The Arizona Coyotes won a great comeback victory Friday night against the Rangers, but that magic was absent yesterday in a listless loss to the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 3-0.
It was the fifth time the Coyotes have been shut-out this season. Which, as much as I like to be the optimist, is pretty damn bad.
Yesterday afternoon's game - which might have actually started in the morning for people who live in Arizona - featured the return of Alex Galchenyuk.
Galchenyuk was eased back into the lineup and didn't really do anything too exciting that I noticed.
With two injuries and the rise of Max Domi, it's easy to forget that Galchenyuk is an excellent player and that trades shouldn't be judged off immediate results.
As good as Domi's results have been, he doesn't drive play and is under 50% possession.
He has 14 goals, but he's shooting 18% overall and 20% 5v5.
He is a good player and he's having a breakout year. I don't think we should be too harsh about the high percentages, but I doubt he's a point-per-game player going forward.
As for Galchenyuk, he's only played in 22 games, and he got injured for a second time just after he was starting to find his game after missing most of training camp.
Galchenyuk has a terrible 45% CF. (Note: This originally listed an incorrect stat but has since been updated).
Sure, three goals and 11 points don't look too hot, but an on-ice shooting percentage of just 7% certainly makes it hard to rack up the points.
Galchenyuk's 5v5 shooting percentage is under 5% while Max Domi's is 20% so I think anyone claiming that Domi was a steal is either not doing their homework or they are not being fully honest about their analysis.
With the injuries and low shooting percentage, Galchenyuk's time in Arizona has gotten off to a slow start, but he's extremely talented and I still believe that he's a better player than Max Domi in the long run.
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