I was going to look into the Coyotes wallet first but there is still a lot of research required since we have kids all over the damn place. So you get my take on rentals and buys the GM might want to kick the tires on today instead. (thanks to CoyoteQ for helping me survey the field of availability)

As we walk through the ranks of the teams that are either mathematically eliminated or real close to it, we need to keep in mind a couple of things… our PP sucks majorly and we have a real need to upgrade our 6/7 defensive positions. (Lepisto is doing the best he can but he’s still a baby  with positioning issues and Bubba has been a scratch waay too long… is he still not 100% or is he not what Tippett wants on his bench?). So it would seem that what we are looking for is 2 players minimum that can eat minutes, have at least a modicum of offensive prowess (to replace Upshall’s lost scoring), are defensively responsible (to fit into Tippett’s defense first system) and of course any jump start for our hideous PP and/or playoff experience is a bonus. Pretty tall order eh?

Offensive Rentals:

Atlanta’s Maxim Afinogenov could fit the bill pretty well (while not a defensive giant) he is a major point grabber this season with over 44 points so far this season (so what if he’s 30 years old, we’ve seen that he can still fly) and he is on his best behavior to get back into the good graces of the NHL family. He seems to be fairing very well out of the spotlights. (5) PP goals

Carolina’s Ray Whitney is another great rental possibility. With Kovalchuk finally out of the picture, Whitney’s value skyrockets, even by trade deadline overpayment standards. The guy can score, has underdog experience, has Cup experience and is defensively sound. At age 37 this old dog is still playing good minutes and has 41 points on a hinky Canes team. (6) PP goals

Toronto’s Alexei Ponikarovsky is also a name we hear frequently as a premiere pickup. He’s been pretty good lately, on pace for 54 points and is currently a +5. A 29 year old, 6′ 4″  rental doesn’t sound too bad if TOR will just not wanna take a pint of blood back for him in return. (4) PP goals

Columbus’ Raffi Torres has been placed on waivers. The 28 year old LW has been a solid NHLer throughout his career. He has 26 points so far this season. This is a gritty guy with decent defense and good energy. One of those guys you don’t really like to play against but sure don’t mind having on your squad. (this is the kind of value player the Don likes) (7) PP goals

Florida’s dynamic duo is supposedly also part of their fire sale. Either of them would be prize pickups for us. They know how to operate in untraditional markets and how to get scoring against all odds.

Nathan Horton (rumored to be targeted by BUF) will be returning from his broken leg within the next couple of weeks. At only 24 years old, Horton is a gem. He’s got a startling 46 points and while not the grittiest guy on the block, he often forgets himself and goes for points in the ugly areas. (6) PP goals

The 26 year old Stephen Weiss just may be the scoring touch that we need with 45 points under his belt (all done with very little help all season). Weiss is probably the Florida player getting his tires kicked the most by teams looking to buy. Some of FLA’s fans call him a soft player but anyone who can grab that many points on the lackluster Panthers must be doing something right. (8) PP goals

Defensive Rentals:

Is Florida’s Dennis Seidenbergh worth repatriating? 22 points and a minor -1. He wasn’t horrible before and seems to have learned consistency down in the southeast. He’s worth a looksee since he has grown a bunch since his stint here in Phoenix. (1) PP goal

Tampa Bay has a kid named Kurtis Foster that I wouldn’t mind getting my mitts on. He is a defensive staple with 28 points. He is 6′ 5″ and only 28 years old… prime age for a blueliner. (it would be a plus to sign him after but not a total bummer if we can’t since we do have help on the blueline in the form of Goncharov possibly arriving next season from Russia) (3) PP goals

Florida’s Bryan McCabe – Has a few years on him at 34 but remember we’re talking rental not marriage. On pace for about 34 points and a plus 1 right now, the former all-star and vet blueliner has some semi-recent playoff experience and knows his way around a rink. He’s still pretty sturdy and doesn’t miss a lot of games. (3) PP goals

would anyone mind cornering the market on Czechs?

How about Pavel Kubina? – This is one big Czech at 245lbs. On pace for 45 points and holding a +6 we can definitely put this one on the acquisitions list. 32 years old and still has a few miles left on him (despite a possibly bummy right knee), has some playoff experience and would probably be fairly cheap to grab (last trade he and Stapleton went for Excelby and Stuart) (2) PP goals

I doubt the Minnesota Wild will be looking to sell anything from their defensive stable (especially within the conference) but Mareck Zidlicky could be worth inquiring after (since the Wild have just upgraded their blueline with Cam Barker, maybe Zidlicky could be their odd man? ) The guy has very recent playoff experience, is on pace for 47 points and is a paltry – 1. (2) PP goals

Offensive Purchases:

I hate to keep raiding Atlanta’s cupboards but they got a lot of nice pieces down there, like the 27 year old Rich Peverly and his 42 points. He’s a great steal if a deal could be done. No matter where he’s played, this guy has been quietly killin it on secondary points. (7) PP goals

The other jewel in the offensive market would have to be Tomas Plakanec. The guy has over 55 points this season and shows no sign of slowing down. Can he be pried away from the original 6 team? Pricey to say the least and dicey at best. It would be a huge change from Montreal to here and he might not like the change much. (which could affect the locker room adversely) (3) PP goals

And then there is a GMDM blue light special in Jonathan Cheechoo. Cheechoo has been waivered… and cleared! He’s hanging around the the bus in the AHL already. That is a travesty. I know he’s 29 but the kid has got to have some juice left. 4 years ago he was the Richard trophy winner, 3 years ago he was an allstar. He’s had some knee and neck issues but what the hell else is going on that caused him to sink so fast? I hate his -13 and the fact that he was only on pace for 17 points but I betcha he’d get his shit together for another shot at the NHL unless he’s got some physical issue no one knows about. Imagine Tippett pulling a 2006-ish performance out of him?

Former Coyotes Steven Reinprecht is available (at firesale prices). Dumped before Tippett got here, the Rhino was 3rd in points on an inept Coyotes team. He isn’t the fastest guy on 2 skates but he’s crafty, works hard, has Cup experience and can face off fairly well. No long term committment here (a year isn’t a killer), could he be worth the investment of say… a low potential prospect or a low end pick? (2) PP goals

Defensive Purchase:

Atlanta’s young defenseman Tobias Enstrom flashes before my greedy eyes when talking about purchasing a defenseman. The 25 year old blueliner just keeps getting better every year. He has 42 points this season and plays with heart every shift. The little Swede (only 5′10″ 180lbs) is  a +7 on the quirky Thrashers team, think Z with more of a shooters mentality. (2) PP goals

Anaheim won’t be looking to do us any more favors and I’m sure it wouldn’t take too much time for Phoenix fan’s to forgive him for his nasty hit on our Captain but how about I throw James Wizniewski’s name into the ring? He’s RFA and the Hawks have been sniffing around the idea of bringing him back into their fold (which might make him a little expensive to take a run at) but maybe the Duck’s scouts have seen something on our shared AHL roster that might soften Anaheim up for a little inter-division dealing. (2) PP goals

