Arizona Coyotes’ Slippery Slope Gets Steeper in St. Louis
The Arizona Coyotes continue to make it hard on themselves. The lack of focus at the beginning of games and inadequate scoring could ultimately crush their playoff hopes.
An Arizona Coyotes’ player recently shared the following: “That’s the great thing about hockey. Flush this one down. It was a good effort.”
Well, with 19 games remaining on the schedule and the Coyotes about to play the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues tonight, good efforts don’t cut it. Results cut it, and the opportunities for the Desert Dogs to flush losses out of their systems are dwindling fast.
Where’s the urgency? Where’s the killer instinct necessary to take the game to the Coyotes’ opponents and force your team’s will and style upon them?
Halfway through a six-pack of games identified as critical for the Coyotes to win and thus keep them trudging toward the promised land, the ‘Yotes are 2 and 1. The boys were able to beat the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders, but can’t seem to solve the Dallas Stars. Don’t you find that interesting and perplexing at the same time?
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A few minutes into the Dallas debacle, the Coyotes ended up having to chase the game. A necessary and valiant effort it was, but the result was zero points – exactly the number of points you get for “effort.” Zip. Nada.
The Coyotes face the first-place Blues (19-6-5 at home) tonight and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at GRA. The Lightning have won 11 games in a row.
The ‘Yotes then play the Florida Panthers, (third place in the Atlantic Division with 70 points) at home on Tuesday.
As we can see, the load doesn’t get any lighter. A brutal March awaits where the Coyotes will play 13 games, 11 against Western Conference foes. Of those 11, 7 are against Pacific Division teams.
As of today, the Coyotes are hanging on to the final playoff spot by a thread. The streaking Winnipeg Jets, winners of two in a row, are a point behind the ‘Yotes with 67 points. They are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. The Coyotes play the Jets twice in their last 19 games, including the last game of the season at home.
The Minnesota Wild, who swept the Coyotes this season, have 63 points and are also surging. They are 6-3-1 in their past 10 games.
The Arizona Coyotes are 4-4-2 in their past 10 games, and they face the Blues tonight and the Lightning on Saturday. They certainly have their work cut out for them, and good efforts and flushing bad memories won’t do them a bit of good as their playoff hunt continues.
Are the Coyotes good and gritty enough to make the playoffs? That question will be answered on the ice sooner rather than later, beginning tonight in St. Louis. Let’s go Coyotes!