Arizona Coyotes Face Brutal March Schedule
The Arizona Coyotes need to gather as many points as possible in February because their March schedule of 13 games is terribly challenging.
The loyal supporters of the Arizona Coyotes are already keeping track of the ‘Yotes’ schedule, engaging in some serious scoreboard watching, and probably agonizing over lost points by the hometown lads as they realize that the competition just won another game.
They’re also keenly aware that the Coyotes have 20 games remaining, 5 in February (3 home and 2 away, beginning tonight in Dallas), thirteen in March, and two in April. Taking a peek just a bit down the road, however, and particularly worrisome are the games awaiting the Desert Dogs in March (6 at home and 7 away).
The Coyotes play the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights twice, and the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, and Colorado Avalanche once. Sprinkled in there are games against the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks, neither of which will make the playoffs but can certainly derail the hopes and dreams of other teams’ postseason participation.
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Except for the Red Wings and Rangers tilts, all the rest of the March contests are Western Conference games, including 7 Pacific Division battles. Those games will have significant impact on the Coyotes’ playoff fate.
As of this writing, Vegas and Vancouver occupy second and third place in the Pacific Division, and we play them twice each in March. The Flames are tied with the Coyotes at 68 points.
In the Central Division, the Stars occupy first place, Colorado third, Winnipeg fourth, and the Predators fifth. In other words, the vast majority of the teams the Coyotes will play are either already in a playoff position as the ‘Yotes embark on their final 20 games, or they are knocking on the door of a place located on wild card boulevard.
Holy smokes, can it get any more intense than this?
It will be interesting to see as the trade deadline nears if the Coyotes make any moves to bolster their roster or just stand pat. Other teams have already made some preparatory splashes to strengthen their teams, which will potentially make the ‘Yotes’ chances of keeping their current wild card spot even tougher.
Perhaps John Chayka and company believe that the Coyotes are already back on track and trending northbound with their incumbent roster. Maybe the thought is to “play with who got ya’ there” and not cause any disruption to team chemistry at such a critical juncture of the regular season. Only time will tell, but it’s sure going to be fun to watch!