Coyotes Halloween Spooky what-ifs and more
Considering today is October 31st I thought it would be fun to look at some scary moments in the Arizona Coyotes’ season so far and cover some what-if storylines on Halloween!
Although the Arizona Coyotes have had a relatively successful first month of hockey it did not start so great. Which brings us to our first spooky what-if situation.
The Arizona Coyotes could not find a way to score goals in the first two games of the season. Is that going to be an issue we begin to see again as the year unfolds? Or was the first two games an isolated case. The Coyotes only managed to score one goal in the first two games, not great by any count. However, maybe you can blame the Coyotes scoring struggles on the goalies.
Hot goaltenders are always going to haunt the Coyotes like how a ghost or Frankenstein might haunt people on Halloween. The Coyotes ran into John Gibson and Jaroslav Halak to start the season. Halak made 35 saves to shut out out Coyotes at home in the Coyotes home opener.
In what is supposed to be an exciting night for fans to get acquainted with the team and get excited for the year, the season opener this year was not that. Which brings us to another similar woe to start the season.
The power play was nowhere to be found in the first two games of the season. In the first two games of the season, the Coyotes had 5 power-play opportunities, and 0 power-play goals to go with it. Now since then, the Coyotes have managed to turn it around and score 8 goals on the next 30 opportunities. What if the power play had continued to play at a weak level, this team would not be in the position they are now that is for sure.
Another scary Halloween what if that could have become a reality is the health of the Coyotes players. Now Brad Richardson and Jordan Oesterle reportedly practiced yesterday, so it looks like they will be returning soon. However a week ago this team was in a very bad position with the blue line and injuries.
D Jordan Oesterle and F Brad Richardson are both on the ice at the Coyotes’ morning skate.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) October 30, 2019
Niklas Hjalmarson is out long term with an injury, and Jordan Oesterle did not look good after taking a puck to the back of the head. The Coyotes defense is the bread and butter for the team. Imagine the horror if the Coyotes lost their defensive sweet spot without Hjalmarsson and Jordan Oesterle. Hjalmarsson racks up the shot-blocking total night in and night out, without him other players have had to step up.
One last spooky situation that has been an issue for the Coyotes in the past has been depth. After the first two games, we all wondered if anyone outside of Phil Kessel, Clayton Keller, and Derek Stepan would ever get a point. Since then other players like Nick Schmaltz and Conor Garland have stepped up. But what if no one ever did come to the rescue.
The Coyotes were looking like a one lined team after the first two games. Thankfully that has changed.
We should be really grateful for the team we have in Arizona. They are on the rise in the NHL and should compete for a playoff spot this spring. Just be happy that at the end of the day these what-if situations are all a thing of the past. Enjoy the rest of your spooky Halloween!