Arizona Coyotes: Studs and Duds Versus Tampa, Colorado, and St. Louis

Arizona vs. Colorado

Studs

Coyotes’ physical play and constant pressure

Coming into this game the Avalanche were on a serious role, 7-1 in their last eight games. This one didn’t disappoint as it was a back-and-forth affair that went into the waning seconds of overtime. From the first puck drop, the Coyotes were physical and put constant pressure on Colorado, especially on the forecheck. You could tell that the Avalanche were not comfortable in their zone under that kind of pressure, and that type of play is what led to the Coyotes winning this one. They have begun to establish that physical identity and it’s leading to wins against top-tier teams.

Liam O’Brien

Early in the second period, Liam O’Brien tipped in the tying goal. Aside from scoring, he has taken perfectly to his role on this team, agitating the opponent, hitting, and playing with constant pressure. Later on in the matchup, Boyd took a big hit from Josh Manson into the boards which resulted in a multi-week upper-body injury. Within seconds O’Brien stepped up and took Manson on in a fight. He and Josh Brown are not afraid to mix it up and defend their teammates and they are invaluable for that.

Matt Dumba

Dumba has been a bit shaky, but this was one of his better games of the year. The veteran leader was a force in this one. He blocked shots, played stifling defense, and led the team in hits. One hit in particular occurred on a penalty kill, where he crushed an Avs player, which led to a shorthanded breakaway for Arizona.

Duds

Penalty Kill

The streak had to end eventually, and it came against the Avalanche. They scored twice on the Coyotes penalty kill, and it was the primary catalyst for what kept the Avalanche in the game. While Colorado has a top-15 power play, you don’t want to see your special teams give up multiple goals in a game on top of your streak of consecutive successful PKs ending at 21.