Follow @james_tanner123 It was a game that certainly lived up to the hype - though what hype should there be about two teams near the bottom of the standings in December is a very understandable question.
Every game needs a narrative, no matter how beat into the ground it is, but Auston Matthews got to face the Coyotes, and Peter Holland got to face the Leafs.
The game was typical Coyotes all the way - they were absolutely crushed and won in a shootout to match their season high winning streak at two.
(A new Madvillain? 2016 ain't that bad holmes......turns out it's not really new,just sort of, but who cares? great jam.:)
The shoot-out was a joke too, as Toronto hit the post/cross-bar on three consecutive shots.
One interesting thing about this game is that for a team who allowed about 60% of the shot attempts, and needed their goalie to put on one of the best performances seen in the NHL this year, was that the Coyotes did end up with quite a few more high-quality scoring chances than could usually be expected in such a game.
In the first period alone, the Leafs allowed them two clear-cut breakaways and unless my eyes deceived me, I saw something resembling a 3-0 in overtime.
Speaking of that overtime, it was, for my money (and that isn't much; I'm pretty poor) the best portion of any hockey game I've seen all year (which is at least two, I swear).
Mike Smith is playing fantastic.
He is the only reason the Coyotes are within 5 points of a Wild Card position (though before you go getting too optimistic, he's literally played at a Dominick Hasel level so far this year and can't possibly keep it up. Also, in regards to your optimism, that 5-point gap right now prorates to a 15 point cap by April).
(honestly, just listen to this song twice. Merry X)
Mike Smith is the only reason the Coyotes have gone to overtime in 8 of their 30 games.
If not for the eleven extra points this has garnered the team (3 wins, 5 losses) the Coyotes would be 8-22 and left for dead in the basement three weeks ago.
So this Christmas, thank the NHL for fostering a fraudulent level of false-competitiveness - it's the least you can do if you're a Coyotes fan.
That being said, it's pretty depressing that by virtue of their last place possession numbers, last place regulation winning percentage, their declining, injury plagued goalie who is 35 before the season ends and suddenly playing like a Prime Era Patrick Roy, and the fact that their best forward just had hand surgery - that the Coyotes are actually probably lucky to have the lousy record that they do.
My solution? Sign Big Papi.
Hope you have a good day.