Based upon the Arizona Coyotes’ performance in Anaheim against the Ducks, the ‘Yotes’ time off didn’t have much positive effect on their psyche or their ability to win Division games.
The Coyotes’ debacle in Anaheim was not a Disneyland-type experience for anyone associated with the organization nor what we had expected from the Desert Dogs. They return to Glendale to play the Los Angeles Kings tonight and then the much-improved Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
With one game down and 30 to go, it was evident that the Coyotes still cannot figure out how to score on the power play, and their infamous Swiss cheese defense doesn’t know how to defend without making ineffective passes out of their “D” zone.
Some folks will say that the team was rusty and to give them a break. My response is to respectfully ask what they’ve been doing, or not doing, during their time off because their defense was disappointing, the offense couldn’t convert on several “Grade A” chances throughout (kudos to goalkeeper John Gibson), and their power play was non-existent. Other than that, they were fabulous!
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It’s evident that when the opposition plays a “heavy” game, the Coyotes are in trouble. They are simply not built to be a physically intimidating group against anyone, and when they fail to play their “rush” style of game from back to front effectively, they’re subject to odd man counterattacks and giving up goals.
It certainly wasn’t the goalkeeping that let the Coyotes down in Anaheim, as Antti Raanta played a strong game overall and kept the Coyotes within reasonable reach of a comeback victory.
Is it too early to dare suggest that the Coyotes just aren’t good enough? Nowadays they have to play a near-perfect game to win, and their margin of error is miniscule. If the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, it doesn’t bode well for the Desert Dogs.
I think it was the effort that was most disappointing on Wednesday night. After all the hype about the rested and ready to go Coyotes making their run for a playoff spot, it was the same old (recent) result.
The third period showed flashes of the early-season Coyotes that had been able to skate as units out of the “D” zone and swiftly through center ice and into the “O” zone. That version of the team wreaked havoc on their opponents by cycling deep in the attacking zone, but that aspect of their coordinated and disciplined play is gone.
The ‘Yotes were chippy and showed some emotion and physicality, and that was certainly encouraging to see. My guess is that you can’t play successful (winning) hockey without getting off your wallets and showing some passion on the ice, and we saw glimpses of it late in the game.
Let’s hope that the return to GRA triggers an epiphany of sorts for the Coyotes and that they now realize that they have to out-work their opponents night after night to win games and make the playoffs. The clock is ticking. Or is it the calendar is flipping? Let’s go Coyotes!