Follow @james_tanner123 The Coyotes did not get off to the start they wanted to last night - that much is obvious. What probably isn't obvious, if you didn't watch the game, is that even though they lost 6-2, the game wasn't that bad.
It had everything you expect from opening night: sloppy play, rust, bad games by normally reliable players and a ton of excitement - possibly only because it was the first game, but whatever.
The Coyotes did not - as I feared they might - resort to being a passive 1-4, no forechecking team, but instead skated hard, took the body at every opportunity and played an aggressive brand of hockey. It just didn't work out very good.
Despite the score, it was one hell of an entertaining game there were some positives to take from it.
The game got off to a nice start with the Doan-Vermette-Boedker having a strong first shift and then Michael Stone making a great play to knock down Kane and prevent a scoring chance without taking a penalty.
Gagner and Klinkhammer also had a strong first shift. Overall, Gagner, playing on a line with Klinkhammer and Korpikoski, and had a decent game, I thought. At one point he was gassed but ended up with the puck on his stick and got a scoring chance off a nice little spin-a-rama and he played a nice, grindy kind of game.
Though they didn't look too bad at the start of the game, they did take two penalties and then allow a goal before the game was 7 minutes old. The opening goal was a 2 on 1 that resulted from Byfuglien pasting his man into the boards and Smith can't be blamed on it, even a getting a piece of the puck before it went in.
Unfortunately for Smith that was about the only goal he could feel good about all night, because, frankly, he was terrible. At one point he let in one of the worst and laziest goals a goalie can let in by not properly keeping his pad against the post. I trust Smith, but this was a bad game for him. On another goal he left the net - something he seemed intent on doing more than he even usually does - and didn't get back into time to get set. Obviously the puck went in and that was a weak goal too.
The game was basically over by the 14:00 minute mark of the first, with Smith allowing 4 goals in seven minutes, three of them brutal. The thing was, the Coyotes didn't actually play terribly here, though they were badly out-shot in the first. The first goal was the result of the hit and the third goal was right off a face-off. Smith will stop at least the last 3 goals most of the time. Yeah, the Coyotes were sloppy and undisciplined to start the game, but it wasn't like it was an utter beat-down - but they were down 4-1 after the first, almost entirely due to two things we aren't likely to see often: horrible goaltending and bad discipline from a Tippett coached team.
Of note also in the first was a bit of a sweet goal by Boedker. Doan was behind the net with the puck and the Jets inexplicably surrounded him with all five players, all of which were looking at him. He calmly threaded the needle to a wide, wide open Boedker who is not gonna miss a shot from the slot with unlimited time to act very often.
The play of the Vermette-Boedker-Doan line was the most positive thing for the Coyotes all night. Doan had two assists and a fight as well as an absolutely massive hit on Wheeler. If you didn't know better, you would never think he was in his late thirties.
Let's face it, this team is going to have a hard time scoring this year and so won't be making a lot of three goal comebacks. It could have happened last night though, if not for the strong play of Pavelac and the deflating play of Smith.
The 'Yotes took the play to the Jets after what I imagine was an ameliorating melt-down by Dave Tippett in the intermission. Unfortunately, for all their good play to start the second, Smith let a goal in on the first opportunity. I guess they just didn't want to pull him in the home opener for some reason that defies logic, but he should have been after it was 4-1. I once joked that taping nine chickens together was a goal-tending option in a pinch, but last night it only would have taken three taped-together chickens to approximate the play of Mike Smith.
And it could have been 8-2 because Byfuglien hit two cross-bars.
Still, I maintain the Coyotes can take some positives from Doan (and his line's) play. As well as from the play of Hanzal who is an absolute beast in front of the net and down low. He scored too on a pretty nice tip in.
OEL was really feisty, but he seemed off his game to me, constantly bobbling the puck and missing shots. Not really much to worry about here, I don't think. On the PP he and Yandle where predictably amazing moving the puck. If you think the Coyotes will have trouble scoring, I might agree with you if we're talking even strength, but they will have one of the NHL's best power-plays as long as those two are anchoring it.
In closing, I just want to point out that the first period of last night's game was among the most entertaining periods of hockey we're likely to see all year. It featured:
-a break-away - a 2 on 1 -9 minor penalties - The TSN announcer telling us that the Jets "keys to victory" were to "Compete for 60 minutes"!!! (I think I was getting a drink and missed the part where he said other Keys to Victory include showing up to the rink and using a stick). - 4 goals in under 2 minutes - 5 goals overall - two players on the same team colliding for a potentially terrible injury (Kane left the game, hope he's alright) -a spin-o-rama - 2 fights (only one was called major) - 3 scrums - at least 2 massive hits (one by Doan, one by Byfuglien)
I don't often watch the Coyotes lose a period 4-1 and go outside at the intermission happy, but it was such a great period - totally worth the wait.
The Coyotes play the Kings Saturday, also at home.
See you then, Thanks for reading.