Records?! We don’t need no steenking records!  But we sure love smashing them. From Bryzzie’s phenomenal career high wins & shutouts to our amazing 10 game home streak to our most wins the fastest in the franchise’s history, we’re knocking down all preconceptions faster than anyone ever dreamed. Not to mention the weird and often too knuckle twisting ways we are finding to win.

We took on Nashville and never scored a goal…and still won! Talk about a fantastic game of defense and guts. The Preds are like a mirror image of our own team. (It was like twin brothers battling each other) Both sides showed no weaknesses. And the 10 round shootout at the end was a gut buster of EPIC porportions. Who would have ever predicted Adrian Aucoin as the shoot out savior? Oakie was brilliant (sooo glad he participates in the shootout tourneys at practice) A 1 – 0 win in a tight almost playoff type game is good practice for the real thing. Aucoin is very funny, he says he was just trying to put the goalie to sleep with his speed, we think that the wiley vet has been watchin these things pretty closely and knows exactly what he is doin out there.

We just love the shoot out apparently because we battled Chicago to a standstill behind the amazing game of AZBarbie. Last season we all cringed everytime the name ‘Blackhawks’ came up in conversation. They schooled us and ruled us all season long. Well, that is no more. We took it to the Chi-town boys 3 -1 in our first contest on home ice and then last night we won again on the crazy success of Adrian Aucoin’s sudden shootout prowess. Oaks says this about his second one “Now I’m nervous,” Aucoin said. “The first one was luck. Now it’s actually a streak.” 2 – 1 W, Yotes! Simply amazing as we got our 6th straight victory.

A tired yet elated team rolled into Dallas around 2 am to try to sleep in yet another set of strange and uncomfortable beds. Then the boys dragged into American Airlines Center to face a desperate Marty Turco (who is facing a serious challenge for his job from TBA – tall, bald & Auld). We’ll talk about goalies facing the possibility of being put on the trading block in another post. (along with rumors about possible pickups for the trade deadline… Wisniewski? really?)

We seem to have a very obstinate attitude towards making anything 7 right now. Our 6 game winning streak came to an abrupt end on Saturday night. The desperate Stars came to play and jumped on us from the first puck drop til the last buzzer. I won’t sugar coat it, it was bad all night. A short handed goal was scored on us, the PP went 0 – 6, a rookie scored twice in less than 5 minutes and Marty Turco denied every good old college try that we could muster. The only good thing about the night was Biznasty dropping the hammer on Barch, which was thoroughly enjoyable even though I wished it had been Steve Ott. Yeah we lost and lost badly (okay, we got shut out 4 – 0) but you have to keep everything in perspective. We are 7-3-0 in our last 10! We’re sitting pretty with 75 points (35-19-5), we’ve got 23 games left to get the other 25 points to break 100 and secure a post season berth. We have no severe injuries (except Uppy and Sweets) *knock on wood, lets keep it that way* We just need to break even on this last week before the break and then we get to rest for the sprint portion of the season.

So don’t be disheartened folks. I know we have gotten so caught up in having a competitive team that is spoiling us by finding ways to win no matter what, but the reality is that the boys are going to falter now and then and we just have to hang in there and keep supporting and believing. This Coyotes squad is the real deal and even though there will be a few more bumps and roadblocks, they are going to stay in the hunt for Lord Stanley’s Cup into April and beyond.

It sure is irritating, yet so very cool, to call for tickets and find out there aren’t many left for quite a few games. If you are planning to see the Hawks game on 3/20, you better call quick. That game was close to sold out last week.

So anyways, we play the Oil tonight. Those boys have been having a rough go of it all season. (18-33-6) and (2-7-1) in their last 10. I hate to kick a team when they are down but we need these 2 points. Besides, its not like they didn’t wreck us more than their share last season.

The keys to this game?

