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!

Dammit, I want to scream and yell that the refs sucked and that this game should have yielded a point for us at least. But alas, the referees will always be sketchy at best and that would belittle the heroic efforts of a pretty damn good Buffalo team. We mostly lost due to our inability to stay out of penalty trouble. 2 – 1 Sabres

Story of the night was Jason ‘AZBarbie’ Labarbra. The guy was on freakin fire all night long. One game does not silence all my concerns but if he continues to play like this all season, he will have my respect and my undying love for the rest of his career. The kid was a beast! The Sabres threw crap at AZBarbie that I didn’t know was legal on the ice. He faced brutal flurries (39 shots total), screens and assorted sorties that would have screwed many top notch goalies. He had lots of help but the PK opportunities finally took their toll on his defensemen and even the best goalie can only stop so much. Great job Jason, you gave the boys a real shot at the win.

We played hard, we were fast and agile and the spirits were willing but the bodies couldn’t hold out. After losing 1/2 the Czech Federation (Prucha and Hanzal) for most of the game, life got ugly for the boys. Prucha was taken out by a ‘questionable’ dirty hit from Kaleta and could not return to the game. (I hope the NHL reviews and kicks Kaleta’s ass to the suspension curb, this hit is only questionable if you are a moron)

Hanzal immediately came to the defense of Pruu! and was assessed 19 minutes worth of penalties. 19 minutes! My god, we’ve seen guys do 10 times worse and not recieve those kinds of minutes. It was ridiculous. We could ill afford to lose such vital components to our system but to give the boys their due, they soldiered on and held the Sabres at bay until the final minutes of the game. It is a credit to the roster and to Tip’s system that no one missing part could cause a meltdown.

After taking on the Pens in their barn and shutting them down the night before, I really expected the boys to be slower and maybe not as feisty in the 2nd game of a traveling back-to-back. I was wrong, the boys came out flying and more than held their own against, the well rested and not too shabby in the speed department, Buffalo team. Lindy Ruff called it a track meet and said his boys were ready for a foot race. He was right. The wiley Sabres were ready and willing and didn’t overlook the Coyotes in any way. Credit to Ruff for being a very savvy coach, he wasn’t trying to ’save Miller for an important team’ he played all his best available because he saw something dangerous in the new Coyotes.

Tippett was understandably disappointed in our performance for the night. The boys fell back into old habits for a bit, with a few vital minutes of dump and chase (battles to get to the pucks which we lost). He pointed out that being tired was not an acceptable excuse, they need to do their jobs regardless. This kind of demand for accountability is exactly what the boys need to become all they can be.

We come home to the white out welcoming committee ( a sold out Jobing.com Arena) with 4 of 6 possible points. (More than many expected considering that we played 2 of the NHLs top competitors on this road trip) Its still a great start, its still been a fine look at what the boys can accomplish with hard work, good direction and determination.

If you haven’t been to a hockey game, didn’t know that Arizona was lucky enough to have professional hockey or just need something to do on Saturday night that will be fun and exciting, be sure to grab a ticket. The 2009 Phoenix Coyotes are hosting phenomenal seats at $15 dollars ( they are sold out but there are standing room only tickets) and there isn’t a bad seat in the Jobing.com Arena. The Phoenix Coyotes will PLAY FOR YOU!

The City of Glendale is hosting White Out Week in honor of the new season start. Be sure to check out Glendale’s schedule of happenings! Glendale Got Game, do you?

As announced by Dave Strader during the game, The Coyotes Coalition (a group of passionate and dedicated hockey fans) also invites you to come out to the pre-game tailgate party (Oct 10th from 1pm to 4pm, in parking lot J) for some hockey talk, some social networking, some fun and friendship. Everyone is welcome to celebrate the home opener with us. So grab your tickets, white outfits, your lawn chair, your grill and come out with us to help the Coyotes howl Glendale down in their season opening White Out appearance.

Hope to see you there.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Well its only 2 games into the season and the Coyotes are 2-0-0. Should I have made that font bigger? You read it right… 2 wins, no ties or losses. Yes those Coyotes. The ones mired in uncertainty, knocked for a loop by BK court and lacking any big name guys. You remember the team everyone loved to see come to their barn for the easy 2 points?