Speaking of Anaheim, they just waived Nick Boynton. The 31 year old has been here before and might be a decent 6th/7th. Adds to team toughness (who can forget Nick pulling Miettenen off his bench wall for a beat down that he royally deserved?). He only has 7 points and is a +1 but he plays capable defense even if he won’t be setting the world on fire at this stage of his career. Decent deal at 1.5M and can always be packaged in the offseason. Could be had for very little cost. (1) PP goal

How about a shot at RFA Anton Stralman from Columbus? He’s not doing too bad with 29 points (that -11 seems to be the result of a bad team more than a lack of defense on his part). 23 years old and 200lbs, he’s young enough to teach and big enough to hang tough in the pack. (4) PP goals

How about enforcement/team toughness and goaltending upgrades? How bout we do that in a mini-part II because there may be more to say on that front than I can squeeze into 2 paragraphs.

Okay tired now… it is very hard to think like a GM with a limited budget. Gotta pass by the obvious additions that will cost an arm and a leg (or at least one of your first rounders). So what do you think? Anyone on this list look good to you? Or would you rather make a case for Ballard or Streit? Perhaps Stempniak, Brunette or Vermette are more your cup of tea? Is there anyone I missed that could help the Coyotes through the next few weeks or make them stronger for a  deeper push into the post season? Is there a team out there on the fence between buyer and seller that might be willing to do a little business with the Don? Let me know, I always enjoy hearing your takes on subjects like this.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Well whatdayaknow, another first for us here at the Check… to rent or not to rent? I have never had to ask that question. We have been sellers or non-participants so often that I find myself at a loss. Attempting to discern GMDM’s choices is a tough one. Do we need help to get over the post Olympic break hump and into the post season for the first time in well, forever? And then when we do get there and everyone has all these extra gears and role players becoming saviors, are we strong enough for this battle as is?

We are all nail bitingly aware of the issues that the Yotes have faced in the past, dealing with walls or with post-break killing slumps. This year is already different. the mix of young talent and vets is different, we have more wins 3/4 of the way than we had all season before, the system is different, and the coaching style is different… all in a very good way.

No longer do the Coyotes battle day in and day out from the first puck drop, to maintain a hold on 7th or 8th or pushing up from 9th or 10th position. These new Coyotes clawed their way up to 4th in the conference and have chewed and maimed to stay there, fending off the likes of a newly grown up LAK and a miracle on ice young COL team as well.

The Maloney-era Coyotes look lean, mean and ready to make some noise in the post season. Under the respected leadership of Dave Tippett and his soon to be legendary coaching staff, the Coyotes have already surpassed all expectations, hell, they’ve surpassed many of our wildest dreams. (yes soon to be legendary, what else can you call a staff that can achieve this much with such a beleaguered team?)

The Phoenix Coyotes were mired in red ink and nearly bled out, we were hampered by ownership that didn’t want us and had no clue how to run us (they hadn’t spent a half way intelligent dime since they signed Jovo). We were flailing about in BK court like a gaffed fish and suffering through a negative media blitz of EPIC  proportions, just to name a few of the problems Tippett and staff faced this season.

Sooo, look ahead to March 3rd 2010, the new era Coyotes, or should that be the Maloney/Tippett era Coyotes will have 19 games to survive in order to get to the post season for the first time in… seems like forever. Can they do it without the services of Scottie Upshall? The team just needs to win about 15 points to secure a berth. Can the rest of the scoring committee find another setting on the heat scale and hold the team on course or are they going to need some help?

With the highest scoring defense in the NHL, it would seem like the Yotes would be in great shape. Behind the front end talents like Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata, Mathew Lombardi and … uh oh… there is no and. Only 3 true consistent offensive scorers? Oy! Even Coach Tippett appears to be tired of waiting for Peter Mueller to return to form and get hot, so don’t blame me for not listing him here. Seems like having only 3 dependable scoring forwards answers the question about standing pat heading into the final sprint portion of the season.

Since we don’t have ‘real’ ownership in place to give the Don a budget, this whole thing might just be a moot point. But for shits n giggles lets pretend that the NHL wants to make as much money as possible off their investment and recoup some of that lost revenue they spent in BK court and funding the team through this season. That would mean that Bettman and Daly were telling the truth when they said GMDM would have funds to do what needs to be done for the team.

So we need to make a move, agreed? Do we rent? If so then the question becomes who to rent and how much to pay. If we want to purchase instead, for maximum value (and you know how GMDM loooves his value players)  then who to buy and again… how much to pay? Payment doesn’t mean actual dollars… we have enough cap space to buy Kovalchuck and Ovie… the real payment comes in the form of players in return, picks to give up and of course prospects that others covet… (our future roster members).

Guess we better take a look in our figurative wallets and see how much we got in the way of trade bait, picks and prospects. Keep in mind we’ll have to give up something decent to get back something good in return. At trade deadline, good can often cost a LOT more than you want to pay. So let’s have at it shall we? let’s take a look at who is available from the herd and what we have available to pay to make them part of the pack.

Part II tomorrow: What the Coyotes wallet has available in roster bait, picks and prospects.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Apparently working 9hrs and school for another 3hrs every day is resulting in epic fail for my posting habits. So I will endeavor to catch up.

Wings 5 – 4  We won… at the Joe…  I know the Wings have been struggling lately but give the boys their due. This was no easy task. Both Zetterberg and Datsyuk were in this game, neither of them could take over and run us like they used to. This pack is somethin else when they decide to bear down and take a game to its limits. It was gratifying to see that the boys refused to quit even after Lidstrom nailed us twice. Apparently there is no such thing as a game out of reach for these guys.

Flames 3 – 2 We won… despite a house packed with Flamers. These 1 point games are killers. But to give Calgary their due, that was one hungry team on the ice. Desperation doesn’t even describe it. We handed them their 9th straight loss. No wonder the team is getting blown up even as I type. We’ve already seen Phaneuf leave town. (Our poor Sjo got dragged with him but at least he was wanted, not sloughed off. Poor Prust, is he ever gonna find a real home?) Now its buh bye Olli and Brandon? Hello Kotalik and Chris Higgins? If Darren Dreger of TSN is right, what a weird trade but at least Calgary gets rid of 2 rumored cancers and can get back on track.

Rangers 3 -2 We won on Teppo retirement night! How awesome is that? Especially since it was the 3rd straight win in a row. Sean Avery is still a puke. (too bad we let the lil arseclown score) The creepy little feces disturber was up to his dirty deeds before the puck even dropped. (whacking Bissonnette was not the smartest thing he ever did but luckily Paul did the smart thing and ignored the pest). I sincerely hope we learn to put these things completely out of reach before one of these comes back to bite us in the butt. 3 – 0 in the 1st only to let Gabby and Creepy give the Rangers hope in the 3rd *facepalm* But its okay, AZBarbie held on through the blizzard at the end and we handed the ailing Rangers their 5th straight loss.