Get a good rest and come out raging. Don’t think about the fact that you got smacked in Dallas or the fact that you gotta hit the road again for another nasty road trip. Think only about containing Dustin Penner and Gagne (if he’s well enough to play). Think about taking advantage of Staios, Horcoff and O’Sullivan (the worst +/- holders on the team). These guys are struggling, run through them or over them as often as possible on your way to see Deslauriers about a goal or 5. (The kid owes us for lettin him have his 1st shutout, doesn’t he?) The scoring committee should really ramp themselves up for a bunch of shots on goal, we’ve had too many nights lately where the sogs were horribly lacking, in quality if not in quantity.

Defense and discipline. It has been our ability to execute these two things that has saved our bacon lately. Let’s keep that going. The goalies have gotten used to having help, lets give them a break tonight and limit the amount of rubber they have to fend off. Don’t let their losses fool you, these boys from EDM are sneaky, they have been right on the verge of winning quite a few of these games. Do NOT let them have PP time or we will give them the break they’ve been waiting for to get some confidence and possibly go on a tear.

Maaan Bryz, hang tight. I know there is all kinds of craziness running through your mind right now. Bearing the weight of your country for the Olympics is never easy (especially when that country is Russia) and knowing you are one of the lynchpins for the success of an entire franchise has got to be quite the heavy load. You only have 3 more weeks of double duty big guy. Hold fast, we believe in you. Come out scrappin tonight, you got this!

Sorry this one is so brief but I am crunched for time. Lets just get to the game tonight and let our boys know how much we care. BRING THE NOISE!

See you all at the game, puck drops late on this one folks 7:30 start time. See you all there.

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!

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!

The month of February is certainly looking up. Of course its my birthday month too so I’m rather partial to it but also because things are looking up for the team as well. We’ve won 2 straight and are still in the playoff hunt. Just a week ago things looked really, really bleak for the boys. We were in a slump of craptastic proportions (a hole we basically dug for ourselves by losing multiple winnable games) and time was running out for fixing our ailments. Sweets was out, DMo and Rhino and Hanzal were non-skating wounded and it seemed like there was no end in sight. Adding fuel to the problem was all the hoopla about our financial situation (things are looking up there too as Moyes talks with serious investors and the city of Glendale does what they can to help)

But while 90+ points still seems like an impossible dream, the boys have grabbed their hard hats and begun the Herculean task of post season hunting. Decisive victories against the red hot Thrashers and the embattled but still rising Kings have given the boys some confidence it seems.

Olli Jokinen grabbed a hattie and appears to be back on track (if we are going to get this done, he’ll have to be this good and more, nearly every night). Tiki has 4 g/ 2 asst in 5 games. Unlikely sources are starting to contribute again (Hale, Sauer, Carcillo) and all we really need is continued stellar goal tending, discipline and an unselfish, committed scoring committee that plays hard for a solid 60 minutes every game. (yeah, thats all we need lol)

Tonight we take on the Blues. They are right behind us on the ladder to the post season. We need to take their 2 points and climb over the Kings and position ourselves to knock off the Preds on Thursday. Winning these 2 road games slips us right back into the 8-10 spot (depending on the results of the teams occupying those slots right now).

We’ve only faced these guys once this season and they barely squeaked by us (4 -3  Blues). It was the Backes, Boyes and Tkachuk show all the way with enough PIMs to choke a largemouth bass. Tonight’s game can’t be that way. We have won nine of 11 and 10 of the last 13 tilts with these guys.

Keys to this win:

• Discipline, discipline, DISCIPLINE! Keep your mouths shut, both hands on your sticks at all times and your tempers contained (3 fights and a nasty misconduct for the Captain last game).
• Goaltending…no sloppy sloth responses, these boys can and will shoot (30 sogs last time out).
• SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT! Losing Legace doesn’t mean squat since Mason has recorded an 8-3-4 record in his last 15 games which includes three shutouts, and a .938 save percentage (make him move, you make him lose).
• Special teams that don’t qualify for the special bus. The PK has to be there for Bryz (none of that knockin th puck into your own net scrambling). And the PP? well hell, just have some that actually produce like we have the man advantage, not them.

