The Coyotes have missed the playoff. With their defeat of the Blues, the Dallas Stars have eliminated Phoenix from playoff contention.
It's too bad, because the Dallas/Phoenix game Sunday was just perfect scheduling and would have been great, not to mention that the first round is always something special to be involved in.
Either way, the Coyotes - like the Leafs - had their goaltender go down at the absolute worst time possible and not to make excuses, but for a fringe playoff team, that is just something too major to overcome.
In Toronto, where I live, people are going about like rabid animals, drooling from the mouth and making insane demands of the team, blaming people for no reason and calling into radio talkshows with the spirit and intelligence of a Glen Beck caller.
In Phoenix, I only have twitter, here, and the rest of the internet to gauge it from, but from what I can tell, it's a little more sane, and you can't say it is because Phoenix fans are not passionate - there may be few of us, but we are as knowledgeable and intense as any fans in the league. I find it interesting that two teams, both with rosters that are under construction and both who missed the playoffs under similar circumstances, can cause such different reactions amongst their fans.
The Coyotes fans seem to accept that with Mike Smith going down, the playoffs were a dream. Sure, it's not any fun to miss out, but it feels like people accept that Mike Smith going down is a legitimate excuse. It is a virtual certainty that Dallas would not be going to the playoffs if Mike Smith did not go down three weeks ago in New York.
Conversely, here in Toronto, where I live, while the collapse of the team has been dissected ad nauseam, no one seems to remember or even care that Johnathan Bernier's injury - exactly like Mike Smith's- preceded a five game losing streak. (Toronto would eventually lose 8 in a row).
Now both teams, have issues that go beyond the back up goalie - if Phoenix could score like Toronto, or if Toronto gave the effort that Phoenix did game in and game out, they would both be playing next week, even with Reimer and Greiss. Still, when your best player is your goalie - as is the case with both teams - there isn't much you can do when he goes down.
The Coyotes may not be playing next week, but if you look beyond their recent slide, there are a lot of things to be happy about. The effort, for one. The state of the defense. Some of the prospects coming up. This is a team on the rise.
Anyways, stick around even if the season is over, there will continue to be daily Coyotes blogs through out the playoffs and summer. There is always something to talk about in the NHL; it's never dull. Still, if we don't see you 'till next season, it has been a blast.
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