Tonight in Arizona - Glendale specifically, and not so much in Phoenix, exactly - the Coyotes and Oilers will each do battle to avoid a four game losing streak.
The Oilers come to town tonight one point in front of the Panthers for the race to the second overall pick (lottery permitting). Despite testing the patience of their fans, they already have, potentially, one of the greatest collections of young talent ever assembled and will add (trade and patience permitting) another potentially elite prospect again this summer. I wonder if they will look to draft a defenseman?
The Coyotes, meanwhile, are desperately trying to qualify for the playoffs. Playing solid hockey with an injury-riddled lineup, the Coyotes, minus Mike Smith (out for sure) and David Moss (likely still out), will attempt to tack a Disney ending onto the end of the 2013-4 season.
I wonder if Dave Tippett has been having the boys practice the Flying V?
The Coyotes have a good chance of gaining a foothold in the playoff race tonight, as they have a recent history of success against Edmonton, winning all four of the games they have played together this season.
Phoenix remains tied with Dallas for the final playoff spot, but Dallas holds a game in hand which is because of the game in which Rich Peverly collapsed and which was subsequently cancelled.
The Dallas/Columbus make-up game will occur on April 9, the only game that night. The league has made what is, in my opinion, a fairly bizarre ruling in regards to the game. (This isn't news by the way, they made the decision a week after the incident, I just heard about it though and thought it was worth mentioning).
They have said that the game will being with Columbus up 1-0, but that the entire 60 minutes will be played. I would have assumed the game would either just been played entirely over, or that the game would have resumed with 14:37 left in the first.
I get that they don't want the fans who come to the game to be ripped off, or that the Blue Jackets should lose a hard fought lead through no fault of their own, but this still seems wrong to me. Not that I am going to lose any sleep over it, you understand, I just think it's a weird decision, is all.
Your thoughts?
Anyways, hopefully tonight will be a great game and the Coyotes will pick up a much needed win. Dallas, in case you are wondering, is in Tampa tomorrow.
There is further good news: After tonight's game, the Coyotes are off for three days. They play Columbus, Nashville, San Jose and Dallas to finish out the year. Dallas is a nice match-up because it lets the Coyotes decide their own fate to a certain extent and of the final five games (including tonight against the Oilers) the Coyotes only play one game against a team that isn't borderline to make the playoffs or worse, and three of the five games are at home.
Good times.
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