I’m not beggin for a miracle here. This is definitely a team that we ‘can’ beat, its only a question of ‘will’ and that is the difference most games for us anyway. These guys have to truly want ALL the games, not just get up for the big teams. They need to play these middle-of-the-road-yet-standing-in-our-way teams just like they would SJS or DET. They need a killer instinct too, if we get up by 2 or 3 they need to make it 4 or 5, srsly, do not keep lettin 2 and 3 goal leads disappear into OTs and such.

Its crunch time! You’ve got a 2 win foundation, build on it. Remember, we need to win about 3 for every 4 played! Lets save the Ls for the rough games, hoard them away by gettin a lil W streak cushion goin.

Blues official Preview

Yotes official Preview

Thrill of the Blues

St. Louis Game Time

News and Notes:

The Big Rig takes on fan questions for those still infatuated w/ Blake Wheeler

Myrtle’s Math for Playoff Hopefuls

Watch the game on AZ 7 or at http://atdhe.net/

As always … GO COYOTES!!!

Sorry I been gone for a bit…  Between bronchitis and dental surgery I have not been feelin the hunched over the keyboard thang but you’ll probably get sick of me over the next few weeks as I have now joined the ranks of the unemployed. Outsourcing sux, if you are the outsourcee. (anyone looking for an IT/desktop support manager? I’m available) LOL

Our boys should never be allowed to take ASG week off ever again. They lose their ever-lovin minds… and apparently the ability to win a damn game.

It has been painful to watch. Goin over 180 minutes without a goal (well, except the ones we’ve managed to score on our own goalie). And the really sad part is that a couple of these losses we haven’t played badly.

We’re hittin, we’re shootin, we’re passing (ok, we call it passing but it often looks like bad attempts at pong) and we’re playin defense too.  But ever since the Wings victory its as if we can’t buy a goal. Like we blew our wad on that season high 6 goals.

Untimely injuries not withstanding, we should be better than this. But it seems like there is something missing. We have Doan, Jokinen, Jovanovski and Bryzgalov for cryin out loud. Why can’t we seem to pull off a damn win? Maybe we’ve lost our fire? You know that burnin in the belly resolution to win at any cost? That do whatever it takes thing that makes ordinary players great and makes good players brilliant. It’s still there… feeble though it seems right now, there is still a spark and we have to find a way to bring it back to life. Not one of our guys has stepped up past his limits in the last few games.

I am starting to worry that TGO and current staff just can’t get it done. I know I’m not the only one (hell, I’m probably the last one to begin to wonder). We’ve seen major roster changes over the last 5 years with the coaching staff remaining in place and still not gettin the boys motivated beyond the ASG break. What is it going to take?

There are still like 29 games to be played and we can’t afford to go on an extended L streak at this critical juncture. I still believe it can be done but not with the current mindset.

Joker, if you truly want to finally make the post season you better find a way to help Doan lead this team and dude! stop imitating the stay puff marshmallow centerman! And Jovo, you had your best defensive run in the last few games but buddy, we need some points, 2 to 3 shots per game isn’t going to do it. Something will fall for you big guy but you gotta shoot! If Haler can get a goal from the blue, there’s no way you shouldn’t be able to. Hanzal, darlin I know you are doin way more than any 21 yr old should be asked to do, but sweetie, we need about 17 games like the 1/20/ded things game outta you. Seriously you WERE that game.

Z… baby boy… dig honey… way down deep (no… deeper) something is off and you gotta get back on track (if you survived 2 seasons of injured/recovering Jovo, you can survive musical defensemen and Haler too) Shane? I know you can’t do it all but lose Mr. Nice Guy and kick a lil ass in that locker room will ya… apparently these guys don’t understand the term urgency even when you start bangin heads thru glass and shootin like its your last moment on Earth… you’re gonna have to get nasty behind closed doors, methinks, to get your point across. Haler, I’m not blamin you for anything anymore, its not your fault that the coaching staff is expecting things from you that you just can’t quite deliver. I get that you are givin it all you got (and occasionally, you actually look like an NHL caliber blueliner) but you’ll please forgive me when I pray for DMo/Sauer/anyone-not-named-Hale to shore up the D pairings.

