After losing two of their last three games by a score of 6-0, the Coyotes will approach tonight's game vs the Jets with the most modest goal in NHL history: lose by five or less.
Unlike most goals people set in January, this one has a good chance of being achieved.
While the Jets are performing much better than the Coyotes, they really have no right to and should be a team the Desert Dogs can easily handle. Now, don't get me wrong Jets fans, I respect the hell out of the way this team has performed, but after losing Bogosian, Enstrom, Trouba and Stuart, the Jets figured to crumple faster than Koko B. Ware after an injury to his bird.
If someone can explain to me how a team with the singer from INXS and no defensemen can keep pace with the Blues and Kings, I'll be all ears. Regardless of why, however, it's pretty awesome and, in my opinion, should be a way bigger story than it has been.
The Coyotes meanwhile, will debut some interesting lines (because Hanzal and Michalek won't be playing) according to Sarah McLelllen.
Hanzal and Michalek not on the ice for #Coyotes skate so some changes: 10-50-19/38-9-89/8-24-28/22-14-18/23-26/3-20/33-5.
— Sarah McLellan (@azc_mclellan) January 8, 2015Martin Erat has been moved to the top line, which on the surface, looks insane. Erat has, in sixty games with the Coyotes over two season, scored just eight times and he averages just over a point every three games.
Those are unacceptable numbers for a player who averages almost 16 minutes per night and is the sixth most used forward on the team and who receives almost two minutes of PP time per game as well.
Now, Erat is a whipping boy and I've been known to suggest that the Coyotes would be better off with an Ent like Treebeard or a life-sized cardboard cutout of Scoobie Doo in his place, but that isn't exactly fair.
Erat is a defensively excellent player and has a CF% of 54.1 and nearly every player he is used with gets better when he is on the ice. So, a tip of the hat to old Coach Dave for recognizing the value in a player that most people would call washed up. That being said, I would still hesitate to use him on the power-play and I would give his minutes to Reider.
Another lineup note worth commenting on is that Chris summers will be playing only his 13th game of the season tonight, in place of Michalek. I like Summers and he hasn't got a very long look this season after coming on strongly to end last year. With the Coyotes basically out of it, however, it's hard to argue he should be playing ahead of Stone, Gormley or Murphy - three kids the Coyotes must use this last half season to evaluate and develop.
Perhaps when Michalek is inevitably traded Summers will get more time.
It will also be interesting to see Lucas Lessio fares on a line with Gagner and Boedker. Lessio has only played 30 minutes of even-strength hockey in the NHL and this could be an exciting line.
Smith will get the start, which I think is fair because his team screwed him on Monday and six goals or not, he wasn't to blame.
Anyways, it should be a good game and hopefully the Coyotes can at least avoid their 34th shutout of the season.
Thanks for reading.
All stats from stats.hockeyanalysis.com