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Though we had fun trying to figure out who is the best defenseman in the NHL for the last couple of days, we may have done so at the expense of the Arizona Coyotes - covering them is, after-all, the mandate of this column. Still, it can be difficult to follow the minutia of a team only seven points out of last in the league, so we distract ourselves.
That doesn't mean we don't care though, so here's an update on all things Coyotes.
Recent Record: The Coyotes ended their painfully awesome 11-game losing streak last Thursay with a win over the Vancouver Canucks. Not sure why they would want to win in a shootout after showing such a good effort, but I guess they are professionals and they have pride. Streak over.
But don't get too upset, they quickly started a new one. Losing to le Habitant (is that right?) on Saturday 2-0 and then on the back of rookie goalie Louis Domingue's 38-save performance they took the Predators to OT, only to lose.
Now it isn't smart to go getting three out of a possible six points, but this actually was an enjoyable stretch of games to watch and it's good to see the rookie goalie in there.
McDavid Update: As mentioned, the Coyotes recent surge in the standings has really hurt the bottom line. After being tied with the Edmonton Oilers at one point, they are now three points ahead of them. This means they'd actually have to win the lottery to get one of the two available hyped up studs.
They are currently only seven points back of the Sabres, however. A last place finish gives you a 20% shot at McDavid and a 100% shot at, at least Jack Eichel.
Worst part of this: A 2-3 record vs the Oilers instead of a 5-0 record against the Oilers and they are one point out of last. So, I ask you, who truly is the worst team?
Despite the Losing: There are always reasons to watch and in this case, the main one is Oliver Ekman-Larsson. In yesterday's review of the best D in hockey, we found out that even though he plays on one of the NHL's worst teams, OEL still manages to be among the best in hockey, his 33 points don't rank him very high among defensemen, and his minus-22 isn't too appealing, but when looking at his play through stats that account for his team and usage, he is still having a hell of season.
Recent Recall: The Coyotes have brought back Brendan Shinnimin.
He's played 12 games so far for the Coyotes and has one assist. The 23 year-old has put up decent advance stats while playing fairly sheltered minutes, but he's been kind of fun to watch and perhaps one day can be up a pretty good fourth-liner.
New D: They've played just four games each, but the new D John Moore and Klas Dahlbeck have looked OK. Dahlbeck has been better, playing tougher minutes and posting a higher Corsi. But both appear to have potential and at this point that's all you can ask.
Next Up:The Coyotes will visit the Blackhawks on Thurday. We will see an over-hyped matchup against our old love, Antoine Vermette, and hopefully the Hawks win and that Edmonton and Buffalo win in the meantime.
Thanks for reading.