Arizona Coyotes Play First of 2 Tonight vs LA in Game of Zones

Riding high on the heroics of Jakob Chychrun in Anaheim, the Arizona Coyotes hope to carry that momentum through to two wins in Los Angeles.

 
A defenseman named Jakob Chychrun (12G 13A 25 pts) took it upon himself to score the three goals needed for the Arizona Coyotes to beat the not-so-mighty Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. And the crowd cheered.

What the mighty Coyotes attackers could evidently not achieve as a group was done without much sweat by a solitary, handsome lad proudly wearing the number 6 on his sweater. Sir Jakob of the Coyotes’ realm must now take his traveling band of offensive misfires to the City of Angels to do battle with the Kings of Los Angeles.

Methinks that “Sir Jakob the Blue Eyes” must rally the assistance of his occasionally-but-not-always-consistent brethren to continue to slay their NHL opposition. Chychrun cannot be expected to destroy every beast he confronts in the “D” zone while the dogs of the desert cannot breathe any fire of their own into their “O” zone! Hockey is, after all, a “Game of Zones.”

Let’s pray to the gods that Sir Phil of the Hot Dog, Sir Conor the Constantly Beaten, and Sir Clayton the Sizeable Wallet come alive and provide a feast of goals and assists for the adoring masses to witness this evening and two days hence.

As a reminder, tonight’s jousting opponent will be the Los Angeles Kings, currently in 7th place. The Yotes are therefore facing a solid mix of seasoned veterans and talented youngsters. Captain Anze Kopitar (8G 31A 39 pts), point-producing defender Drew Doughty (7G 20A 27 pts) and Alex Iafallo (9G 14A 23 pts) lead the team offensively, with wily Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter, Andreas Athanasiou, and Adrian Kempe (12G 8A 20 pts) also making significant contributions.

It seems like dragon slayer Drew Doughty never leaves the ice for the Kings, which is a testament to his value to the organization. Relative newcomers Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Blake Lizotte, Kurtis MacDermid, and Trevor Moore have been getting more playing time and have given the veteran-laden lineup some added speed and fitness.

Goalkeepers Jonathan Quick and Calvin Petersen have shared time between the pipes, with Petersen having a better save percentage and better goals against average than Quick. Regardless of who is on the ice for the Kings, the battles between them and the Coyotes are always physical, and the hits come early and often.

Let’s see if the Desert Dogs can even out the scoring in Los Angeles tonight, with everyone contributing to those tallies on the score sheet. Sir Jakob will be watching, with sword at the ready. Let’s go Coyotes!