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Looking for Consistency and Kyle Turris Trade Watch On |
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Darren Dreger just reported that Kyle Turris is being shopped big time and that a deal could go down today. Begin the speculation!
After being thoroughly trounced by an Anaheim team that just plain wanted it more the Coyotes came back with a great hardworking team effort against the Oilers. The Coyotes won 4-2 in a game where Devan Dubnyk and Taylor Hall kept it from being the blowout it likely should have been. I really can't believe how good the Coyotes play after a loss. Their longest losing streak of the season is only 2 games. I wish they could hook Tippett up for a 24/7 series and see how he motivates them...hopefully not just "F**k it guys we suck get the f**k back out there and try harder!."
The Coyotes controlled the game in my opinion for a good 60 minutes for once. They crashed the net with authority and really exposed a slower and more frustrated Oilers defence. Sometimes shots don't tell the tale of scoring chances, this was a case where it does.
On the called back goal I saw a lot of people complaining. I know there was a cross check and a delayed penalty with no Oiler touching the puck to freeze the game. But seriously Dubnyk was knocked on his butt and completely out of the play. I would agree with that call any day.
The penalty kill is starting to worry me. I know the Oilers have one of the most talented PP units, but the wheels seem to be rusting on the "flawless" machine. Phoenix was top-5 in PK% up until about mid-November and now sit at an alarming 20th with just 81%. It might come down to the goaltending which has been below average recently.
Nice segway into Mike Smith. He has been struggling a lot recently. I don't know if this is him coming back to earth or if he's just having a poor stretch. He seems slower out there and less stable. The Oilers caught him fumbling from side to side a lot. A good example would be the wraparound attempt in the first where he was completely down and out and on the wrong post. The team will live or die with him and average performances like tonight are more of what he needs.
Good to see Cal O'Reilly playing with some passion in his first game since November 25. I hope that benching lit a fire under his arse because the team can use all the skill and scoring available. Kyle Turris is enjoying the hotdog stand now too. No passion and no hardwork, no play. Tippett doesn't mess around and frankly...I love it.
Lastly I would like to say that Oliver Ekman-Larsson might be the greatest terrible goal scorer in the league right now. The kid has 6 goals on the season and all have been weak wristers that floated in, massive deflections or just soft goals. Goals are goals though, and he is shaping up to be a very solid player.
Thanks for reading. Maybe a consistent readership would be nice...but beggars can't be choosers!
Follow me on twitter @AdamFrenchReal (Nobody does anyways it's alright if you don't)
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