Stars 4 -2 We won! On Tip’s first trip back to Dallas since they stupidly gave him the boot. We have won all 3 meetings so far with Tippett’s former team. We play them 2 more times in the next 2 weeks. The game got pretty scrappy and I can’t even imagine how bad it may get, playing them so much, so close together. 4 Yotes with points and 3 of the 4 with multiple points…suhweet! Vernon Fiddler with back to back nasty blocks to help keep the Stars from gaining control of the end of the 3rd period. 4th straight win. (I wonder how many in a row we’ll have to win before TSN give us props in the power rankings? Seriously TSN? The Flames move up based on the trades?) *ESPN has moved us up from 10 to 6th…guess they’re one of the few looking under the radar?

Scottie Upshall – torn ACL, surgery imminent. Sucks in the worst way. If anyone could be termed irreplacable in this pack, it would be the Gr8Scott. How does such a little guy leave such a big hole? Well, he’s 90% heart and that is hard to replace. Even if the surgery goes well and the tear isn’t horrendous we probably won’t see Scottie for the rest of the season and maybe not even the start of the next (Most orthopedic physicians agree that a minimum of 6 months is needed before returning to competitive sports. Because of potential risks of reinjury, however, most recommend waiting 7 to 9 months.) *Jerry Rice made it back to the NFL in 3 1/2 months, only to scrag the whole knee in his first game back*…we don’t even want to contemplate something like that for our boy. Take your time Uppy, get well soon. We’ll miss you on the ice but rest assured, your boys have it covered.

Trade deadline – March 3rd is bearing down on us like a lion. What will GMDM do? With Upshall out, I am sure Don’s phones are ringing off the hook. Teams will be looking to steal from us, to capitalize off what will appear to outsiders as a desperation factor. They don’t know the Don very well if they think they can trade their junk for some of our prospects and picks. Will he stand pat? Guess it will depend on the next few games. Mueller stepped up huge in Dallas (perfect timing Petey! Show you can be the missing piece of the Lombo-combo line and give Don some more breathing room) Has GMDM already got someone in his sights? More than likely. You know the Don, value is his middle name… (we’ll take a look at the possibles on Wednesday… errr maybe Thursday) Tippett’s pack doesn’t let much throw them for long. There are 26 regular games left in the season. We need to win a little more than half of them and get to 100 points to be sure to make it to the ‘extra session games’ (we’re avoiding the P word because I am a superstitious cow who is afraid to jinx the boys). Can we do it? Hell to the yeah! One for all and all for one against a world that is still dubious about whether we’re the real deal or not.

Some food for thought

Yandle – 10-19 for 29 points AND +10! Enough said. I’m won over.

Mueller – You can say that anybody playing on a line with a red hot Doan should be able to score but it just ain’t so. (exhibit A - Olie Jokinen) Mueller manned up in Dallas and exhibited skills we haven’t seen in a month of Sundays. Give the boy his props and cross all your appendages that this isn’t a one time deal.

Blueline points – Our defense is #1 in the NHL for points! The boys in the back keep steppin up to the front. Bombs, lasers, wicked wristers, these guys have an entire arsenal back there and apparently they are not afraid to use any of it. Kudos!

Bryz – He may have faltered a bit but don’t count Beast-galov out. The Russian pillow is back! We may still see a few 3 or 4 hole issues but for the most part Bryzzie has been stellar after getting his head back together. That is one determined goalie in our net. He has proven that  he is a crunch guy (see the Duck’s Stanley Cup run for your proof if you doubt the veracity of that statement) This is as big as it gets for a #1 guy, keeping your team in the hunt is the stuff NHL dreams are made of. Focus and calm seem to be his trademarks lately. Look out Vezina, there is a new boy in the race.

Attendence – 12,725 vs Calgary on a weeknight. 16,687 vs New York on a Saturday.  Chicago is nearly sold out already for 3/20. Methinks, the general public is starting to figure out that the JobArena is the cool place to be. Alice Cooper and Muhammad Ali have made return visits, Vince Vaughn has hung out with us too. We’re the hot ticket now and things will only keep getting better as we keep battling closer to the post season.

Teppo Numminen – It was fantastic to see one of our best honored. He seemed so pleased with the whole thing. Man of few words, our RepoMan. Our ring of honor finally got its first Coyotes player! I wish I had made a better sign since it got some camera time towards the end of the ceremony. But my heart and sentiments were in the right place, Congratulations Teppo, enjoy your retirement. You definitely deserve every honor the Yotes can give you.

Captain Shane Doan with the NHL’s 1st star!

We take on the Nashville Predators tomorrow. Puck drops at 6PM. Let’s get a win for Fiddy’s return to Nashville!

Keys to the game?

Play the system! No matter what the Preds throw at us (and you better believe it will be everything they’ve got) we have to stay disciplined and play all 60 minutes. The Preds have lost 5 of their last 6 and are looking to halt their slide before they skid out of the hunt. (The Preds were tied with us before the skid, they now sit 7th place in the conference with 63 points)

The committee members have to show up. We don’t do too well at Sommet Center (haven’t won there in awhile, like 2 years?) We need to bring the heat early and often. We’re 26-2-1 when we score first. Don’t let the goalie with the funny name (Pekka Rinne) get settled. Last time Scottie Upshall pulled our collective chestnuts out of the fire. This would be a great time for our big guns to stay hot. Doan, Vrbata and Mueller can get this party started right and let the blueliners finish it off. We need to win this in regulation, don’t give the Preds anything to move them up in the standings or they could get on a tear and catch us again… no bueno! Plus with Langer out our shootout might just kill us.

Defense! Defense! Defense! Martin Erat is a dangerous man. These boys can play the scoring by committee game just as well as us. We’re going to have to be sharp, these boys really throw some rubber at the net when they face us. Positioning and heart is where our blueline has to be. Keep these guys out of the scoring areas at all costs.

Watch your back Breezy there will be rubber flyin from every angle these boys can try. This will likely be a pretty high sog game. Danger! Danger! Be sharp and give the boys the chance to score first please.

Special teams…meh… play the system and let special teams be a non-factor please.

There is a new media gurl on the Yotes beat. Be sure to check Sarah out on Twitter. She has some great insider videos to share.

As always… GO COYOTES!

