Dave Tippett holds the secret to a dark and powerful magic. As he perverts the natural order with his witchcraft it is often the Oilers which he targets. Tippett’s Coyotes haven’t lost to the Oilers in regulation since January of 2011. In fact, they have a 25 game point streak against the Oilers which happens to be the current longest such streak in the NHL and the 6th longest in league history.
It doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s not as if the Coyotes have been good for the majority of this streak. Like the Oilers, they have been a struggling team. The likes of Chicago and Los Angeles don’t have that kind of hold on the Oilers and they’ve been perennial Cup contenders. And yet, the Coyotes own Edmonton’s soul. It’s impossible to make sense of this even given that the Oilers have been awful for the majority of this time.
Here’s the thing. The Arizona Coyotes are not a good team. They are 29th in the NHL today. They have a record of 11-16-5. They have a -29 goal differential and have scored almost 30 fewer goals than the Oilers on the season. Their Penalty Kill is 25th ranked (78.8%) and their Power Play is ranked 27th (13.8%). Even with Mike Smith sporting a .928 save percentage this season, he’s still only picked up 7 wins in 18 games.
Arizona is dead last in Corsi For percentage 5v5 with 44.6% (general shot attempts). They are dead last in Fenwick For percentage 5v5 with 43.8% (unblocked shot attempts). They are dead last in Shots For percentage 5v5 with 44.4% (duh). They are dead last in Scoring Chances For percentage with 41.9% (really?). This is a team whose leading scorer would only be 5th on the Oilers in points.
By eye, fancy stat, and league standings the Arizona Coyotes are a no good, awful, very bad team. And the Oilers cannot beat them. It’s Tippett’s witchcraft. It’s the curse of Shane Doan. It’s the dry desert air. It’s all of those superstitious/completely made up things. It’s…I don’t know what it is, except to say it has been a thorn in Edmonton’s side for a long time.
For the love of all that is good in the world, the Oilers need to start beating the Coyotes. Please.
LINEUP
Pitlick went into the boards in a heap then left the game in a walking cast. He’s cursed. Puljujarvi is coming in and Gryba remains in the lineup.
Lucic McDavid Eberle Maroon Draisaitl Puljujarvi Pouliot RNH Caggiula Hendricks Letestu Kassian
Klefbom Larsson Sekera Russell Davidson Gryba
Talbot Gustavsson
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) I Don’t Like Mike Smith. I don’t, but it’s not my fault. Mike Smith is 15-1-1 in 19 games against the Oilers. He has a .928 save percentage over that time (to match his current season save percentage) and he stands on his head with regularity against the Oil. It’s infuriating to see because Mike Smith is a quality goaltender, but his career save percentage is just .913 in 437 games. It’s not like over those 19 games he’s been playing to his career norms. No. When he plays the Oilers he becomes a super version of himself. It’s a nightmare.
2) I Don’t Like Shane Doan. I get it. The Oilers should have drafted Doan but they went with Steve Kelly instead. Kelly played 19 games for Edmonton and just 149 in the NHL total. Shane Doan has played 1498 NHL games and all with the franchise that drafted him 7th overall in that 1995 draft. If we want to start re-writing history and complaining about what might have been, I’d rather be upset about missing out on Jarome Iginla who went 11th that year to Dallas. There’s an Edmonton area kid who was actually good. Shane Doan is the dirtiest player in the NHL who everyone talks about being a stand-up guy. These days Doan is more likely to hit you from behind than score a goal, but one of his three goals this year came against Edmonton.
3) Punching In Combinations. The Oilers are a team that is successful when it’s punching in combination. They have the highest scoring teammate duo in the league with McDavid and Draisaitl combining for 70 points. The best part is that they haven’t spent a lot of time together 5v5. That duo has been together for a little more than 84 minutes or roughly 20% of Draisaitl’s 5v5 ice time. That’s important for Edmonton because it means when McDavid’s shift ends McLellan can throw another strong line over the boards. Follow that up with RNH facing off against the top opposition lines and that’s how Edmonton has become the highest scoring team in the West.
Puck drops tonight at 7:30 PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet West. Game On! Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy