Phoenix Coyotes Coping With Ownership Issues
Phoenix Players Focused on the Ice, Not on the Events off the Ice
Oct 10, 2009 Sebastian Egerton-Read
A popular pick to prop up the Western Conference this season, the off-season was tough on the Coyotes. Phoenix has struggled as a franchise over the last few seasons; a young team and an inexperienced coach Gretzky have struggled to find the consistency needed to make the playoffs. The jobing.com arena has rarely sold out and consequently questions have arisen over the future of NHL ice hockey in Phoenix. Considering all of these factors and the fact that new coach Dave Tippett didn’t even have all of training camp to try and implement his systems, it is not surprising that the Coyotes started the season as a basement pick.
However, a three-game season opening road trip that included wins over the LA Kings and the Pittsburgh Penguins has sprung new life into this team and proven that they are very much focused on the ice, their play so far should give fans a hope for a solid season. Tippett has introduced an organised system, which highlights an aggressive forecheck while still giving forwards no room in the neutral zone; the Coyotes were particularly ruthless at creating and capitalising on turnovers in their 6-3 win over the Kings. An even more impressive performance was served up in shutting out the defending champions Pittsburgh, where Ilja Bryzgalov was rarely called upon with Phoenix controlling the tempo throughout before eventually punishing the Penguins for their ill-discipline. Even in a 2-1 defeat to Buffalo, the Coyotes had their chances and only over-aggression in retaliation against Sabres forward Kaleta ended up costing them a possible point. The franchise has already shown that results count as their home opener on Saturday night is now reported to be a sell-out.
Phoenix Team Analysis
The Coyotes have a lot of speed, which allows them to play their current system effectively. A combination of off-season and trade deadline acquisitions have bolstered the forward group, with GM Don Maloney adding depth in the likes of Scottie Upshall, Robert Lang, Petr Prucha, Matthew Lombardi, Vernon Fiddler and Radim Vrbata. Young forwards Kyle Turris and Viktor Tikhonov will now have time to develop in the AHL, while other youngsters Peter Mueller, Martin Hanzal and Mikkel Boedker will also be able to play with less pressure.
Phoenix also has a solid looking unit lining up defensively; Adrian Aucoin is a new addition to a group that already included Zbynek Michalek and Ed Jovanovski. Sami Lepisto looks like he could be a solid addition from Washington, while Keith Yandle is a young defenseman with some good puck-moving skills. The top six won’t rank among many experts top defenses in the league this season but they should prove to be consistent and reliable throughout the year. A better defense should translate to better numbers for Ilja Bryzgalov and backup Jason LaBarbera, who had a superb debut outing against Buffalo; both netminders have been somewhat streaky in their NHL careers but could combine to form a useful tandem.
Can the Coyotes Make the Playoffs?
They have already surprised everyone with a strong start on a potentially difficult road trip, showing that if anything the events off the ice are being used as a motivation rather than being a distraction. A deep competitive forward group, solid goaltending, solid defense and clearly a more organised coaching system should translate into a more enjoyable season for the fans. This will still be a be a difficult season; the power-play has performed well up to this point going 4-15, but a lack of high-end skill amongst forwards could see it struggle once again this season. Shane Doan is a superb leader of this franchise and should score 30 goals and 70 points this year but Phoenix lacks top-end offensive skill. Strangely, road trips often bring out the best in a team early on, maintaining this intensity and performance across an 82-game season will be a tough task, as will ignoring the growing talk off the ice on a day-to-day basis. Don’t rule out the possibility of a playoff appearance, though it isn’t a good bet either, you can count on this team being competitive and hard-working and hopefully entertaining. Either way, the less talk surrounding the events off the ice and the more focused about the on events on the ice, the better.
Pacific Division Roundup
Anaheim secured their first win thumping Boston 6-1 on Thursday night; the Ducks had started 0-1-1 after surrendering a 3-goal third period lead against Minnesota earlier in the week. LA scored 6 goals in each of their wins over San Jose and Minnesota, Ryan Smyth is already meshing in well with 3 goals and 3 assists. Dany Heatley announced his arrival in San Jose with a hat trick against Columbus in the Sharks home opener, the team once again has high expectations for the season after the big off-season acquisition. Dallas picked up their first win of the season with a 5-2 victory over Calgary on Friday night; the Stars had lost their previous two games after regulation but pulled out an excellent performance in beating the undefeated Flames.
Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes Captain
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