8 penalties? EIGHT?! Do I need to pull out my dictionary and make you go over the words discipline, control and restraint? I didn’t go over this in the keys to the game because I just assumed you knew better than to turn this into a special teams competition. Well I guess I was wrong, what part of #1 power play team shouldn’t get power play opportunities, didn’t you get?  ok, ok maybe thats a little harsh for a beginning…let’s back up a notch and take a look at the good, the not so good and the ‘other’ stuff. (I’m not going to call it bad stuff…just ‘other’)

The good -

the Korpedo! – Lauri Korpikoski (try spelling that 5 times fast!) This guy really doesn’t do things by half measure, he loves a good twofer. Turned on the afterburners and did his share with 2 goals to keep us in this one. Almost pulled an Upshall but just missed getting that 3rd goal. (yes we are going to refer to natural hatties as Upshalls until someone else gets one)

Vernon Fiddler – a shorty try, 4sogs, some hits and blocked shots plus a sweet 53% in the circles. That all counts as good in my book. 

Robert Lang – 53% on the dots, 2 assists and +1 for the night. I know I’ve been on him a lot lately but not for this game. Not bad Langer, not bad at all… even with the 2 give aways.

Peter Mueller -  +1, 1 assist and the beginnings of a mini point streak. (ok its not a ’streak’ exactly but the number of games with out a point are not as far between any more, its a start right?) Maybe its reaching but he needs a little positive encouragement after the way I’ve been riding him. He’s got the tools and he seems to be getting some confidence to use them finally, its good to see.

Also good… no highlight reel goals for either of the crazy DC Russians. whoo hoo! (really tiresome watchin that last one over and over again)

The not so good -

The Coyotes managed three shots on goal during their five power plays, but had six short-handed chances during the Capitals’ seven power plays. So should we just ask to be a man down instead of a man advantage from now on when the other team committs a penalty?

41% on the face off dots? 3/10? 4/11? Can you say puck possession fail? Not even gonna say whose stats those were but that is just ugly. Maybe we shoulda been watching a whole bunch of film on Backstrum/Steckel face offs cuz they were each 12/7. We have to get the puck before moving on to keeping it and even further forward, to doing something with it… like putting it in the net.

18 giveaways? sheesh, don’t have to say much about that do I?

The other stuff -

Z? sweetie, I know it is tough playing your side of the zone (the side that Ovie likes to backdoor goalies on). I realize you were under siege, its tough to be you under any circumstances but honey you are really gonna have to get a handle on that puck over glass thing. Gonna ignore the tripping penalty because Ovie skated over you and your stick and well, short of just giving him the lane, what could you do? Betcha if MamaZ was to look up the history on your meager penalty minutes, 75% or more would be POG…….. just sayin.

Sami? On your big triumphant return to where it all began? Hooking AND holding? You got tagged for 2 of the lazyman penalties doode. These happen when you are caught out of position or when you can’t handle your man… or both…ouch. You did have hustle and you did work hard but lets try smarter for a bit sweetie. You weren’t the only one getting outworked though, if its any consolation besides, duude you still got fans in DC! Crazy ones!

Scoring committee? Unusually MIA last night. Seemed like no one was shooting… the stats say 30 sogs but really? How many were actually sogs and how many were hail Marys thrown in the general direction of the Cap’s net? Neurosis or however you say that goalie’s name was shaky as hell at the start, no one picked up on that? Needed to keep him shook up with a decent barrage coming out of the gate. Lombo? Prucha? Aucoin? all zero sogs… sighhh.

Power play? Isn’t there any way we can decline these? Seriously? Please? didn’t we talk about this zero for PP thing before? 0 – 5 is just not acceptable… difference between taking a point out of this one and goin away empty handed.

Despite everything, this was a tight game, a close game for most of the 60 minutes. As Tippett usually says, we can be better, we have some stuff to work on. Seems like just when we get one thing straightened out, something else rears its ugly head. But we’re still #2 in the Pacific, #5 in the West and tied for 8th with PIT in the league. (It won’t take much to change those stats if we can’t pick up our road game a bit).

We’ve got another ugly game coming up on Tuesday night. The Ded Things are on the horizon in their own barn. The Joe has not always been kind to us with its funky bouncing backboards and snarky crowds. But it is definitely doable and a win there is the very thing we need to get rolling again.

In other news *******************

Yotes help Haiti “Prior to next Thursday’s game, the Coyotes players’ wives and girlfriends will hold a Dollar Drive outside Jobing.com Arena’s Gate 4 and Gate 7,  from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. During the game, the Coyotes Community Table, located outside section 115, will auction off a luxury suite for 12 people for a future home game, as well as autographed Coyotes memorabilia. In addition, Facility Merchandising, Inc. (FMI), which manages and operates the Coyotes Den Team Store, will donate 10% of its non-discounted sales from the evening to the cause.”

Yotes n friends on Twitter – Dave Strader, Scottie Upshall, Luke Lapinski and Todd Walsh have embraced the popular social networking media with Tweets on Coyotes happenings and unique information for the fans. We’re on Twitter too… sorta sporadically

I was thinking about our unemployed and under employed faithful fans when I ran across a couple of new places to look for employment. (besides the old faithfuls Jobing and Dice ), the economy picture isn’t pretty so every opportunity to help each other out is good stuff. If you have any faves or successful ones pass ‘em along we’ll try to get them out there.

http://www.us.randstad.com/

http://www.careerstallion.com/

top photo from Clyde

Lepisto love from Caps girl

As always…GO COYOTES!

OM frickin God… the storm warnings didn’t tell us a tornado named Scottie Upshall would touch down in the middle of Glendale. It wasn’t all about Scottie last night though. The whole team had wonderful performances but TheGr8Scott had the performance of his career with a natural hattie (his 1st ever)  in the 3rd period to put the icing on this cake.

THIS is incredible. Coming back like this after the slug-ugly game before? IDK if the ‘other’ Coyotes could have done it. This just may be the major difference between the old Yotes and the new ones. This newly found ability to pick ourselves up by the skate straps and find a way to win important games after a tough loss or skid.

It took about 50 games for us to even have a meltdown. That, in and of itself is a mini miracle. Then we go and pull off a rebound! Simply boggles the mind. Last season, there were meltdowns all the time and there was the post-ASG meltdown of EPIC proportions from which we just couldn’t seem to recover. (oh I know we got Uppy n Lombo and started showing signs of life again but we all know it was too little too late)

This Preds game had several key resiliancy factors to it. Our record when scoring 1st is simply incredible 23 – 2 – 2! We are a dangerous and nasty team with a small lead (its the big leads we need to work on keeping). It was good to see the boys bounce back hard. Around 10k or so insane fans battled the weather, which was horrific, to come see the kids play. They were noisy and raucus despite their chilled and soggy condition.

Biznasty – Paul Bissonnette has been having a crazy run, pure energy. Key goals, big hits and the ability to hang around for screens have been his hallmark lately. Keep it up Bizzy! He may not have the hands to put away all of his chances but he is creating buzz in the opponent’s zone nearly every shift by his tenacity and nasty.