Coyotes coaching staff… pull your collective heads out of your arses and recognise, 90% of this game is mental when the tools are all there. We got the tools, what is happening to the boy’s heads? This is on you, to find a way for them to be ready to face each game as confident and prepped as needed. Next season there may not be a club in Phoenix if we don’t make the post season.

Some fans are already starting to look ahead to the draft… god , how pathetic is that? There is still a chance, the West is so damn tight that it squeaks when you look at the standings. The back end of the season is strafed with teams that are neck and neck with us, we play the majority against Pacific rivals and even more importantly Western Conference teams. We were dominant against these same groups in the first half of the year, many of them have found their extra gear (Dallas) and have turned on the afterburners. The sprint portion of the NHL marathon has apparently started early this year… somebody please tell our boys.

If they are really serious about makin the post season, every single player is going to have to play kamikaze style, beginning tonight at the Joe. There should be no excuses for not throwing everything including the kitchen sink at the Ded Thing’s net. If it takes gettin thrown 1/2 way across the ice or through the glass to make a play… do it! If it means becoming a bullseye in their crease and takin the cheapest shots imaginable… do it! Thats what Stanley Cup Champions do… sacrifice until there is no more to give, then dig down deeper and finding that lastexhausted ounce. That last ounce is the difference between winners and wannabes.

News and stuff… Tiki has been reactivated and sent to SA w/ StevieG and Nikulin. Porter and Hoggan are comin back the other way. Bettman will be giving a state-of-the-Yotes interview during the intermission tonight.  (It won’t stop all the bullshit but maybe we can glean a little more hope for our continued existence)Rhino may be back tonight (prolly Sat to make sure he’s 100% but maybe tonight) Zetterberg and Holmstrom are questionable for tonight… look for the crazy Ivan maneuvers from Datsyuk to reappear.

As always… GO COYOTES!!!

Whodathunkit?

Lil Kyle Turris had the game of his life on Thursday night. Handing us 8th place with the help of his trusty Russian sidekicks Bryzzie and Lisin. Don’t be hatin, a few more games like that and KT will have proven TGO right. No one else could solve the very hot Dan Ellis (who is playing extremely well right now and is a big factor in Nashville hanging around in contention). The Preds have been habitually low scorers this season and KTs timely goals were just enough.

It seems like the rest of December is MUST WIN games… 4 pointers or some wanna be team tryin to creep past us so any loss (w/out a point) would truly impact us.

Thank goodness Bryzzie matched Ellis for intensity and played solid if not brilliant in this one. Enver Lisin just keeps gettin better and better. The lil Russian Rocket flat out makes things happen out on the ice, each and every shift he seems to break things open on some level. His linemates are starting to recognise it very well. The break away on the first goal was beautiful (thanks to Lucky Lindy for recognising Ellis’ weak spot and spreading the word to KT and to the REAL Jovocop for the pokecheck) but the second goal was one of those ugly ones and with out Lisin popping Ellis like a taser, this opportunity doesn’t happen.

Funny how one of the league’s bad boys shied away from any extracurricular activity w/ the Wild Thang (apparently Danny did everything but triple dog dare Jordin Tootoo to go. After the 6th invite… a ref stepped in and made Carci back off with the threat of a 10 min) too bad we’ll never see a game w/ DC mic’d up…

So we send the Preds home and hop into the 8th spot like we own it. We timeshare well but with the Wild’s current foundering I feel like we own 7th all by ourselves. So we stay home, rest up, hang out and prep for what could very well be the game of the season so far…bring on the Bluejackets!

Can I say whodathunkit again?

I mean, srsly…The Coyotes in 7th place… all alone… no timesharing? Sound like peyote dreams? Well think again… 2 – 0 SHUTOUT! 4 game series SWEEP!