We headed into Pitt riding on a 6 – 3 win over fellow bottom feeder LAK. If you hadn’t watched the game, you might have just figured it was our normal trodding over them just to stay off the bottom of the cellar floor. (we’ve traded wins like that sometimes in the past) That win was more than that. It was the debut of the new and seriously improved system of the Desert Dawgs. That win was the warning shot over the forward bow of the 2009 season. (funny how nobody understood that we only intend to give 1 warning) We displayed attack sense, total committment to owning all 3 zones and a fearless pack mentality to keep pushing, tearing , biting right to the last buzzer. The LAK folks and the world at large dismissed this win, Doughty had a bad game, Quick hadn’t hit his stride. (funny how we’d hear these same sentiments but w/ different names attached, a few nights later)

You might have good cause to ignore the LAK win but how the hell do you dismiss shutting out the defending Stanley Cup champions? Oh wait for it…. the backup goalie wasn’t good enough (bullshit! that kid robbed Doaner from point blank range) Syd was off, Geno was off and of course, my favorite, they are struggling with cup hangover. Everyone can say what they want but good old fashioned hard work won this game. The Yotes didn’t LET the Pens catch their stride, didn’t LET these guys get focused, didn’t LET those boys take over the game. They were’nt given a damn thing. They flat out TOOK it.

Can no one give us props for what we’ve done? I’m not asking for a wholesale conversion here. But these guys have overcome one of the most bitter, degrading, contentuous off seasons ever seen in the NHL. Ridiculed and dismissed for a decade, laughingstock franchise that no one wanted to own, coaching/training deficiencies out the wahzoo and they haven’t give up. These guys take whatever comes their way and continue to give their all. They deserve better from the NHL family and the media.

Tippett’s system works. Burke’s training works. Maloney’s vision works. The proof is in the pudding and let me tell you its turning into quite the tasty dish. Just watching Hanzal shutting down the Kid and Geno…didn’t seem to matter which one was on the ice last night, they were both pretty ineffective. Bryzgalov defending his 9th shutout with authority. Sami ‘the pistol’ Lepisto stepping into the big skates of the injured Kurt Sauer seemingly seamlessly. Fiddler in the face off circles at 63%. Prucha on his back, nay! on a Penguin back, catching a rebound and putting it in the net. Jovocop, putting Malkin on the ice AND putting our PP front and center with his first of many beautiful goals. Vrby/Hanzal letting the world know all about the new Czech federation with one of the sweetest empty netters I’ve seen in a long time.

Every member of this pack is playing the system to the best of their ability. They’ve bought in, they’ve committed and they’re ready to take on all comers. I know its early, but for those of us who have followed this team through thin and thinner, who have given their hearts, souls and hard earned dollars to this team, it feels like we are finally reaping the rewards with a team that believes in themselves as much as we do. An unselfish and dedicated group of guys who are playing for us as much as themselves.

The new Phoenix Coyotes have made a committment to each other and to their fans. That is not a chip on their shoulder, thats the boulder of determination, to prove to the world that they are professionals, good, hardworking professionals, dedicated to the pursuit of the greatest trophy in the world. There will be ups and downs, there will be skids and slumps but it feels like hope around the Valley of the Sun, certainly for the first time since the move to Glendale, it feels like winning.

Tonight we take on Buffalo, a team that has been in our shoes not too long ago. These guys should remember their own mindset and beware the Pack. Lindy Ruff is nobody’s fool, he’ll be ready. Do they have the speed to keep up with the big Dawgs once they get rolling? Can Miller stop the Czech Federation? Can anybody stand up to Jovocop patrolling the blueline with big guns blazing? How many pucks will not make it past that shot blocking monster named Z? Can AZBarbie step up to the plate and get the critics off his back too? Guess we’ll all have to be glued to the TV or the radio (xtra 910 is our audio feed w/ the beloved Heeter calling the games solo) or even online to find out.

Wanna talk about it live? Try HFBoards or TheNHLArena or Five4Howling. The Twitterverse will be buzzing all game long with theYotesDiva , Mark, HKYFN and myself. Can we come home 3-0-0? We’ve already gotten 4 of 4 possible points, lets hope we can steal another 2 from BUF.

We have 4 new places buzzing about Coyotes hockey… Bob, Larry , Mark and Hendrickshockey.com will soon have some good Yotes content as well… stroll by, give them some love please.

As always…Go Coyotes!

