IT CAME FROM OUT OF THE ICE : COYOTES (1) VS DEVILS (2) SO 3/23/19
GRABNER (40 ) Is one shorthanded goal short of the
Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets record set by Dave McLlwain (seven) in 1989-90.
SHARPENING THE CLAWS – It’s good to see Derek Stephan back in
the line-up this morning. He is the calming force out there on the ice and you
could see the team really reaching and forcing things in pretty much every game
outside of the great effort against Tampa. This game did not look nearly as "off course" as the Florida game did, but our PP is horrible right now.
COFFEE – Yeah – I drink coffee at night, but this time it’s
to wake up. A 10am puck drop is rare.
GARLAND (83) – Had a shot and an assist in the 1st.
His goal in the Shoot-Out was disgusting. Unfortunately it was not enough and
the Coyotes lose in OT.
ARCHIBALD (45) – Got his head knocked off by a Devils player
in the 2nd. He then got right back up and screwed it on. Good to go.
He had a really good chance speeding to the net in the 3rd, but
missed it completely. In fact he had a
couple incidents this morning where he was on a break-away and managed to miss
the net.
OEL (23) – Scored the 1st goal of the game on the 2nd
shot of the game from the Coyotes. This one was shot from Manhattan so it took
a while for the puck to land in the net. He was tossing the Devils players
around like pillows all morning.
HJALMARSSON (4) – Has 170+ blocks on the season and counting.
Late in the 3rd he knocked a puck out of mid-air that bounced off KUEMPER’s
shoulder to keep the score at 1-1. That allowed the game to get to OT.
DEMERS (55) – On the first PK in the 2nd ,
literally just threw himself in front of the net trying to help KUEMPER make a
save. The puck never hit him, but you gotta love the effort there.
PP – Looked absolutely horrible in the first period. They
might want to just start waiving them off. “No, we don’t really score when the
other team takes a guy off the ice, so screw it.”
COUSINS (25) – Had a delay of game penalty in the 2nd.
It was the Coyotes 3rd penalty in the period. He didn’t stop there
though, he finished the period with 4 minutes in the box. He also missed his
Shoot-Out goal.
STEPHAN (21) – Hit the post in OT. Otherwise a decent first
game back.
4 – The number of Power Plays the Devils had in the 2nd
period. I don’t recall the Coyotes getting called for that many penalties in
one period all year. It's also the number of legs most dogs have.
DVORAK (18) – Nothing doing on the stat line this morning.
GALCHENYUK (17) – Lead all forwards in shots on goal, but it
would have been a bigger deal if he’s put one past the Devils tender in the
Shoot-Out.
TACO BELL – Maybe the most important film on fries this
year.
RICHARDSON (14) – This one was “iffy” for him. Not a great
game overall.
PANIK (14) – Had two shots and a decent game, but had some
bad luck hitting the post in the Shoot-Out.
HINOSTROZA (13) – This is one of those games where his
effort nearly paid off. In the 3rd he drove the puck all the way
from the D zone into the Devils net and got a partial shot off. It lead to a
rebound that GALCHENYUK almost buried.
KELLER (9) – Looked really good early getting the puck off
the boards in the offensive zone to extend time in their zone. He does seem to
be getting better and better at fighting for pucks. He had a really open shot
opportunity on a shot early in the 2nd and just completely sent it
wide. Keller also hit the post in OT.
CHYCHRUN (6) – Almost had a goal on the Coyotes PP in the 2nd,
but couldn’t quite get it over the Devils goaltenders blocker. He lead the team
in shots on nets with 4 late in the 3rd.
GOLIGOSKI (33) – Had a bad turnover in the 2nd
that lead to a point blank shot on KUEMPER that fortunately he as able to stop.
OESTERLE (82) – Another extremely solid game by him. The
same can’t be said for the rest of the D, because KUEMPER was seeing his life
flash before his eyes most of the game.
KUEMPER (35) – Gave up a pretty soft goal in the 1st
that allowed the Devils to tie the game at the time. Having said that, he is
also the only reason the Coyotes stayed in this game in which they were badly
outplayed.
WRAP UP – This was a bad game at a bad time. Too much
pressure was put at KUEMPER’s feet against a team they should have crushed.
Having said that, there is no time to sulk. The Coyotes get back at it tomorrow
against a Islanders team that probably knocked the Flyers out of playoff
contention today winning 4-2. The Coyotes are now at 79 points. Their margin
for error, as far as losing games, is very low at this point. The good news for
the Coyotes was that they kept pace with at least a point.
The Senators all of a sudden don't give a crap about teams trying to stay in the playoff chase or teams that are already there. This is another case and point. For some reason it feels like the Blackhawks will bounce back tomorrow with their season on the line. It does not feel like the Oilers have the gas it takes left to stay in the race (I think we see the irony in that statement). The Oilers best possible finish is now 88. It's very unlikely that would be enough to get them in.
The good news on this one is even if the Coyotes end up with a loss tomorrow, it means they won't have lost ground on the Wild. The bad news for both teams is there is only so much runway left in which to land a spot. Especially if the Avs keep their winning streak going much longer. The Wild's best possible finish is now 91 pts.
Dallas....un-reliable. I still have serious doubts this team will even make the playoffs. Their best possible finish is now 96 pts.
This one, at this point probably has little to do with the Coyotes playoff race. It does however mean that the Blues are getting closer and closer to locking down a spot in the playoff race with 4 more wins. At that point, Dallas couldn't reach them even if they do shock me and win every game they have from here on out and the Blues fall off the face of the earth.
All year the Canucks have been fine against the Flames. Not tonight. I don't want to say this is the end for the Canucks, but unless they get it together fast, they won't have much to play for 7 days from now when they play Dallas. The Coyotes would kind of like them too, then...but right now. This one helps the Coyotes.
Comments
Post a Comment