Arizona Coyotes: Studs and Duds Versus Tampa, Colorado, and St. Louis
By Jason Costa
The Coyotes drew a real short straw in scheduling, with the team in the middle of facing the last six Stanley Cup champions. Kicking things off with the defending champion Golden Knights, the gauntlet continued with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues. After taking down the defending champs in Vegas, the Coyotes returned to Tempe, looking to keep momentum and feed off the home crowd at Mullett Arena.
They did not disappoint, establishing a four-game winning streak and taking all three matchups. In the first game, the Coyotes executed an impressive game plan and minimized nearly all mistakes, resulting in a 3-1 victory. Connor Ingram got the start for the second straight game, and his performance parlayed into four consecutive starts, winning all of them. The Coyotes and Avalanche played another potential game of the year, with the ‘Yotes taking it in OT 4-3 and following it up with a strong showing against St. Louis. Defeating the Blues 4-1, they end up splitting the season series with them.
The Coyotes broadcast team mentioned that after a three-game skid, at practice before traveling out to Vegas, head coach André Tourigny got after this team. An adept skill of his, he read his locker room right and they responded resoundingly. Their response and buy-in to the head coach’s vision have propelled them, and they are currently one of the hottest teams in the NHL.