach the playoffs this season?
The victory over the Leafs is the latest positive performance that sees the Arizona Coyotes within touching distance of the playoff wildcard places.
The Coyotes are still four points outside the final wildcard spot, currently occupied by the Vancouver Canucks, with the team having played two games fewer.
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If the Coyotes were to pick up the maximum points from their two-game advantage, they would be tied for total points and could find themselves sneaking into the playoffs by the end of the season.
Over their last eight games, the Coyotes have an outstanding 5-1-2 record, picking up huge victories over the Leafs and San Jose Sharks – both considered heavy hitters in the playoff race.
In that eight-game span, the Coyotes took full points from divisional rivals the Edmonton Oilers and Canucks, while also pushing the Pittsburgh Penguins into overtime.
All of this is coming despite the Coyotes suffering through some of the worst injury luck ever seen by an NHL team – with the team’s starting goalie, second-best defenceman and three of the team’s best centres all sidelined either indefinitely or for the remainder of the season.
Losing Jason Demers hurt the team early this season, but the strong corps Rick Tocchet has at his disposal along the blueline has helped the team go toe-to-toe with some of the biggest clubs in the league.
One player that has been stepping up for the organisation on defence has been Ilya Lyubushkin, with the right-hander throwing six hits and blocking six shots against Toronto last night alone.
The Russian rookie has been playing big along the third pairing, helping to give the Coyotes solid depth at all levels of their blueline.
Offence had been an issue for the team heading into the recent dominant run, with Tocchet’s team not looking likely to slow down.
With so few points separating the Arizona Coyotes from the wildcard spots and some truly impressive results helping to keep the team within reaching distance, is it time that the team, and fans alike, start to dream of reaching the post-season?
It will be a tall order for the Coyotes to continue this stretch, but it is highly reminiscent of the team’s strong run to end last season – although, this iteration of the team is already in a stronger position than last year’s team at the same point in the season.
The Coyotes continue to surprise many and the playoff dark horses at the beginning of the season are truly starting to grow into that role, with the playoffs a legitimate accomplishment if things continue to play out as they have.
A big trade at the deadline could help tip the scales for the Coyotes, and if the team is still in the hunt for the playoffs that too could become a reality.
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What do you think Coyotes fans? Will the team push themselves into the playoffs by the end of the season? How much are you enjoying the Coyotes’ recent strong form? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!