Bryzgalov was so solid, so hot and so in the moment that the Jackets had nowhere to go. With a stunning set of defensive corpsmen in front of him, there didn’t seem to be anything SuperBryz couldn’t do… including shutting the closet door on those poor, tired looking Blue Jackets. This was a major milestone for us. playing a game that had so much meaning (7th place in standings, pushing a close competitor down the standings ladder and closing the mouths of all who drag out that nasty Nash goal to taunt us with every game against these guys). “A shutout is like a dessert,” said Bryzgalov, who has allowed only three goals in his last three games. “Most important is we are in a playoff race right now and Columbus was two points behind us. It doesn’t matter if we win 2-0 or 6-5, it’s a huge two points for us.”

A series sweep over the Bluejackets by a ragtag group of kids, an ailing #1 goalie and a coach that many have been begging to step down. Oh yeah the motley crew stepped up and swept the Jackets with a cagey mix of old shooters and new shooters with Rhino drawing first blood and Boeds puttin the insurance goal to bed.

Mules to Ksquared to Doaner rocked Mason just enough for that tough ol dog Rhino, who tucked the rebound past Mason to give us the lead and what would eventually be the GWG.

That Lucky Lindy seems to be makin things happen ever since he got here. “(Lindstrom) made a good play taking the guy on the wall a little bit and the puck bounced to me, ” said Boedker, who has 16 points in 33 games in his rookie season.

“It was supposed to be Enver (Lisin) on the ice, but he was getting his skate fixed so I took a chance and jumped on and was lucky the puck was right there.” May the force continue to be with us and hopefully Boedker can clump a few together after that beauty.

Can you say JOVOCOP!

Well I can…the monster cop was back and dishing out extreme stopping power all night long. One of those stand-em-ups nearly cost that Jacket his tailbone, (hittin the ice, bouncin, then sliding several feet is hell on the coccyx). Hello! the blueline was committing assault w/ intent to win, all night long. Sig Sauer

and the Iron Czech

had Breezy’s back and sides and any other angle the Jackets could dig up.

Oh look! Klee was makin York sammiches too w/ a lil Zebra on the side.

Even Enver ‘Feivel’ Lisin got his licks in.

Carcillo finally got a bout with Boll and to me there was no clear cut winner but some decent knucks were chucked in this one. One thing about DC is there is just no quit in the boy. Boll was tryin to tie him up w/ an equipment strip but DC was havin none of that… he kept battlin even as parts were fallin to the ice. Gotta love the Wild Thang.

This was one sweet game.

http://coyotes.nhl.com/team/app?gameNumber=483&gameType=2&page=Recap&season=20082009&service=page
Last 5 games

DATE RESULT
12/20/2008 CBJ 0 @ PHX 2

12/18/2008 NSH 1 @ PHX 2

12/16/2008 PHX 1 @ DAL 2 a point!

12/13/2008 DET 5 @ PHX 4 a point!

12/11/2008 MIN 1 @ PHX 3

Next up EDM oy! http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=260584&lid=sublink03&lpos=topRelated_nhl

Standings http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/standings/

Here ki ki kitty! That’s right Shea Weber and the fanged wonders are in town tonight. Talkin about fighting like cats n dogs! Both teams need these two points to remain in contention. Both teams have been hangin close, by the skin of their teeth.

The Preds have 33 points (15-12-3) is a really good record, especially for a team that is uber dependent on goaltending and has no power name leading the litter. Both Ellis and Rinne are holding this team in place with their performances and Weber has gotten hot on the blueline to give them some added claw power.

We’ve gotten at least a point out of the last 4 games and sit at 32 points. (14-13-4) is a damn good record for a team with a first time #1 gate keeper and a hodge podge blueline. The nicest thing about our offense is that on any given day 6 or more fairly consistent shooters can heat up and we have 3 possible canons that can get busy on the blue line.(of course with 1/2 of that number being grass green… there is also the possibility that no one will score) ughhh.

