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Arizona Coyotes Bend but Don’t Break – Beat Capitals and Blues!

By Scott Thompson

UNIONDALE, NY - OCTOBER 24: Arizonia Coyotes Goalie Darcy Kuemper (35) makes a save during the first period of the National Hockey Le3ague game between the Arizona Coyotes and the New York Islanders on October 24,2019, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NY - OCTOBER 24: Arizonia Coyotes Goalie Darcy Kuemper (35) makes a save during the first period of the National Hockey Le3ague game between the Arizona Coyotes and the New York Islanders on October 24,2019, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Arizona Coyotes not only beat the powerful Capitals and the NHL Champion Blues on successive nights, they learned some important things about themselves along the way!

The Arizona Coyotes (11-6-2, 24 points) knew they needed to work on tightening up their defense against the high-flying and explosive St. Louis Blues (12-3-4, 28 points). Not only did they work hard enough to survive the champions’ Tuesday night onslaught that came at them wave after wave, they won in a shootout for a second consecutive night after shocking the Capitals 24 hours earlier. Wait, what?

What the Coyotes reaffirmed for themselves and revealed to any doubters is that their collective hearts are indeed intact and pumping with a resilient and impressive determination. Challenged at times by bigger, stronger, and amazingly talented players in a tsunami-like fashion, the ‘Yotes proudly fought for sixty minutes plus, only to shock two of the best teams the NHL has to offer, and come away victorious!

In doing so, the blue collar “scratchin’ and clawin'” Arizona Coyotes proved that a sustained, focused effort within their particular system produces measurable results.

Were you, like me, amazed at the Coyotes’ ability to go toe-to-toe with the Capitals’ big money, big name players and come away with a satisfying, gratifying shootout win? Were you impressed by the apparent calmness of Nick Schmaltz and Conor Garland as they stoically smoked their respective shots past the unwitting Capitals net minder?

Did you wonder a night later whether lightning could strike twice, this time in St. Louis? Could a weary bunch of relatively unknown ice bucket bathing, lunch pail toting Coyotes actually beat those star studded defending NHL champions in the bitter cold Midwest? Come on now, ‘fess up!

Could a miraculous 2 points turn into an unheard of 4 points? Does a desert dog live in the desert? Can Nick Schmaltz and Connor Garland bury the biscuit in shootouts?

Regardless of how we felt at the outset, hope and faith springs eternal in Coyote Land, and the Arizona Coyotes proved to the hockey world, and most importantly to themselves, that they are for real and a team to be reckoned with. Let’s go Coyotes!

I’m a diehard Coyotes fan and the ‘Yotes reminded me why in the past two nights. What were your most satisfying takeaways from these impressive wins?

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