Arizona Coyotes Beat Anaheim Ducks 5 to 1, But Goliath Awaits
The Arizona Coyotes took 3 of 4 points from the Anaheim Ducks due in large part to Derick Brassard’s 3-goal performance on Saturday night.
The Arizona Coyotes thrashed the lethargic Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night, scoring 3 goals (Brassard, Chychrun, Brassard) in the first period. They added a fourth (Brassard) early in the second, and then added a fifth goal (Keller) in the third. What’s up with that!? We’ll take it!
The Coyotes were pretty much clicking on all cylinders, and if there was ever a need to win a game after all of the hard work the Yotes have put in, Saturday night was it.
Derick Brassard (7G 6A 13 pts) was the focus of the highlight reel, as he earned his second career hat trick while teammates Jakob Chychrun (8G 13A 21 pts) and Clayton Keller (10G 13A 23 pts) lit the lamp as well.
The Saturday night game was probably the closest thing to a "laugher" that the Yotes will get this season. Based upon the team's disappointing results thus far, it was certainly cathartic for players, coaches, and fans alike to relax and enjoy a game from start to finish without having the nagging feeling that there was still plenty of time for things to fall apart on the Coyotes and have them lose the game.
Having said that – wouldn’t it be great if the Yotes could “bank” 2 or 3 of those goals in preparation for the invasion of the second place Colorado Avalanche (19-8-2 40 pts) tonight and on Tuesday night?
The Avalanche are only 3 points behind the Vegas Golden Knights, but not for long. They have a 6-game winning streak, going 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, and recently crushed the high-flying Minnesota Wild twice in Colorado, 5 to 1 and then 6 to 0!
Let’s see, then, if the Coyotes’ recent success against the Ducks can carry over into tonight’s game and produce positive results against Colorado. Mikko Rantanen (17G 18A 35 pts), Nathan MacKinnon (9G 22A 31 pts), and Gabriel Landeskog (9G 15A 24 pts) are but 3 of the 11 players that are already in double figures in scoring, and those 11 include 3 defenders: Samuel Girard, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews.
There’s no doubt that the Avalanche is one of the best teams in the entire NHL, and that they outclass the Coyotes. They certainly brushed aside the pesky Minnesota Wild, and the Wild gives our Desert Dogs fits. But games are played for a reason, of course, and the eternally faithful know that anything can happen on any given night.
Can the Yotes attack and defend as five-man units like they showed they could on Saturday night? Can they possess the puck for longer periods in their “O” zone and string passes together so that the Colorado boys don’t have a chance to score as many goals? Once that buzz saw of an attack gets their momentum going, their inertia is certainly hard to stop.
As the second half of the season passes by, the Coyotes organization can assess the progress that’s been made toward reaching the playoffs this year and beginning to solidify next season’s iteration of the roster, game by game. Let’s see if we can spot some “progress” tonight as the Coyotes host one of the best! Let’s go Coyotes!