Apparently there is very little difference between cats n dawgs as we both sit 3rd in our respective divisions. The cats are 7th and the dogs are 9th in the west. PK% (Yotes 16th, Preds 17th) and GF % (preds 17th, Yotes 18th) are within a point of each other in the league. So what does it come down to?

Which team is hungrier? Which team’s netminder has the bigger cojones? Which team’s coaching staff has done the better prep job? Which team can find a way to snag the W at any cost. This is a game that we absolutely NEED to win in regulation. We are in direct competition for playoffs with these guys and it is absolutely vital to put them away w/out letting them grab a point and stay ahead of us. That point could mean the difference between a playoff berth and early golf again.

Please don’t let TooToo be stoopid enough to take a run at the rooks. I really don’t wanna see him die. Although a Carcillo on Tootoo beat down might take the team into win space like nothin else.

Beware the Pred blue… Webz is sittin on 25 points and a hefty +12. Lets nip that in the bud straight off the hop.

Gonna need some crafty offense… both Rinne and Ellis are soo hot right now… some menage a tois (sounds so much more fun than tic-tac-toe) hockey in front of the crease or maybe just some nasty Fridgie screening can get us into chalupa territory tonight.

Come on Bryz! its time to steal one tootsie. No early softie… just good solid stoppage. You can do it… nay! you NEED to do it. The boys have had your back for the last couple of games big time. Step up! OWN your net babe.

!!!LET’S GO COYOTES!!!

Predatorial Coverage

Odie’s Take

Official Preview

Thanx Qbert for the graphix

Thanx JC for some of the sweet stats

BIG SHOUT OUT TO PATIO 6

Watch the game

Ack!!! Boy did we stink. From net to net we played like shite. The Preds came out of the gate like startled quail. Players everywhere! Seemed like they had extra men on the ice they were so fast and furious.

The first period was all classic execution and hard charging work… too bad none of it was our execution or work. I can barely type I am still so mad about the poor showing we made last night. The next person who says Hanzal is too slow and doesn’t contribute enough offense is gonna get a severe keister kicking from me. We miss that big body. Look at our record since he’s been out. The system in place utilized every line a specific way, without that big Czech playin defensive center for us we have a hole, well, the size of Texas.

Hello goodbye…

Vandy did not look too out of place in his debut. The hard workin brawler managed his 5 minutes of TOI quite well (meaning no huge faux pas) but no fighting or even huge hits either.

No one played exceptionally in this one. ( Dwin gave it his best shot for more minutes than anyone ) Bryz! wasn’t the only one stinkin up the 1st period, those 3 goals he gave up on 8 shots? Take a good look at how they were scored. (Yes, Breezy is out of position and can’t control his rebounds but with the team standing still just watching Preds swarm the net the big Russian has a hard time knowing where the hell to focus) Oy Vey 3 – 0 and The Cats chase Bryz! out of the net.

So anyway, Telly comes in and our captain puts on his hard hat during our second PP opportunity. (as Doan goes… so does the team?) The Donor starts our come back with a huge PP goal to end the miserable period.

We look stronger and faster in the second (we are just behind Dallas as a second period performer) and Winnie goes hunting the honey pot in Ellis’ kitchen(sweet move thru the circles and a quick slider thru the posts). Momentum baby! That fickle she devil switches to our side as Dwin gets rewarded for his determination. 3 – 2 Preds.

The Preds aren’t quite sure what to make of this whole turn around and our big gun takes advantage to tie it up Jovo scorzes unassisted from the blue with a laser canon. 3 – 3 tie game!(it’s the ice buckos…trust me on this… you got the good ice for 2 periods… its definitely a factor in our home record)

So we head into the third. Aw man do we have to? Dammmitttallltohell! The Sybyl team is back. Standin around, thumbs in unmentionable places as Telly gets handed his ass 23 seconds apart.

