The Coyotes out-shot the wild, they controlled most of the play (especially in a dominant second period) and had more scoring chances.
But they once again did not score 5v5 and once again they lost the game.
The lone Coyotes goal came on the power-play, and now they have gone an incredible five games without an even-strength goal, including three games out of five where they have been completely shutout.
Their one win came in the shootout, so they could easily be 0-5 (though they've played well and with a little luck they could be .500 or even have a winning record).
Bottom line: through five games (or 6% of the schedule) the Coyotes are goalless and winless when it comes to what's important: scoring at 5v5 and winning in regulation.
With two points they are mired in the NHL's basement.
It'd be really easy to blame the coach, but the Coyotes are getting chances and generally outplaying their opponent.
It'd be really easy to say 'this is just typical of a bad team' but that doesn't really do the situation justice.
You could be ten times worse than the Coyotes and you'd still have about a 99% chance of scoring at least one 5v5 goal over five games.
in the NHL shooting percentage and save percentage will always revert to a combined total of 100. The Coyotes, with their 0% shooting, are sitting at a preposterously low 91%.
They've also got three of their best players out of the lineup. No NHL team can overcome that, and certainly not the Coyotes. Once Galchenyuk, Chychrun and Dvorak are back, scoring will be much easier.
Right now though, it's as much luck as anything else.
Certainly being 1-4 with no goals is a lot more tolerable when you can look at the stats and say you've played fine. When you can look at the IR and see some of your best players.
It's not ideal, but it's also not worth panicking. The worst thing a team can do is make large decisions during a period of time that can reasonably be assumed to be an anomaly.
This isn't to say it's acceptable that they have scored zero goals, and I'm certainly not trying to say they are a great team that has just gotten unlucky. But there is a balance here. They aren't this bad. They are a competitive team that has a reasonable shot at the playoffs with a healthy lineup.
The thing is, if they don't fire off two or three wins in a row, the season could be over before its even begun. The playoffs in a salary cap league are often decided by only a few points across five or six teams, two of which might make it. Losing a lot in October is a recipe for disaster.
The Coyotes didn't win a regulation game last season until the season was a quarter over. They were eliminated by October.
This can't happen this year. And most likely it won't. This may seem bleak right now, but I would take the positive viewpoint here. The team, even with injuries, can't be this bad. The stats say they're actually decent. Give it some time and it's likely to turn out fine.
Although, that one goal by Kuemper last night. Jesus. You can't score and that's how you lose? Very disheartening. Why is Keumper even in net? It's not like he played badly, but when you aren't scoring, and aren't playing back-to-back, maybe start Raanta?
And that isn't my only concern with the coach. Why in the hell is Brad Richardson playing more 5v5 than Strome or Keller? That's just unacceptable.
Stepan skated three minutes less than Richardson. Sure, you'd like to see Stepan play better than he has, but if you aren't scoring goals the solution isn't to play the hell out of Brad _ _ Richardson.
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