It is truly unbelievable how attached we fans get to our favorite players. It is really hard to remember the team and its components are a business, not our personal entertainment toy. March 4th held few surprises for the Coyotes fan base. We’ve pretty much known Derek Morris was going to be traded since last summer (even before the financial picture hit the toilet). Mikael Tellqvist was another no brainer, we’re done for the season and there is nothing gained in holding onto assets that won’t be resigned. The Olli Jokinen move was no surprise either, the fit just wasn’t right and it showed on both sides. So the biggest bummer for most fans was the Carcillo trade. Boy are there some butt hurt fans out there… on both sides. So I thought I’d say a few things about each trade (easy for me to do because my favorite is still in the desert ) so I can be a bit more objective about the deals.

The Coyotes – Sabres Trade

We got a 4th round pick in 2011 for Mikael Tellqvist, the only surprise there is that GMDM was able to get a return for him at all in this ugly goalie market (the Bryzgalov and Legace moves are proof of how ugly it is out there for trading goalies). We adored our Swedish Wolf. There wasn’t a better team guy out there that we can think of that endured with grace the way Telly did. The 32 yr old back up was always ready and managed to hold us together when our main tender blew a head gasket. He stole games, rallied the troops, ranked the shooters for shootouts. But trust me when I tell you that there is no way Telly wanted to sit behind Breezy for 10- 15 games at a time for even another year. He was a good guy not a saint. He still has aspirations for his career that might even include being in a half way decent tandem. It might not happen in Buffalo but at least he’ll get a chance to showcase himself and maybe get picked up by a team that understands the value of a tandem.

The 4th round pick is waaay out there so it really doesn’t spin my propeller right now but who knows what it can be parlayed into in the hands of a master GM like Don Maloney and hey! it IS better than nothing. WIN – WIN

The Coyotes Flames Trade

We got Mathew Lombardi, Brandon Prust and a conditional first in return for Olli.

Olli Jokinen won’t be missed by anybody it seems like. I have not seen one Phoenix fan post that holds any kind of sorrow that he’s gone, the 3rd round pick was apparently a small price to pay for the gift of his absence. In the eyes of the fan base, Joker cost too much (there are a great number of fans out there still mourning the loss of Ballard and Boynton) and returned absolutely nothing. The PPG player disappeared (you can’t tell me it was lack of talent surrounding him cuz he really didn’t have jack to work with in FLA either) from my perspective it was a bad case of having his give-a-damn busted.He didn’t want to be here and it showed on the ice (lack of ability to develop a rapport with 13 other forwards) and off the ice as well (check the fan pics and tales of Olli encounters for his disinterest…talking on his cell phone, not smiling during pics and generally being non verbal face to face). I hate the locker room cancer rumors but when the coach feels obliged to address the issue in an interview, you gotta figure there were some flames under all that particular smoke. But maybe its a good lesson for the Phoenix club. Stop looking for a savior and start saving yourselves… as a team. Olli is now 1 happy camper. He is finally getting his shot at the big shiny silver cup. Maybe his game will get back on track and he actually helps an already strong Calgary team by being a piece of the solution not the pendulum that their success swings from. Calgary is happy because now Iggy doesn’t have to be the focus point of every top line in the league, not many teams have the ability nor the man power to deal with Iginla AND a happy Jokinen.

Lombardi and the first woulda been a decent return. Lombo played w/ Doan in the undefeated gold medal World Cup run. They already had proven chemistry and some history. The building blocks of saving ourselves could start right there. Lombardi is a decent face off man (something we’ve been lacking since No Panic Yanic and Ziggy broke camp). Lombo ( I refuse to call him Lamby-kins no matter how cute he may be dammitt, you know who I’m talking to!) also has an edge to him, some speed to him and even more importantly to this team, a natural tendency to drive the net and give that all important 2nd and 3rd effort in front. Will Lombardi be the total answer? Well no, but damn if he won’t help add some pieces to our particular puzzle. Matt accelerates our growth as a team by being a desperately needed ‘bridge’ player. These are players whose experience falls somewhere between the vets and the rookies that can explain and understand the kids without frustration (its not soo long ago that they walked in their skates) and hold their own w/ out intimidation w/ the vets.If all that wasn’t enough… add secondary scoring to the mix and total up how good a deal Lombo could end up being for us.

Brandon Prust might have been a throwing at first but in reality the lil energy feisty guy allowed GMDM to trade Carcillo to the Flyers. While Prust will never be the all out gutsy rock jaw brawler that Danny was, the kid has some grit to his game and can agitate where needed and be reined in w/out major heartburn. He’s no first line scoring machine either but he may add a little secondary scoring and even more importantly, not be a hindrance w/ any line he’s put on.

