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Hockey's Most Frustrating Team Gets a Win Despite Bad News

February 11, 2020, 11:29 AM ET [73 Comments]
James Tanner
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The Coyotes beat the Montreal Canadiens to end a pretty bad stretch of games.

It was a great win and everything, but it is ruined by the news that Darcy Keumper - who was supposed to start last night's game - re-injured himself at the game day skate early yesterday morning.

Raanta played well, and certainly he's a worthy starter, but Kuemper has been the team's MVP.

Hoping for Kuemper allows us to imagine the Coyotes will make the Playoffs and compete for a Cup, but to be honest, his run of play is most likely not sustainable.

As fun as it is to bask in the glow of early season success, I've said all along that this Coyotes roster is not a playoff team.

That is, unless they get 93% goaltending.



Wouldn't you know it, but they've dropped like a rock in the standings ever since they stopped getting league-leading goaltending.

Are the Islanders, Blue jackets or Stars Cup Contenders?

Not even close, their rosters are worse than the Coyotes'.

But when they get that sweet juicy hit of a 94% save percentage, you feel like it would take ten cops to take you down.

It's basically the NHL equivalent of angel dust.

Look at a team like Boston - they would compete with average goaltending, but they look like the 1972 Canadiens so far this year.

People look at you weird every time you say Tampa and Toronto are better teams than Boston, but it's like saying that 90 pound weakling couldn't lift a car under normal circumstances, but saying it to a crowd of people watching a him lift two of them at once (you know, cause of the dust).

Anyways, Kuemper may or may not save the Coyotes season, but instead of waiting on him, the Coyotes GM should take matters into his own hands.

Like for instance, is one of the team's best players in the AHL on a conditioning stint?

Yes he is. Get Hayton into the lineup yesterday, you fools.

Now take Connor Garland, Christian Dvorak and some picks and turn them into a real #1 centre.

Start playing Taylor Hall with Clayton Keller, you dumb-dumbs. (Originally I was going to quote Samuel S. Jackson here, but they made me change it to dumb-dumbs even though I would have preferred a three word sentence that only uses the word "dumb" once).

Watching the way this team sets its' lineups makes it hard for me to believe I am still yet to be offered an NHL coaching job.

Oh well.

To recap:

Win good.

Goalie injury bad.

Play Hayton.

Play best players with best players.

Stop pretending Dvorak is anything more than an adequate third line player.
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