“They Don’t Want No Smoke!” Arizona Coyotes Exceeding all Expectations
In what is supposed to be a rebuild season and what is supposed to be a team ‘tanking’, the Arizona Coyotes are a surprising 6-6-1 following last night’s 2-0 shutout victory over the red-hot New York Islanders.
Goaltender Karel Vejmelka walks away with the obvious first star of the game honors as he literally stole a game from one of the best teams in the NHL, on the road. Sprinkle in a little luck (the Islanders missed too many shot on net) and what you get is a coming out party for Vejmelka.
The league needs to take notice. Vejmelka is a stud.
All of the grumblings about “oh if he were on a good team” or “he would be a top 10 goalie if he played on a real team” need to stop.
He is a top goalie, and the Coyotes are not as bad as people think, thanks to Vejmelka.
If the Coyotes listened to the haters they would get rid of any and all solid players so that they could “go play on a good team“. If they did this how would they ever improve?
The Coyotes are getting better because they have good players.
Clayton Keller is a star, and Karel Vejmelka is shining bright as well. Look out for JJ Moser, Lawson Crouse, and Shane Gostisbehere.
If you watched last night’s game, you saw a Coyotes team that dominated the Islanders from start to finish. No fear in their game, just respect for the skill on the other team. The New York fans seem to think they just had a bad night.
I disagree.
The ‘Yotes were more physical, had more shots on net, forechecked better, and straight up out hustled the Isles. The only real area of concern from the desert dogs was the faceoff circle. If we are going to keep scratching and clawing away at these top teams, we need to win more draws. Period.
The Islanders won 70% of the faceoffs. Yikes.
The Coyotes are the only team in the league to score at least 2 goals in every game this season. Not bad for the first team in NHL history to be predicted to go 0-82 (I’m kidding, but haters are gonna hate).
Tyson Nash said in the post game “What rebuild? Tell a room full of professional hockey players that they are rebuilding.” See how that goes.
I couldn’t agree more. These are professional hockey players. Though the team is lacking the top level skill that other teams have, where they make up for it is grit, toughness, tenacity, and goaltending. Their size also makes them intimidating for teams loaded with skill players to match up with.
How do you stop skill? Get physical and knock them off of their game. Ask the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders how they felt after playing us.
Those aren’t easy teams to beat.
The team’s surge could not have come at a better time as the Tempe City Council voted unanimously on Thursday night to send a proposed arena and entertainment district to referendum in May.
Meaning that the new stadium is pretty much in the hands of the public. The team is going to make this hard for the city of Tempe, and it’s residents to say no (even the snow birds, Debbie Downers, and Karens).
The Coyotes are exceeding all expectations and continue to climb the standings. The Coyotes are better than the Blues, Wild, Predators, Flames, Canucks, Ducks, Sharks, and Blackhawks. Oh, and as of this morning are 4 points out of first place in the Central Division.
Yes it’s early, but these numbers don’t lie.
Teams who overlook them on the schedule need to pay attention. This is not going to be an automatic W or an easy win. Doubt the Coyotes if you want, but there is something special brewing in the desert.
They don’t want no smoke.
Happy Howlin’!