Bryzzie – back in the saddle and rolling dirty. With the defense a little slow to get after shooters (especially in the high slot) Bryz has had his hands full. This game was no exception. Bryz made much of it look easy (the goal from that crap pass from Z to JV is not on Breezy) He’s doing his part again and that kept us in this game long enough to get the win.

Lombo combo featuring Shane Doan – sounds like a band at one of our jazz bars doesn’t it? Well any line featuring Lombardi gets major chances. The kid can really pass. If you can’t score with Lombo, you really have issues. Tippett has been swappin Doan around like a hot potato and it seems to have woken the Captain up. This line had chances all night and looked damn good doing it. Good job for remembering you ain’t just a passer Lombo, sweet goal, to give us the jumpstart we needed.

Czech your 2 points at the door, no return policy. The Czechs are still shutting off the entry through the neutral. People are expecting big points from Vrby and Pru but it is their efficiency at stealing pucks and trapping up the opponent’s big guns that make these guys so very valuable. Prucha has been a monster (he creates chances by making the other team make mistakes) he’s so wired I think he just makes the other players dizzy trying to get around him.

Gr8Scott – what can I write about Scottie’s game that other people haven’t already said? We could see Scottie gettin hotter over the last few weeks, his play without the puck has been really strong but he has been so close, so many times, we could tell his day was coming. Congratulations on the your first hattie Scottie. It was well deserved!

The gang was all in synch last night. A few faux pas here and there and the last 3 minutes we could see they were kinda easing up on the Preds. We gotta stop doing that! In this tight conference, especially against teams like the Preds, we have to learn to battle all 60 minutes. Overall though, everyone contributed to their role well. Impressed with Mueller’s game again as well as the continuing great play by Fiddy.

I love the Preds and their fans are simply awesome. Some of the most miserable hours of BK court were mitigated by the support of some bodaciously righteous Preds fans. Buddy and Mark to name just 2. I wish the Preds well in all games except against us of course. They are so much like us, from the scrappy no name team surprising everyone to the survival of the BaldSilly madness. Even their no nonsense coaching and pack style of play is similiar. On any given day we can trade spots with these guys. I hope we both make it to the ‘extra games’ in April.

In other news ***********************

I still hate MOST of the Buffalo fans in Phoenix. I hope your team sinks into a skid so horrible that they feel the effects of it for the next 100 years. Sorry Sabres, its not you, its some of your lice ridden, drunken, pond scum licking fans here in Phoenix. Yeah I went there and I am not sorry for it. While I am sure there are exceptions (hell I even know a couple, Hi Mike!) for the most part that description fits the majority of the slug apparelled jug heads present in the arena on 1/18/2010.

exhibit A – Standing drunkenly on a chair in the middle of Coyotes fans on the outside patio yelling at the top of their lungs “this is our patio now bitches” or this beauty “your team is so bad, no wonder you don’t have any effing fans”

exhibit B – Telling the Coyotes fans behind them, “your team sucks and you are all a bunch of losing effers, no wonder your team is leaving”

exhibit C – throwing their beer on a family for standing and cheering when the Coyotes finally scored… including a 2 year old girl

So, yeah, still pissed and still sorry assault with a deadly weapon wasn’t an option.

On to better news flashes **********

We had a season ticket holders event on Tuesday night. About 1k loyal and hardy souls braved the inclement weather to spend a few off ice moments with their boys. You might think the kids woulda been snarky and pissy after the Sabres debacle but you would be dead wrong. The guys had their best smiles and social chit chat for their fans. They shook hands, smiled pretty for pictures and were charming and sweet to all.

From the effervescent Doan to the shy Prucha, they were a delight to mingle with. I’m still Z’s girl but I gotta tell ya, if you haven’t spoken to Ilya Bryzgalov, you are really missing something special. (It’s not all about the funny Bryz, he’s a genuinely warm and sweet person.) My next jersey is probably going to sport the number 30 (sorry Sweets, I will get a #44 soon too)

Scottie Upshall made the NHL 3 stars list AND the NHLPA’s player of the day. How awesome is that for mad props?

Lots of interesting stories around the net on the Yotes, surprisingly, most of it informed and positive.

View from Suite 1114 – Scott Burnside of ESPN comes to visit.

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett on life in Phoenix and some words from the rest of the staff as well.

Ice Edge has been on the move lately too. No timetable is set for concluding the deal.

Next up, we face Alex O and the mad, bad and dangerous to know Caps today. We’ve fought them to a standstill lately. ( 4Ws out of the last 5 tilts) There will be nothing easy about the start of this mini road trip. The Capitals are on a 5 game winning streak behind the almost always red hot Ovie. The official preview talks about cooling those boys off. They may get Greenie, Erskine and Pothier back tonight so we better be ready. (Green has been on an offensive roll lately too)

Keys to this game?

Just say NO to the O! The always hard to play against Martin Hanzal and his Czech line will have their hands full with the crazy Russian highlight goal king. So far this line has had great success shutting down top scoring lines. This will be doubly important in this matchup. Taking Ovie out of the equation brings the Caps down to earth, where we can battle on a more even playing field.

Defense, discipline, defensive discipline? #2 is gonna have to step up his game (where forth are thou rough and ready Vandemeer?) With Jovo having to watch himself (due to the completely unfair tag of ‘repeat offender’) our number 2 hitter better get to making people’s heads swivel. The blueliners have to get the lead out, start holding the line a little better, keep their end up at the neutral zone and keep playing street sweepers for our back-on-track Bryzzie. We gotta stop lettin our netminders face so many shots every night.

Goal tending needs to be mind bending. Bryz seems to be back. He got a taste of rubber last game (stopping 41 of 43 shots). Are his head and heart back into the quest? Tonight is going to help answer that question. The Caps have been averaging around 33 shots per game, Bryzzie has been facing a lot more puck than that lately so, no softies in this joust! We just can’t afford the let down and the uncertainty that come with those.

This is definately a winnable game. We need to match intensity and physicality with the Capitals. But we will definitely have to play all 60 minutes (this team actually plays better from behind) so score first and score often. No coasting!

Wanna watch the game but don’t have the Versus option? Check out the online feed from Yahoo sports. Wanna talk to other fans during the game? TheNHLarena has a chat, as does the HFBoards group. Five for Howling will have a thread later today too. Not near a computer at 5pm? Check out your radio to listen to Heeter on Xtra 910. Ooops almost forgot… tweeples can follow game on the newly created @coyotesgameday Twitter account.

~Upshall pic from the Associated Press and Azcentral – no photographer credit shown…

As always… GO COYOTES!

Can we please make this happen again? Lifelong Sabres fans removing the Buffaslug to return from the darkside would be a perfect way to end MLK day.

