In my five or so years covering the Coyotes for hockeybuzz.com, I have watched hundreds of games, and few, if any, of them were as fun as last night's.
I only wish I had watched it live on and not pre-recorded. (While prerecording so you can fast forward is the only way to watch enough hockey to properly do this job in an economically and matrimonialy viable way, it does sap some of the fun from the game).
Since no one wants to read this blog while I go through a divorce and my wife fights me tooth and nail for my special edition Smiths cds and my Veronica Mars box-set, I had to tape it and watch it after she went to bed (we watched the Shining and, spoiler alert: Nicholson goes crazy!).
Michael Grabner scored twice, Dylan Strome was a healthy scratch (one hopes, for the sake of Rick Tochhet's long-term viability as coach of the Coyotes that Strome was actually sick with the same flu that recently kept Annti Raanta out).
Speakin of Raanta, he was solid in the win, making 30 saves.
Hilariously, after scoring zero 5v5 goals in their first five games, and being shut-out in three of their first four games of the season, the Coyotes are averaging almost five goals per game over their current three game winning streak. (Winners of four of the last five).
The Coyotes now have ten points, which puts them only two back of the division leading Sharks, and every other team in front of them, except the Oilers, has played more games. The Coyotes lead their division with a goal differential of + 6.
The Coyotes are currently the NHL's fifth best possession team, and they average the third most shots for /60 , and are 11th in shots against/60.
As predicted, the Coyotes early season inability to score has been balanced out, and their unspectacular but overall deep in quality roster has been successful in almost every game this season.
You have to feel bad for Louis Domingue though, he didn't deserve this beatdown. The Lightning were due for a loss (they were seven games without a regulation loss), and they were playing their fifth game in just over a week, on the road several time-zones away, after having just played the night before in Vegas. So they were bound to lose!
For those wondering about Strome:
He has a 55% possession rating.
His on-ice shooting percentage is 1.58% - owing to the fact that Christian Fischer and Lawson Crouse are his most common linemates *Fischer has one goal in the nine games he doesn't have a hattrick this season.
He tends to get fourth line ice time. Not that it matters much to me, but he also wins nearly 60% of his draws.
And he does have a history of producing when given ice time (led the Coyotes in p/60 last year).
So to sum up: He is not a defensive liability, he scores when given the chance, he wins draws (common reason for benching young centres) and he drives possession.
Also, the coach already cost the Coyotes the services of perfectly good top-six forward Anthony Duclair. Just saying.
Alas, I like 7-1 games. I like saying alas even more. But what I hate is seeing a coach misuse the player who is arguably the most important player in the franchise.