The first round pick is conditional but you can pretty much bet it’ll be 2009’s since that one will definitely be a late rounder with the Flames pretty much a shoo-in for a playoff berth. It will still give GMDM some maneuverability for maybe trading up or picking up another ‘experienced’ piece to our roster puzzle.

On the surface, it seems like we traded first line scoring demon for a few secondary guys and a possibility but thats not the real picture in this case because Olli wasn’t anywhere near that for us anyway. We did good, Lombardi and Prust will get plenty of TOI and be able to develop their leadership skills as well as bond with a group that is on the rise and Olli can see what the post season feels like under a microscope. No I can’t bring myself to wish Olli well, even though I am happy with what we got for him, the stench of what we lost is lingering in my nostrils and prompts me to think … ‘C ya, you lil bald biyatch, enjoy your first round ending when you jump over a puck in game 7′ (oops sorry just a lil bitter here). WIN – WIN

The Coyotes Rangers Trade

Derek Morris was looking for a cup b4 he expired umm retired. He hoped the Yotes would finally get their shit together so he could stick around. They did start down the right road and DMo was willing to stick around for the rise of the Phoenix. But unfortunately the economy started to tank and wrecked the blossoming negotiations. We went into the toilet as a team and financially and DMo’s dream contract went down in a swirl of fetid offers from the front office (with no ownership in place and the NHL scrutinizing every syllable, it just wasn’t gonna get done). GMDM offered a short term w/ a lil raise, but come on! Does anyone think Derek is an idiot? Last year, puck moving, offensive defense men were going for premium wages and time. Why in the world would a very good blue liner w/ experience and skill not hold out for the contract of his lifetime? Sooo talks broke down (hopefully as amicably as reported) and teams lined up for their shot (pending the trade of Jay Bouwmeester, the big fish of the deadline, which never materialized). It went down to the wire but Sather blinked first and GMDM got the assets he was craving and DMo got a new home. A home where he gets to chase the shiny silver trophy of his dreams AND showcase himself for his big payday.

Petr Prucha had a powerful advocate in GMDM when he was a rookie, he pulled down an incredible 30 goals, then poof we stole the Don and pulled the rug out from under Petr Puck. Now I don’t know why NYR wasn’t happy with Pruuu!’s sophomore 20 goals but apparently he fell so far out of favor that the press box was redecorated in Czech designs and a chair w/ his name on it. But even with all the mistreatment Pruuu! kept his head up and kept developing and played hard. GMDM saw his efforts and decided to grab him for one of our bridge players (who better to teach the rooks the meaning of hard work and effort, to show them that people notice and rewards can come their way?) So the tiny Czech w/ the cojones to get back up after every hit and make the transgressor pay on the scoreboard, gets out of the doghouse and into 15+ mins TOI, its not Broadway but here in the desert he can make a difference. And truly, thats what every heart n soul guys wants to do.

Nigel Dawes will be helping Pruuu! eat up Olli’s minutes. Another mini terrier with a nose for the net and a sweet radar that enables him to pass or shoot well. He wasn’t on anybody’s shit list that I could tell but he wasn’t exactly thriving either. What is great about Nigel is that he is another guy who has never met an opponent’s crease that he didn’t wanna crash. When all is said and done, I think he pushes some bubble players out of the nest and makes himself a spot alongside Prucha and in more than a few fans hearts.

Dmitri Kalinin is the wild card in this deal. We did need some kind of defense in return for DMo. Rolling w/ 6 defense men is just not acceptable (especially w/ Z and Sauer, who seem to think they are impervious to injury and like to step in front of shots from the Sourays and Charas of the league) . Especially for a team that is nursing young Yandle along and repeatedly icing David Hale even though he isn’t quite ready for prime time either. This is Tree’s big chance to earn a contract. As a UFA blue liner who wasn’t putting up big numbers in any aspect of the position, Kalinin is going to have to impress somebody in order to stay in the NHL. But for now, he’ll do, to hold the fort on a season that is basically done anyway.