Last game AZBarbie was shelled to hell and back (39 sogs), he stopped 37 of them. It wasn’t quite enough since our boys couldn’t find a way past Ryan Miller more than once. We lost 2 – 1 in the HSBC. This is a short series, we only face each other twice. We do NOT want to let them sweep us. The Sabres are 7-0-3 while we are 4-3-3 in the last 10. Let’s wreck their road trip for them and make them really mad for when they face the rest of the Pacific. (Maybe they’ll cut a winning swathe through those guys and help us maintain our position in the division) muwhahaha! Such an evile plan, I like it!

With 8 players over 20 points and a goalie sporting a 26-8-4 record, these guys are not going to be easy to take down. We need to have everyone on the same page, mentally and especially physically. Remember this?

Keys to this game?

The Sabres had to go to OT to take the Thrashers and to shootout to get a point against the Islanders. They aren’t scoring a whole lot right now (only 4 goals scored in regulation, so far on this road trip), its all about Ryan Miller. The guy is a monster but he can be had. Right now Ryan is leaving rebound after juicy rebound out there for the taking. We have to be ready to give second and even third personal efforts to get anything past him. Screens and redirections will be our only friends tomorrow night.

Every line has to be an offensive juggernaut. Sacrifices will have to be made to get inside the Sabres kitchen. We’ve opened the flood gates (I hope) for Doan and Mueller. Prucha, Fiddy and Vrbata are hot right now and even Winnie has had a taste of blood. Let’s keep those gates open. Draw first blood and keep shooting til the final horn. And remember, if you are gifted with a power play for hard work and moving your feet, you damn well better score on it. It can mean the difference between being swept and climbing the ladder over Nashville.

Defense? Hey! Wake up! We’re gonna need you guys to be sharp. None of that laid back crap. If you don’t cover Breezy’s butt, we’re all in deep kimchee, old, sour kimchee (have you ever smelled bad kimchee?) You guys left him wide open more times than I want to think about in the third period against the Wild…don’t let it happen again. Make the neutral zone an ugly, unhappy place to be wearing the Buffaslug.

Bryzzie…watch yer six and yer glove side high! If those boys have been watching film, they know just where your forcefield ends.

No lazy or stupid penalties. We’ve been fairly disciplined lately and we’ve been rewarded with wins. Do NOT give these guys any wiggle room. Their PP is dangerous on any given night with Vanek and the red hot Connolly. You do however have my permission to punk Patrick Kaleta as often as you can get away with… but if you are going to take a penalty for it… make it well worth the price.

Doors open early 4PM for a 5pm puck drop. Need tickets? Ambassadors club discount is still available. Its too late to buy Pepsi at the CircleK for tomorrow but you can still do that for Teppo’s ceremony night on the 30th (last night of the Pepsi ticket deal) Also remember to follow @walshtodd on twitter for your Coyotes insider news and a chance at free tickets (it’s sometimes lonely being a Yotie news guy over there in Twitterland, join his followers, make a loyal broadcaster happy)

As always… GO COYOTES!

What a night! We exorcised a few demons Thursday night. We got 2 points in regulation against one of the premiere teams in the league, We played the system and worked hard for an entire 60 minutes. Stupendous night! Absolutely stupendous. So much to mention, I will just hit a few highlights for now.

Peter Mueller, dude! See what happens when you shoot the puck! Whenever you get down or discouraged, think about beating one of the most amazing goalies of all time. Mano e Mano and you came out the winner. That should keep the starch in your stick for quite awhile bucko. Congratulations!

My baby boy had a hell of a night. Great game as always but getting the game winning goal on Marty Brodeur! Priceless. (Thanks Pyatt and Vrby for the screens)

Winnie, Pyatt and Fiddy! You guys rock. Strong shifts, not one ounce of give up in you three. Winnick is THE man. Paid the price and got rewarded for it finally.

Uppy and Pruuu!!! were like spider monkeys on crack… chances everywhere when those two get goin.

Second period…. lets not dwell on it. We were out of synch and let the Devils back into the game.

What really counts is halting the mini-skid in its tracks and grabbing two points to get back into our solid positioning in the standings. You do realize we’ve stayed in the top 8 of the league nearly all season long. Not like last year when we kept sliding down and climbing back up into contention. This is a whole different team. A better team and a more consistently battling team. It feels great to be able to say that.

So tonight is Shane Doan Bobblehead night. I know it may be tough to fill the seats with the Cards also playing but if you can get there, please do so. Its the Captain’s night and we need to do him proud. Game 3 against the Wild. They uused to own us but we’ve managed to get by them twice already. Let that trend continue please. What needs to happen?

Keys to the game? same as last time and the time before please.

Get the dirty goals. Gotta jump on Backie quick. Lots of bodies in front of the net getting multiple whacks at every scoring chance. The guy is good but he can be beat (we’ve already done it twice this season) St Nick hasn’t been having a good month, lets keep it that way. Plus Josh would like some more action and he’s a sweetie so we can spank Nick and maybe Josh will get the Wild’s next game? Another goalie showdown is about to go down. May ours be the last to blink!

Be aggressive and stay that way all 60 friggin minutes. Do NOT play to protect a lead!  We’ve seen how much difference a PP can make in a game, let’s keep ours rolling. Jovo is back tonight and there’s another big body to screen for the PP.

Watch the Wild’s dynamic duo, Koivu and Miettinen and for god’s sake keep an eye on Havlat. Those 3 spell trouble with a capital T! Contain Clutterbuck but don’t let him get to you, he’s a menace and will start as much trouble as he can. Stay focused on the game not the antics.

The elves must die. Lets get wild n crazy on the Wild! Bring the noise tonight people, the team really loves and appreciates it. If you need tickets you know the link by now but here it is again Ambassador’s Club Discount. code word: coyotes

********personal note to BizNasty… good running into you (literally and got a great hug out of it) You gotta get back into the line up doll. You are missed.

As always… GO COYOTES!

I was too damn mad to write last night. I wasn’t sure what would fly off my fingertips. I wouldn’t mind the refs knowing how I felt about their horrid performance but I didn’t wanna say something I might regret about the team in all that heat.

I probably shoulda just put this one out of my mind but now that I’ve cooled off a bit…

Antonio Jason Labarbera! Stay in your damn net! I am about 2 seconds away from duct taping you to the posts. You are not a good puck handler but you do have some redeeming qualities if you just friggin play to your strengths and stop shooting yourself in the skates. (GMDM, I am trying to see what you saw but after games like last night, it is just tough. I have been trying to avoid saying this… but maaan I wish we had that little Swedish Wolf back)

Daniel Winnick never gives up and never says die. Thank you for providing a ray of tenacity and maintaining the system in the face of great adversity. Too bad your team didn’t help you carry the banner.

Joe Thornton… you POS excuse for a player. I hope someone rings your bell soon. What you did to Z was stupid and totally uneccessary. I officially HATE you and hope the Sharks bomb again in the playoffs and you get traded to Carolina. And yes, your butt IS big, its not the shorts A-hole.

Thank you Vrby for not letting this game be a goose egg. Please get hot soon… you too Pruuu! and Mueller and Doaner and… well, you get the picture.

