5 thoughts following the month of October for the Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes finished the month of October with a record of 7-4-1, not bad especially when you look at the past.

In the 2018-19 season, the Arizona Coyotes started off with a record of 6-5, the year before that the record was 1-11-1 during the month of October. So yeah I think when you see this year’s team the Coyotes are obviously better.

So let’s jump in with some of our thoughts after the ‘Yotes first month of hockey!

1 The team did not start strong

The Arizona Coyotes did not start great. In Anaheim the Coyotes failed to register more than one goal, and also failed to score a power-play goal all night long.

The Coyotes ran into a really hot goaltender in John Gipson to start the year, and he single-handedly kept the team from scoring. The only person that got on the goal sheet last night for the Coyotes was Derek Stepan.

Stepan scored a great goal off the rush with assists from Clayton Keller and Phil Kessel. To start the season this was a big failure, and fans were left shaking their heads. The Coyotes spent so much to try to add to their forward group.

The first few games did not show the Coyotes that they could succeed, then something changed.

2 Saturday, October 12th, 2019 – Colorado

Sometimes the biggest wins come during a loss. Although the Arizona Coyotes had beaten the Vegas Golden Knights at home a few nights before the ultimate test did not come until October 12th in Colorado.

Colorado had not lost a game yet when the Coyotes came to town to play them on the 12th of October. A team with that much success can often be intimidating, especially to a team that was 1-2-0 at the time.

Antti Raanta played great and made 33 saves on the night. Although the night ultimately ended with the Coyotes losing another close game in OT, it was a learning experience. The Coyotes found themselves down by 2 midway through the third period.

All of a sudden Nick Schmaltz struck to make the game 1 goal away from being tied, then Michael Grabner stepped up and tied the game. The Coyotes had found a way to come back. Being resilient is a gift in the NHL. The Coyotes have found a way to do that this season.

After the game in Colorado, the team learned from their mistakes and beat the New York Rangers in OT soon after. They directly talked about their performance in OT against Colorado after that win.

The game in Colorado also lifted the team to a 4 game win streak to follow, not bad. That game was just beginning, and you can thank what was to come on the goalies.

3 The goalies look unbelievable

The Arizona Coyotes seem to have one of the best goaltending duos in the NHL. Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta have helped secure wins for the Coyotes on multiple occasions.

Honestly, I do not believe either Kuemper or Raanta has given up a truly weak goal. i understand that people are going to say that the Coyotes have a great defensive structure that has enabled the goaltenders to play so well, and although that is true you still have to give the goalies credit.

Darcy Kuemper was on a really hot streak going into the game against the New York Islanders. Kuemper had not given up more than two goals in his last 12 starts, not bad for the Coyotes goaltender by any means.

If the Coyotes plan to do anything this year in May and June they will need the help of their goaltenders. I just think we are going to need to pick one goalie for a playoff series. Honestly to me, it looks like Darcy Kuemper’s net.

Kuemper has played in 8 games this season and has a 5-3 record. Kuemper also recently signed an extension with the team so the team has trust in him.

I just do not see how a playoff team can keep two goalies that are playing at such a high level. Yes, it is a good issue to have, but at the same time, all you gain is doubt in which goalie to play later in the year. I think it is also really telling that the Coyotes still have Eric Comrie with the team.

With Comrie here, it seems like maybe Raanta and Kuemper are competing for the number one starting spot. I could be wrong there though, just a thought after the first month.

4 Still need more production

The Coyotes really struggled in the first two games with scoring goals. Although it has improved I still need to see more from the team. The fact that Clayton Keller’s only goal was an empty net is not great I do not care how many assists he has.

Phil Kessel has also only scored twice. Kessel was brought in to score goals, and so far he has not delivered. I know it is still early but I really think everyone needs Kessel to score more goals. Kessel is two years removed from scoring 34 goals, now is the time to get back on track. The Coyotes did not bring Kessel in to get outscored by Conor Garland.

Kessel is a big reason the top line has not been scoring, which brings me to my next point. I need the top line to be the top line. The fact they have not been scoring is probably why we are seeing a new group of lines, but that takes away from other players.

I like the combination of Nick Schmaltz and Christian Dvorak, I would not mind seeing Clayton Keller play alongside them, even if it is just for a few games. I think everyone would benefit from it, and it would give Conor Garland an opportunity to prove himself without players like Schmaltz and Dvorak.

Nick Schmaltz is a big reason for the team’s success this season, and that is making John Chayka look like a genius.