Follow @james_tanner123 The Coyotes beat Edmonton last night 2-1, thanks in large part to a strong performance by Devon Dubnyk against his former team.
Rookie and top prospect Brandon Gormley scored his first NHL goal, but then suffered an unfortunate hit into the boards and looks to be out of action for a while. If Gormley is out for any extended time then I guess it's lucky no one claimed Schlemko off waivers, although Summers is available as well.
Also injured in the game was Klinkhammer and that may be a blessing in disguise as Lucas Lessio, who was called up in place of Schlemko, may get a chance to play.
The Coyotes won their second in a row last night, although you have to feel bad for the Oilers who just don't seem to have any luck. They put 34 shots on Dubnyk last night and had quite a few chances to tie the game late.
For Arizona, it was good to end the week on a high note after two crushing defeats earlier in the week to Dallas and Calgary. Good on them to finish the week 2-2 and bounce back from a couple of games where they really blew it.
Record: 8-9-1
Standings: 17 points, tied with Colorado for 11th in the West; 6th in the Pacific, 3 up on Edmonton and 5 back of San Jose who hold the last Wild Card spot; Tied for 21st overall in the league.
Which Means: It's better than last week when they were in a three-way tie with Colorado and Edmonton in the basement of the West. The Sharks are 5 points ahead but have played two more games, so two more wins by the Coyotes and they'd only be a point out of a Wildcard spot.
Context is important too because while the Sharks are 5 points up, they've played two more games than Arizona has. The important thing to remember is that the NHL with a salary cap and some games worth different numbers of points because of OT/shootout losses is rife with parity and a four game winning streak can rocket you up the standings. The Past Week: Started out terribly with the game to Dallas where they allowed a short-handed goal with a minute left in a tie game and then got worse when a very winnable game against the Flames got out of control in the third period. The week, however, was saved by a pair of wins vs. the Canucks and Oilers.
It was a weird week because they easily could have been 4-0 or 1-3 without playing any differently. Also, it was the week where Dubnyk earned back-to-back starts and allowed only a single goal. Will Tippett turn back to him again tomorrow?
Trends: The Coyotes went a whole week the week before last without allowing 4 goals in a game, and to celebrate they promptly went out and allowed 9 over two games. Despite the near back-to-back shut-outs, I don't think the vaunted defense of the Tippett system and of Coyotes teams past is present this year. Whether it's having to use defensive guys like Vermette too high up the line-up, a lack of goaltending or too much youth on the back end or something else entirely, this team still lets in too many goals.
Then again, they let in 1 over the last two games and could be finally "getting it." Who knows? Wait and see, I guess.
Another good thing is Hanzal, who had a hattrick, and Boedker, who had a point in every game this week, have broken out of their slumps. OEL and Yandle continue to have ridiculously low shooting percentages, and of course Dubnyk was great.
What about Connor Murphy? I think it may be a case of him becoming a bit of a whipping boy among the fan base, but I just don't see that he is playing as poorly as everyone suggests. Certainly he hasn't been great, but I do like Tippett sticking with him. He is a talented player and will be a force eventually. Injuries: Moss remains injured. There is no word yet on how long Gormley will be out for, but I'd guess a while. Klinkhammer is day-to-day, I believe.
I have to take somebody to the dentist. I will finish this in about an hour. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Ok, back from the dentist. Had to walk there, and it turns out that the appointment was for next Monday. Awesome.
Stats: Yandle continues to lead the team with 14 points in 18 games, and Boedker has 7 goals.
As far as the NHL goes, Seguin leads the league with 12 goals and Voracek has 26 points.
Special Teams:
Arizona has a weak PK so far this year, working at only 77% Chicago has the best PK in the NHL with 93%.
On the PP the Coyotes are 11th with a 20% power-play. This is actually not too bad considering the shooting percentage of both OEL and Yandle are below 4%. The best PP in the NHL belongs to the Penguins who have a ridiculous 32.8% success rate.
The Week Ahead: The Coyotes have another 4 game week which includes a second consecutive 3 game in 4 night stretch.
After playing 3 games in Western Canada, Arizona is home tomorrow against the Capitals, then they head to Texas to play the Stars Thursday, and remain on the road for the Sharks Saturday and the Ducks Sunday.
That's a fairly tough schedule, all things considered, and hopefully the boys can keep up the good work of the last two games. To look forward to, we have to wonder if Dubnyk will get an unprecedented third straight start, if OEL and Yandle will finally pot a few goals and if Gormley will be out a while or back quickly. Let's hope for the latter.
Thanks for reading.