The Coyotes, fresh off one of the most complimentary scores it would be possible to achieve will look to not get embarrassed tonight against the Penguins.
When you consider that two of their best players are inexplicably in the AHL, you know it's not likely to be avoided.
They took a struggling Canadiens team to O.T on Thursday in a game that saw Max Domi get two points. They played like complete garbage and lost 6-5, a score that is very, very deceiving.
It was the third game back for Domi, but the first one in which he actually played like himself. Missing two months will do that to you. Domi had 19 minutes in ice time and showed how much he was missed by - mostly- being entertaining. That is the problem with Domi though, he's entertaining, but he may not be very effective overall. I think he may end up being the kind of weapon you need to shelter to make effective.
Thursday's 6-5 win might have been fun to watch, but it actually was a terrible game by any standard. The Coytoes, as a team, put up a 33% CF rating. That is brutal - Montreal took almost 40 more shot attempts than they did.
This is what happens when Luke Schenn is your second most used Dman, as he was Thursday. He put up what should be a career ruining 23% possession rating. Basically, dressing him is a gift to other teams. Good try, but Schenn, and I hate to say this, has to go. Hopefully he can find a time-machine back to the 90's when he would probably have been an all-star.
That's the thing with the Coytoes - because they didn't go the Leafs' route and dress a crapload of rookies for every game, watching them stumble to 29th place hasn't exactly been a joy. I can take the losing a lot better if I'm watching Duclair, Domi, Strome, Dvorak, Perlini and OEL every night. Just not so much when it's Doan, Vbrata, and White.
The thing is it's been far more the latter with Duclair demoted, Domi injured, Strome in junior and Dvorak and Perlini getting minimal ice time.
Not to mention the abject stupidity that keeps Anthony DeAngleo - arguably the teams second-best defenseman in the AHL.
Seriously, this team can just make you angry. I want to like John Chayka. I want to like a team that is this young, that seems to want to dedicate itself to advanced stats - but other than Chayka's reputation, I just don't see any evidence of this.
Anyways, if you have the stomach for it, the Penguins will be in town tonight and it should be at least fun to watch. However, the Coyotes better step it up because if they play like they did on Thursday they won't get the benefit of luck that allowed them to at least pretend they did all right. If you put up a CF% in the 30s, the Penguins will crush you.
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