5 – 3 now and Preds all over the place. Might as well pull the goalie at this rate… oh wait! We do just that… 6 – 3 Preds final to add insult to injury. PS… every player I warned you about in the preview…. scored…

The single most disappointing game of the season in my eyes. We didn’t work hard, we hung our goalies out in the wind, our PP went 1 – 5. Shall I continue the litany? I didn’t think so. Siiiiggghhhh… well this homestand was another exercise in futility…. goods news! we head out to Dallas tonight… ROAD TRIP! (a very lucky fan gets to head out with the team for this one) bet its gonna be a quiet plane ride though…

We gotta pull outta this and quick… a slide at this point of the year could take us out of contention fast. But I have faith. This has been a miracle of a season so far. We have rarely lost 2 games in a row much less 3.  Hell of a ride baby Yotes, hell of a ride. Let’s head into Dallas and let former Stars Kapi and TQ have a shot at thumbing their noses at their old team.

Rock n Roll Boys!

GO COYOTES!

~photos from AP/Paul Connors and David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic~

onyxstarr@coyoteshipcheck.com

It seems like we haven’t had a regulation win in forever. I hope that changes tonight. The Preds are a tough competitor and although we have done well against them at home it hasn’t been through big decisive wins. We won 3 of the last 4 against them but only by the slimmest margin.

Radulov, Arnott, PJ and Bonk have been the big components in these matchups and we really need to shut them down tonight. The Preds are going to be he-man hungry. They have lost their last 2 games and are not even trying to hear 3 game slide. We are in the same leaky raft after having wet the bed the last 2 games. To stay in this hunt we absolutely have to stop this slide in its tracks.

The scoring committee needs to get to work early in this one. Bryz! needs to be awake and solid from the git go. We need to take advantage of the Preds back-to-back status (although they are 5-2-1 in the second half of back-to-back games this season). They will be tired but gotta be bouyed up from having hung tuff with the Sharks yesterday.

While our road record stands well on its own, our home record has not been above .500 yet this season. That has GOT to change if we want to see any kind of post season action. WG has this to say about our home play: “It just seems like we keep digging ourselves in holes now at home, and that’s not good. We need to figure out a way to come out quicker and get ahead.” Maybe Toc has a suggestion or 5? Is this the night where we see a road warrior game? I hope so.

I have no clue what to expect from the latest call up from San Antonio *Pete Vandemeer* the guy has no offensive firepower at all that I can see. But BillyT wasn’t adding much to the scores anyway so maybe WG will just shorten the bench and give the brawler enuff TOI to ensure that no rough stuff gets in the way of a victory? Donor has not been himself lately (or maybe I just have super high expectations) but he, Vbrat, Perks and Mules have been playing uber minutes, it will be interesting to see if that trend continues or if they can score early enough and often enough to give these guys a break from these 20+ minute per night games.

This team definitely plays follow the leader. As Doan goes, so does the team. Set the table early my Captain. Let’s grab those 2 points and leave none for the kitties. A nice regulation win to start the home ice turn around would sure be sweet. Ugly, warty or dirty, I won’t care…. but let’s get it done tonight!

I hope everyone got brand new sticks for this game. Last game we battled the craptastic ice and a broken stick malaise that pretty much cost us the game. Lighter and more flexible is NOT good for defensemen Z… just a thought.

Predators injuries: RW Erat (back) is questionable. LW Steve Sullivan (back) and RW Jordin Tootoo (hip flexor) are out.

Coyotes injuries: C Martin Handzal (shoulder) is out.

Newsies speak up about the Yotes:

NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/sports/hockey/10coyotes.html?_r=2&ref=sports&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=3234260

Let’s Go Coyotes!

onyxstarr@coyoteshipcheck.com

Yes Yes I hear and I obey… sorry for the absence. I was bizzy. Lots of stuff happenin at Chez de Onyx and it interfered with my brain power. So I will attempt to cover the highs and lows that was the last long road trip for the Yotie pups for this season (all the rest are lil 2 or 3 dayers, no problems).

The good news is that we nabbed 6 of the available 10 points on this trip… not bad. The bad news is that 2 of those points are loser points and 2 of the games we pretty much gave away.