NYR got their big minute blue liner who can QB a PP, has a huge shot and if paired correctly, can shut down the big names. GMDM got another pair of  bridge players we so desperately needed, guys with work ethic, speed and net presence who can show the kids how to be NHLers. All 3 transplants WIN, DMo WINS and both teams get what they need to get by. WIN – WIN

The Coyotes – Flyers Trade

We got Scotty Upshall and a 2nd rounder for Daniel Carcillo

Danny Carcillo was not going anywhere in Phoenix. He is a GREAT energy guy who last season showed flashes of brilliant offense (including a hattie). TGO thought he could harness the Wild Child into a regular scoring forward who could chip in secondary scoring and provide grit and protection. Carci is a tough lil brawler who plays better when he’s chippy and pissy. The staff had a choke collar on him that was choking the very creativity and energy out of him that provided his spark and got him into the NHL in the first place. Anything or anybody choked down too much will explode and Wild Thang was no exception and did explode to the detriment of the team occasionally. He was learning and trying pretty hard but he was losing his identity and he needed a different atmosphere in the worst way. Daniel Carcillo will be a better Flyer, they play with an edge that suits him, he’ll get to be what he’s supposed to be, a third liner with the ability to hold his own on a second line in a pinch. He’s going to provide the occasional goal but more importantly he’ll make space and make things happen so that other ‘more offensively gifted’ players can do their job w/ out worrying about anything but the goal and without being run.

Scotty Upshall wasn’t getting as much TOI, not like he’ll be getting in Phoenix. He’ll thrive and not just be an energy guy for at least 2 years if he decides to stick around. Even if he’s relegated to the 3rd line when the rookies mature and become better offensive forces, one of the main things Phoenix lacks is secondary scoring and net presence. Uppy seems to naturally provide those things (right place, right time, right tools). The other thing that makes this trade fall a little more to Phoenix’s favor is the fact that we get another of those desperately needed ‘bridge’ players, one who can teach and who can stand up for them on the ice. Again, can’t replace Carcillo’s sheer toughness but a stand up kinda up to have on your side never the less. I had to ask some Flyer fans if the Mclaren debacle had anything to do w/ Uppy being moved (salary adjustments to accommodate Kyle’s potential addition to the roster was my thought) … apparently they have others who might cause them to need the wiggle room too.

I think each team got something good and all the players moved into better situations for themselves. Time will tell which team did the better job of picking what helped them. It doesn’t have to be about getting the better of each other, what really matters is did each team get something that made them better. Coyotes WIN, Danny WIN (Flyers? remains to be seen).

And that, is my 5 cents for what it’s worth.

As Always… GO COYOTES!

We pulled into Buffalo flush and on a bit of a high. Beating the Bruins was pretty sweet. We caught them at the perfect time.

I hate the second game of a back to back, with our boys you just never know what you’re gonna get. But this particular one was especially hairy. Facing a team high off the massacre of the Habs, a goalie (Lalime) who not only engineered that drubbing but has also just been challenged (acquisition of Tellqvist) for his #1 spot (while Miller is out) and has previously punked the Coyotes in his Hawk incarnation. OUCH all the way around. And by the way to all the Tim”walking concussion” Connolly haters out there (bitchin that he was resigned)… umm  he’s still BADASS!

It was too much to expect that the boys could pull off 2 miracles in a row. But I expected a good performance from them and they did try to deliver. There was a lot of hustle but very little result. It didn’t seem to matter what they threw at Limey, all they got was posts, stoned, blocked and robbed. Except Lombo who was able to convert a Pruuu! feed down low in front of Limey. So all of the new kids on the block have registered a point in their 2 game road debut (except Prust who hasn’t hit the ice yet due to injury).

Color me impressed with their effort and the surprising juice they’ve given the downtrodden desert dawgs. 16+ mins for Pruuu! seem to agree with him, as does workin the top line w/ Doaner. Lombo also looks good w/ the Doaner and just might be able to reprise some WC magic as they get further reacquainted. Uppy is a firestarter, I’ve been a fan of his for a lil while anyway so his performances so far have done nuthin to change my opinion of this hard workin energy guy. Speaking of energy guys…. our very own DC had his own lil debut, showing the Flyers fans his best Wild Thang side w/ a fight and an assist (check out our friends at Flyerflies to keep up with Danny).

So anyway, tempers flared hot (including mine) during this Buffalo game… thought Doan was gonna committ murder a couple of times and of course you saw TGO freak completely… oh Gretz… when you gonna learn? (talk about letttin your temper hurt the team…) Speakin of when you gonna learn? Penalties, penalties, penalties… we gotta get some discipline on this squad…and JV? the last 3 minutes of a game is not exactly a good time to get them, again. We lost, but there was definitely a lot of effort and passion out there. What was glaringly missing was that net presence from the Bruins game. It seemed like there was a new guy in front of the net (w/ his stick down n ready) every single shift. We gotta keep that goin guys and please! teach the rooks to do it too.

