Arizona Coyotes Brushed Aside by Minnesota Wild in Matinee Game, 5 to 2

Arizona Coyotes lose 5th consecutive game, this time to talented Minnesota Wild 5 to 2, and have been stuck at 43 points since April 5.

With just a dozen games remaining now, the Arizona Coyotes (19-20-5 43 pts), losers of 5 straight, need to face the reality that their hopes of reaching the playoffs are “dwindling” (and that’s a tactful word). All 8 teams in the Honda West Division are in action on Wednesday, with the Coyotes and Wild leading the day’s activities with their matinee game. The other 3 games are slated for this evening, and there will be some serious scoreboard watching going on.

It was Antti Raanta in net for the Coyotes and Cam Talbot for the Wild this afternoon. Things looked fairly promising for the Yotes early on, as they were hustling back and forth with pace and seemed to have a united purpose. At 15:00 into the first period, however, Oliver Ekman-Larsson committed a tripping penalty and at 16:31 Mats Zuccarello scored his seventh goal on the ensuing power play. The Desert Dogs were able to even the score at one apiece on a power play goal by Jakob Chychrun, his 13th, 2:16 into the second frame. At 7:28 into the second, Zach Parise made it 2 to 1, and then at 19:14 in, Nick Bonino scored the Wild’s second tally of the period.

Only 4:30 into third, Mats Zuccarello scored his second goal of the night and eighth of the season on a power play, and then Jared Spurgeon scored his 5th of the season only a minute and 20 seconds after that goal. Phil Kessel scored his 16th in what amounted to be a garbage goal at 8:36 into the final frame, because the game was officially signed, sealed, and delivered as a victory for the home team and another embarrassing debacle for the Desert Dogs.

With today’s result being offered as Exhibit A, the Arizona Coyotes are evidently unable to figure out the enigma known as the Minnesota Wild well enough to beat them (the Wild lead the series 5 games to 1), yet the Yotes host the Wild twice next week in their final two games in Glendale following a most important visit from the Blue Notes. Thankfully, though, the Coyotes will have a distinct advantage over those two teams in that they’ll be returning home tonight, eating some home-cooked meals, and be sleeping in their own beds. Do you feel more comfy, Coyotes fans?

The Arizona Coyotes will need every advantage they can get and so much more to survive Saturday night’s first test and beat the formidable St. Louis Blues. Then those pesky, nightmarish Wild fellas from Minnesota, with malice aforethought, will return to Arizona on Monday and Wednesday nights to ruin a whole lot of folks’ days.

Bottom line is there are a mighty valuable six points up for grabs, and the Coyotes need to snatch all of them. The question is how? Can they actually do it and therefore stay relevant? We’ll soon find out. Let’s go Coyotes, and for tonight at least, let’s go Avalanche, Golden Knights, and Ducks!