Dave Tipppett… the Sharks seem to have stolen a pair of balls from somewhere. WTH? was Paul Bissonette? Can you say Shelly, McLaren, Clowe and Murray? Never assume these guys will only play skill hockey. Paul deserved to be in this game (if he isn’t hurt) Biz ‘earned’ the right to play last night. Didn’t he spark a friggin comeback against the Isles? Didn’t he score when no one else could find a way? He might not be the biggest deterrent against arse clowning but he’s the best we got. Unless you got plans to call up Francis? What does it say about our abilities when even the Sharks decide to mess with us and no one does a thing about it? (Vandemeer? Aucoin? Pyatt? you all have reps for not taking much shit, we could sure use a bit of that about now.)

This entry reads like good cop, bad cop doesn’t it? That game apparently made me schizoid.

We didn’t follow the system. We didn’t stick up for each other. We didn’t play as a pack. We didn’t deserve to win. Bryzzie isn’t the only one who needs to reassess his game and get his act back together. Stop the madness. On any given day this team is top 10 but only if it’s all for one and one for all.

We are beat up and struggling but it is not the end of the world. This is our first 3 game L streak. We have to find a power play, teams will continue to beat up on us because we can’t fight and win and we can’t make them pay on the score board. If everyone remembers their role and does their job to the best of their ability it will be our last one. All eyes are on you, its gotta be tough knowing everyone expects you to fail. Don’t listen, don’t read, don’t pay those haterz no mind. WE BELIEVE! and we’re behind you 110%, so stand up and skate proud, skate like a pack and make yourselves and us proud.

*** personal note to the NHL… there needs to be repercussions for your officials. I know they are supposed to do their best since they are paid professionals but apparently thats not working so well. Seriously! Before this game I just chalked some of the BS down to general whining about reffing. Now I wonder what is going on at ref school and if there is a minimum eye sight requirement for your zebras. Really, it just keeps getting worse. You gotta find a way to enforce consistency and at least a modicum of understanding what the hell they are supposed to be doing. Cause it sure as hell ain’t impartially reffing hockey.

***personal note to the reffing community… many of you suck, some of you are trying to do a good job and sometimes get it wrong, some of you should be fired and tarred and feathered. I have never alternated between hate and loathing so often as this season. Every team deserves respect and at least an attempt at impartiality. Please clean up your act, there is only so much a sport can take before it becomes a joke and fans walk away. Think of it as job security.

On that note…

Martin Brodeur brings his record breakin butt to town tomorrow. It would sure be nice to mend our tattered reputations with a win against the Devils. It can be done you know. Hell WE’VE done it before.

The keys to this game?

Well I would say goalie battle! except I’m not sure how deep into the dark Bryzzie has gone. We just might be seeing AZBarbie (I will bring the duct tape just in case… I wonder how much money a flight from Russia last minute would cost? Anyone got Telly’s phone number?) Okay truly, the only way we can hope to end this one with dignity is for whoever steps between our pipes to have all the mojo they can muster. ( I will break out my lucky bingo troll just in case)

Contain Parise, Zajak and Captain America, Jamie Langenbrunner… oy vey! The neutral zone is about to become one very dangerous place but if we can hold them out there or to perimeter shots, we just might come out on top. The Devil’s are very hit or miss when it comes to offense but all it takes is one of these guys to tag up and Marty will hold the line. My solution is to just say no to the dynamic trio.

Take advantage of the few weak spots like Pandolfo or Pelley. Both are -5 and may just provide the chink in the Devil’s armor. Find some guys who may not be cookin with gas and blow through them instead of dumping and recovering. Use your speed! Use your aggression! Use your heads! Trust me on this, you guys can do this…together!

Watch out for Salvador and Peters. If you don’t want a repeat of Tuesday night, keep these guys in your sights and don’t let them punk your mates, they’ve been known to throw down and you can’t go out like that. We don’t have anough individual knuckle power to go toe to toe with anyone but if you let them know right away, mess with any of us, you mess with all and the game should proceed peacably.

If there is an ounce of pride in your bodies, do not let the phrase 0 for 7 on the power play ever be said about you again. A power play is like a gift. Try to score on one please. Let the words urgency and tenacity be your guide. (Peter, please shoot the puck, you pass like a dream but doode! please shoot the puck on the power play kthnxbai)

Just do what you do best, pack mentality! Score by committee and don’t let Brodeur’s press scare you. Everyone can be had on any given day.

Puck drops at 7pm, doors open at 6pm. Hope to see you all there. If you still need tickets, its too late to do the CircleK/Pepsi thing (24hrs advance is required) but not to late to take advantage of the Ambassador Club discount.

As always… GO COYOTES!

Can you say holy shitezky Desert Faithful? Everybody screwed up something last night… except Winnie and Bizzy. It was a night of inane errors and working harder but definitely not smarter. I might as well start with the weirdest feature of this black comedy of errors. Yotes 4, Islanders 5 SO loss, ptooey!

I sincerely wanted to strangle the refs most of the night but it wasn’t exactly ALL the boys in stripes fault. Oh my bleeding eyes Mr. Tippett. Did you really decide NOT to put a man in the box? I know most coaches don’t but doode! this is the Phoenix Coyotes, if it weren’t for bad luck, we’d have no luck at all some nights. NEVER take any chances with fate. In case you all missed it, our coach finally showed that he is not perfect. When Jovo was called for the 5 minute major and subsequent game misconduct, Tip decided not to put a player in the sin bin for the 5 minutes. In his defense, rarely is there not some type of stoppage of play in that time span. Well, the wiley veteran, Rolie the goalie made the most of that miscalculation by keeping the puck in play despite our numerous attempts to at least get an icing for stoppage. Roloson said “I heard the crowd cheer so I knew the (penalty) was up, but I knew the longer I could keep it going, the more chances we had. It was a chance that they took.” (Thanks Rolie… damn, I hate smart goalies.) We played for around 10 minutes short handed. (Ughh… Hanzal finally just slashed some idiot Isles guy to stop the madness) if not for that, we mighta played the entire 2nd period on the shorts. So we were short again and then the capper… Aucoin was called for a penalty too. The Islanders took advantage of the whole debacle with 2 goals.

Shane Doan rallied his troops and apparently showed them his angry face. In the 2nd intermission the Captain gave a rousing speech, raised the battle flag and led the guys out for the period of the season so far.

Paul ‘Biznasty’ Bissonette – took the Captain’s call to arms to heart. His main talent wasn’t needed so Bizzy found another way to help his mates. He scored. It was an ugly goal but it was a turning point to the game. He gave the boys a jump start by grabbing that first rung of the comeback ladder. Kudos to you big guy!

