Arizona Coyotes to Test the Consistency of Their Play Against L.A. Kings
The Arizona Coyotes took some significant steps toward establishing and maintaining their consistency of play on Saturday afternoon against the Flames.
Winning a professional hockey game by shutting out the opponent usually indicates a relatively complete effort by the entire team. The defense works particularly hard at minimizing the time the opposition plays in their “D” zone, and that was the case on Saturday afternoon when the Coyotes blanked the visiting Calgary Flames 3 to 0 at Gila River Arena.
The substantial number of Flames fans in attendance were subdued, much to their dismay, by the ‘Yotes’ ability to frustrate the normally potent attack of Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and company throughout the game. The Coyotes looked intent on defending as a team early on, and the backchecking by the forwards made it appear at times as if the boys in black had seven players on the ice rather than 5.
When the Flames snipers did get past them, however (usually along the perimeter (but not always!), the solid play of goalkeeper and part-time wrestler and pugilist Darcy Kuemper snagged the shots out of mid-air or effectively blocked them and initiate the transition to offense.
All was not a bed of roses for the home team, however. In the first period there were too many missed connections on passes that resulted in icings by the Coyotes.
The offense sputtered during different parts of the game, and although the ‘Yotes lit the lamp three times, the only goal that resulted from some nifty “O” zone play was the one scored by Carl Soderberg on a perfect pass from Lawson Crouse to go up 2 to 0 in the second period.
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Probably the most frustrating aspect of play was the performance, or lack thereof, of the Coyotes’ woeful power play unit. At times the boys had trouble even getting the puck into the “O” zone, much less taking turns passing the ol’ biscuit around the perimeter or across the ice without taking a shot.
Some of the more boisterous fans expressed their displeasure by booing and yelling “shoot it” as they wondered if someone on the ice was eventually going to take the initiative to launch a shot rather than abdicate his responsibility and unceremoniously pass the puck to a teammate. Obviously, the success of the power play is a work in progress.
The Arizona Coyotes play a very physical and “heavy” team tonight when the Los Angeles Kings take the Gila River Arena at 7:00 p.m. It will be interesting to see how consistently the ‘Yotes can play their focused, disciplined style of hockey against the aggressive Kings. My guess is that the Coyotes will be up to the challenge. Let’s go Coyotes!