We must learn how to play with a lead, we must learn how to play smarter when tired and lastly, we must not fall into the trap of goalie dependency. We are still close enuff to get where we want to be w/ plenty of games left to play (including games in hand on some teams ahead of us) and plenty of time to heal our wounded. We are still contenders waaay past any dreams even the biggest homers *even me* could have imagined..

55 minutes and a Failed Prayer – Wings

God I hate/love/hate Pavel Datsyuk. I just plain old HATE Holmstrom… no waffling there. Move along folks, nothing to see here. Just a bunch of ghouls, zombies, you know the drill, Ded Things walking in the night. Oh! wait, whats that? The Coyotes are keeping up with the Ded? The Yotes are ahead of the Ded? Ok maybe there is something to see here. . .

Although the outcome was probably ordained, the young Coyotes sure gave it a hell of a shot.

Zbynek played his sweaty lil tush off. Most love and props from the announces, I’ve heard the lil Czech get all year. He was his normal iron man self with over 23 minutes of TOI. So many little things done right. The only thing the kid wasn’t able to do was score (and that wasn’t from lack of trying) he had a couple of good shots, blocked a few and stole a few too.

Anyway, the Ded were allstar flat in the first (yeah they got the lucky goal from Zets in the first 5 minutes) but over all we out worked them for most of the game. The the BigKids line got busy (taking advantage of a HUGE hit from Boynk) the kids stirred up the slot with traffic and then Dwin slipped a mini tap to Hanzal who fumbled it a bit before roofing a snap shot over Ozzie. Hanzal scorzes! Then in the second our big guy onetimed a slapper past Ozzie, more than making up for Zets’ sneaky goal in the first. Yotes up 2 -1 goin into the 3rd.

The third period brought the return of Holmie the crease camping champion as Liddie’s shot deflected in between that goober’s legs. 2 -2 tie up 9 minutes in and then to add insult to injury Liddie gets another go at it and plants one in the back of the net. 3 – 2 Ded and poor Donor got turned away on his last ditch effort breakaway try w/ 30 seconds left. It sucked but wasn’t unexpected. We have improved enough to hang tuff with the top team in the league. Thats purty damn good even without the 2 points. 3 -2  Wings

So… off we go to Nasheville.

Big Cats Have Nasty Fangs – Predators

The good news is that every one else that is in our way lost this night too. The bad news is… we pulled off a big fat L our ownselves. But hey, we still snuck a point out of it… and we didn’t really deserve it.

Another early goal given up in the first period w/ no answer (we just couldn’t get a freakin shot away – 6 sogs for the whole period).

Then we repeat that erly give up again in the second. So we sit all sad sack (and down by 2)waiting for a hero and along comes Doan. The Captain rides to the rescue (or at least closes the gap up a little bit) with a sweet wrister that had eyes. We get on the board and finally figure out where their net is… 17 ! sogs… much better but still behind.

So we creak into the third and young Carcillo takes on HorUpchuck (might have been a lifter too)  but DC also takes on an extra 20 minutes in penalties for his mouth and giving the linesman a shove. ( Note to DC: anyone else does that…*yeah Sundin I’m lookin at you* the shove gets overlooked… but Danny, you get no breaks and apparently no love due to your bad reputation) Danny then went on a rampage down the hallways and earned himself a spot ON the Rampage… of San Antonio. This game was ugly from the gitgo with a total of 18 regular PIMS and 10 in fighting majors… add young Carci’s little disciplinary snafu and you got nearly 50 minutes of referee action. Ouch! So anyways… with barely 3 minutes left good old Rhino ties it up and we manage to eke out another point and head into OT.

It was simply sad… we get NO sogs. They get 7 of them. Breezy is swattin pucks and punks trying to keep his head above water. That pesky Radulov bounces one off of nearly every part of Bryz you can imagine and then off his helmet and in. 3 – 2 Preds final answer.  sighhh another loser point… (but hey, didn’t the Ducks parlay the loser point into a spring board to the dance last season?) okay we’re still in this hunt, lets head out to Colorado and see if they still roll over for us.

see part II