Daniel ‘the Tazmanian Devil’ Winnick – it wasn’t the first time that don’t-call-me-Pooh has done this to a team but it might be the most crucial and exciting time. It felt like 10 minutes as Danny circled around in the Isle’s endzone. By the end, Big Bad Dan had nearly the entire Isle’s line chasing him. Even our guys seemed in awe as they hung back thinking the puck would be stolen and outletted. You really are Dan THE Man.

Can anyone name the date… and the year we last scored 3PP goals in 1 game? Well save this date because that is exactly what we did. Biz started us off and Pyatt and Mueller each saw his goal and raised him one. All in less than a 4 minute span. (It cost Lang a few ounces of blood from a high stick but I think he’d almost agree it was worth it) According to those sitting much closer than me, the faceoff after the highstick was delayed while Langer contained the mouth full of blood long enough to get the shift started. A doff of the hat to Peter Mueller for his second goal of the season, it was pretty and timely and much appreciated.

Jason Labarbera stepped into the net and played his ass off. He stopped the Isles in their offensive tracks. They couldn’t score again until the shootout. I really thought he’d pull the guy’s buns out of the fire but alas his mojo wore off and he got bit by a couple that he woulda normally stopped. S’okay AZBarbie, you were a rock for that comeback tour de force and we did grab a point.

We all wait with bated breath to see if Mr. JovoNasty will be suspended for the hit on the next, next one, John Tavares. The crease is always going to hold an element of danger and feces happen in there. Jovo has been playing hard but not dirty (he’s an unstoppable force when he plays like that and he’s definitely a danger to the opposition everynight) Desert Warfare Jovo doesn’t try to hurt people on purpose so I hope he doesn’t pay the full price for this hit. Yes there was an elbow. Was it an intentional attempt to injure? I don’t think so. But we shall see how this plays out. We have already proven we can survive without him but life sure is easier with him patroling the back end.

Our status didn’t change a whole lot (still 4th and 6th .. kinda) but some other folks caught up to us (tied w/ CAL @57 points each) and some other folks are in striking distance if we don’t get our groove back. (VAN,COL,NSH breathin down our necks w/ 56/55 points) Tippett hockey and continuing where we left off last game will be the only thing that can stave off the slavering hoards that want our spot.

We play our uber nemesis, the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. We sit #2 behind these guys in the Pacific. They are a little out of reach at the moment (we all know how that can change in the blink of 2-3 games). These are huge points (aren’t they all in the 2nd half?) and taking 2 points here, closes the gap between us and the Fish. Even more importantly, those points put distance between us and the suddenly hot squads rising beneath us.

Get your tickets for the game early, we’re starting to be the hot ticket in town right behind the butt kicking Cardinals who managed to have the highest scoring playoff game in NFL history on Sunday night. Go Cards Go! The game on 1/16 is not only Shane Doan Bobblehead night, its a we win, you win night! The seats are almost gone so grab them quick. The Ambassador’s Club promo will be gone soon as will the Circle K Pepsi deal. Both are still available for the games in January so I’d hit them up now in order to reserve your place.

As always… GO COYOTES!

So give up the 2 points and getout. Yep, that’s what we need to tell NYI when they hit the ice. The Jobarena is OUR house! We need a new winning streak anyway so why not start with these tards.

We went on the road and survived EDM by a Doaner prayer in OT (losing not 1 but 2! two goal advantages in the process) and then got spanked by VAN and that little punk Burrows for a .500 performance. It does not bode well for the next big road trip. We’ll have to make this home stand count. Our home record (26-15-4) has been keeping us in the NHL’s upper echelon and is providing a cushion against our mediocre performances in other barns. It is time to up the ante.

NYI has been making a bit of a push. Behind the hot start of rookie John Tavares, the Isles have been hanging about the fringes of the Eastern Conference. While Tavares may have cooled off a bit, the unexpected secret weapons of Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey and Matt Moulson have gotten hot and have been making big noise for the beleagured franchise. For some reason, we always have trouble with Rolie the goalie. Dwayne Roloson is like 6-1-0 against us and it sucks. Time to find a solution for him as well.

Keys to this game?

Open a can of whup ass. Hit Rolie high and often. He’s deadly on the ground. Gotta make him move and move often. Although he’s no spring chicken, he’s still fast laterally and always plays so damn low to the ice. I’m targetting Rolie as the net minder to beat since DP is recently rehabbed, recently started and probably won’t start since they’ll be bringing him back slowly (they won’t want to risk another injury for the fragile lil guy from pushing him too hard so fast) and of the pair of backups, Rolie has the best record against us compared to Biron.

Find a damn power play! This is getting ridiculous. 0 for like 5 in the last game and we don’t even want to look at the cumulative numbers. We’ve gotta be like 28th in the league or real close to it by now.

Z and Jovo! wtf? you were -3 last game! Minus friggin 3! Don’t let it happen again mmkay? The defense has to get solid again because there will be 4 youngins gunnin for some goals.

Speaking of getting solid again.. forwards? Forwards? I know Scottie leaves a big hole but c’mon, someone needs to step up. Doan is bizzy hittin everything that moves, somebody needs to put some quality shots on the net. And please don’t forget your defensive duties. For cryin out loud, our success has been predicated on owning the neutral zone and if you guys don’t step it up the defense can’t hold the line.

IDK who gets this start since Breezy looked a lil worn and pissy last game and I’m too lazy to go look. But whoever it is better be sharp. This is home territory and we can’t afford any headcase crap tonight. All eyes will be watching carefully to see if the 2nd half jinx is alive and well. Don’t give them any fodder.

While I’m feeling pissy might I add, if anyone takes liberties feel free to drive them through the boards. You guys are supposed to be so damn close, defend each other dammitt! Fiddler had no business taking on Glass while he was still injured and hurting and Burows received zero payback for doin the nasty on Vrbata (instead you let the little rat faced puke get a hattie) NO MORE MR. NICE GUYS  play like you mean it… for all 60 minutes. Injuries be damned, if you really are a team, play like it. (COL, DET and a host of other teams can play through the key injuries, you better learn how.. and learn fast) We get beat up every night and pretty soon there won’t be much left of the pack to work with if you don’t make it clear to teams that they can’t away with that crap. Now I don’t mean go out and just do stupid, meaningless retaliation but you really need defend yourselves and your mates (Vandy! Taypye! Jovo! Biznasty! yeah I’m looking at you guys) *much love to the equally pissed off about it DTG!

Thank you to the peeps who took advantage of the Ambassador’s Club discounts! Glad to have you onboard. And remember the Circle K Pepsi deal runs til the end of January (buy pepsi and get Yotes tickets free… gotta have your voucher AND the receipt to redeem them at the box office)

So tailgating as usual in Lot J from 2 – 5pm. (peeps are bringing their Yotes memorabilia to trade if you need to fill in the gaps in your collection)Doors open at 5pm and puck drops at 6pm. Ambassador’s club meeting at 3:30pm (go in at gate 5). See you all there.

As always… GO COYOTES!