Follow @james_tanner123 The Coyotes had a very successful week, at least in the win/loss category, going 2-1-0 with wins against the Leafs in regulation and the Ducks in a shootout. They finished out the week with a 1-0 loss to the Islanders on Saturday.
The game vs. Toronto started well with the Coyotes taking a 3-0 lead early in the second, but they then went into a shell and had to hang on for dear life, eventually winning 3-2. The game vs the Ducks started out ugly, with Arizona going down quickly 2-0, but they were able to tie the game and win a shootout thanks to outstanding moves by Gagner and Boedker.
The final game of the week was a 1-0 loss to the Islanders, which was characterized by the great play of Mike Smith. In fact, Smith is the only reason the Coyotes had a successful week, because they probably should have lost to the Leafs who dominated 2/3rds of the game, and they definitely should have lost to the Ducks, who threw a ton of rubber Smith's way.
The Coyotes should be concerned with their lack of recent scoring. After they went up 3-0 to Toronto about two mins into the second period, they then went the rest of the week without scoring, save for a 58 second span in the game against the Ducks.
You don't need to be an advanced stats nerd to know that a winning record with this kind of play is unsustainable.
The past week also saw the return of the Keith Yandle rumours. Obviously, with the team's depth at the defense position and Yandle's recent great play, as well as a growing appreciation for the importance of a possession driving offensive d-man, this is going to be a hot topic until the Coyotes either extend him or start winning with more frequency.
While I've gone back and forth on whether I think they should trade him, and I do really hope they retain his services, the fact is, with defense at a premium, you have to at least listen to offers.
Record: 6-7-1
Standings: Tied with the Oilers for last in the Pacific. 11th in the West, 5 points out of a Wild Card position.
Which Means: I am taking a lot of heat about predicting the Coyotes would be a playoff team. I still think they can be, especially if Smith keeps playing hot and the team adds an offensive player or ten.
Context is important too because while the Sharks are 5 points up, they've played two more games than Arizona has. The Past Week: Was fun to get some wins, but dangerously close to being 0-3 and facing the entrance to the basement. While I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, the fact is, if the Toronto game was 30 seconds longer, the Leafs probably score and tie it. And if Smith isn't nearly perfect, the Ducks win about 5 or 6 to 2.
Trends: In the last week we saw: The team go on it's first extended period without allowing 4 or more goals in a game, as well as the team's first 3 game winning streak of the season. We also saw some offensive talent on display from Gagner in the shoot-out, begging the question of why he isn't playing higher in the lineup.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, maybe it's time to drop Vermette from the power-play in exchange for the infinitely more creative Gagner. Injuries: Moss remains injured. Everyone else is healthy.
Stats: Yandle leads the team with 11 points in 14 games, though he has just a single goal. Boedker leads the team in goals with 5, although 3 of those came in the same game.
While Ekman-Larsson is a minus 10, we can safely ignore that because he plays half of each game and his team usually loses. Not his fault.
Also, OEL and Yandle have combined for only 3 goals and yet they lead the team in shots with over 50 each. Their combined shooting percentage is under 3 which means they have been subject to some bad luck. Look for them to correct that soon with a few goals each.
Special Teams: The Coyotes sit 15th in the NHL on the PP with a 20% success rate. Given they have two of the best PP defenseman in the world, and at least enough solid offensive players to ice a good first unit, this is lower than it should be. Add in the ridiculously low shooting percentages of the two main puck movers, and you can virtually guarantee this will rise as the season progresses.
On the PK Arizona sits 27th in the league because their PK hasn't been any good. It is reliant on one thing: Mike Smith making saves. This too should improve however because players like Vermette, Vitale and Korpikoski are all strong penalty killers and the defense and goalie are solid. Also, I believe there was a game early on where the Blues went something like 4/4 or 5/5 and this really skews the stats with the sample size being so low right now.
All in all, the special teams have been terrible, but there is every reason to think they will improve. That being the case, if the team is treading water with bad special teams, I think they can be much more competitive going forward. They again, I am a crazy optimist.
To those who put a lot of stock into faceoffs, you might want to know that Carolina, Chicago and Arizona are 3 of the top 5 faceoff teams in the NHL, and none of them would make the playoffs today.
The Week Ahead:
At home to the Stars on Tuesday, which is not good because the Stars are playing well below sea-level and are do for a win.
Then it's on the road for a Western Canada road swing which will see the team play Thursday in Calgary, Friday in Vancouver and Sunday in Edmonton.
Thanks for reading.