The Arizona Coyotes need to return to their former type of playing style as things continue to get harder as the season continues. Arizona is in the middle of a tough playoff race, and if one thing is certain, they need to play consistently again.
The Coyotes have not won two games in the last eight games. Arizona in their last 10 games have gone 5-5, in my opinion, that is not a division winner type of record. Arizona needs to get on another streak soon if they want to keep home ice in the playoffs this spring.
The Coyotes have beaten teams like the Blackhawks, and Sharks in the last few games, but they have lost to teams like the Flames, Golden Knights, and Wild as well. Having a 5-5 record in your last 10 games does not bode well for the team, especially when you consider the face that wins have come against the bottom teams in the NHL.
If the Coyotes want to find themselves in the playoffs this spring they need to start winning the tough and easy games, showing up to the rink ready to go night in and night out. Think about the effort the team has shown at home compared to the road recently.
Your home rink is supposed to be where a team finds consistent scoring, and yet the ‘Yotes find them below 500 at home. Arizona is 8-9-1 at home this season, imagine how much higher we would be in the standings if the ‘Yotes improved their home ice play. Doing this is imperative to become more than just a normal team, and to become great.
When giving up the first goal at home, Arizona has gone 0-6-1 during that time. This shows that the team needs to have a good start, otherwise they will falter. The Coyotes are a good team, and they continue to add talented players like Taylor Hall, but that does not change the fact that if they don’t score first their system falls apart.
For Arizona to improve their record, they need to start games better. Although this seems like a pretty simplistic notion, when you look at how Arizona has done this season when giving up the first goal, this makes sense. Arizona has gone 6-10-3 all year when giving up the first goal. The Coyotes rely on their defensive play, something that falters when they need to attack more to tie a game.
Here is hoping the Coyotes can turn things around and climb even higher in the standings. The good thing is the team has found a way to win despite their flaws, as they are currently tied with Vegas for the top of the Pacific Division. We are in the race for the top, and we still have so much more we can improve. To me, that is an absolute win!