So tonight there will be a new face or 2 back in the lineup (possibly Fridge… why?) and the debut of Tater! Josh Tordjman is supposed to own the net today against the Islanders. We wish him much success, after tearin it up in the AHL, he really deserves a shot.

The Isles stuck it to New Jersey BIGTIME! chasing Brodeur outta the net! Holeee Jumpin! 7 – 3 Islanders on the strength of Bergenheim’s hattie. C’mon! Islanders? Oh maaan… hopefully they blew their scoring wad and are ready to lay down and honor their contract to be our bishes again. We better find a way cuz Mama Z will be verrrry displeased to lose this game. FOCUS! DISCIPLINE! NET PRESENCE! PLAY FRIGGIN SMARTER not chicken w/ its head cut off efforts!

Today’s game is EARLY folks, noon AZ time … 3PM EST start, so be ready. Check the usual suspects for feeds (FSN for u locals, IDK if Justin.tv or atdhe.net will be streaming but it can’t hurt to check) if not go for xtra910 online and listen to Heeter.

News n Notes…

Offers rain errr pour…errr… ok we got 2 offers so far to buy in to the team…keep yer digits crossed!

Tocchet news – extention probable for former Yotes asst coach

As always….GO COYOTES!!!

Well we’re still on the road. 2nd night of a back to back. From Tedybears to Buffaslugs in 24 hours. A tired but elated group will try to put the kabosh on the Miller-less Buffalonians.

SinBin I feel yer pain in advance buddy, cuz these kids have something to prove and the Yotes haven’t done their annual East coast beat down yet.

Supposedly we will face Patrick Yote Killer Lalime (who kicked our keisters when he was a Hawk) rather than our former Swedish Wolf tonight. I don’t know whether to cry or be glad. Telly would have an advantage over the regulars on the squad but hasn’t face the Mighty Midgets we got from NYR much. We’ll have to wait n see… maybe we should do The Tellinator a favor and chase Limey outta the net (no we won’t let him win) but we could get him into the game.

New Yotes and old, have come together under 1 banner. Hungry Yotes ride again tonight and let us all hope the same energy and the same feisty game will be played (ummm with more goals for our side this time please). Breezy ’should’ get another start (we’re on a roll and yet still adjusting) we need the added stability of the ‘known’ goalie for a couple more games I think, despite the back to back factor. We’ll see what Tater’s got soon enough.

Last night felt so good I almost wanna make a prediction but I will refrain and just let the boys win this one however they want. Look for Prucha to want some love and the Lombo/Doan combo to do their own damage. Apparently the signage for the rest of the season is ‘will work for TOI’. Get er done boys.

Buffalo Point of View

See you all over at either AZsportshub, Fiveforhowling, HFBoards or theNHLarena during the game… you know I like to forumn hop on away games. (hopefully the viewing party) will have wifi so I can do that.

Viewing Partay! The Phoenix Coyotes will host a special Coors Light Viewing Party from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, March 6 at Saddle Ranch Chop House at Westgate in Glendale.

To watch the game from afar check atdhe.net or justinTV for feeds or listen on xtra910 online

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!!!

What a fantastic showing from our favorite hockey team. Talk about a fast and furious start!

Dwin! Dwin! Dwin! 54 seconds! and the BigKids line drop it like its hot! And a big fat assist for my boy Z! DWin scorzes! 1 – 0 Yotes. Tbo is already in trouble but he doesn’t know it yet. Ballard and Gaustad went at it for what seemed like ages in front of our crease. Bally pulls a standing hip check on Gaustad and gets away with knockin the hell out of him (helmet flying, nose bleedin, hell too)

We are zippin around with that puck so much I started wondering if it was just a major game of keep away, cuz the Sabres puck possession time can be counted on a 3 legged cat’s paws. But then Gaustad exacted a little revenge by slippin a goal through our 4th liners to tie up the game 1/2 way through the 1st period. They got a wee bit of life in ‘em but we smacked ‘em back down. We leave the ice tied up but we got more fire than they do and some PP time comin as well. 10 – 6 sogs, 2 – 3 penalties *which neither team capitalizes on*

Ok, so we come back out to a few seconds of PP, they kill it. But then poor Pratt is a prat and grabs a high sticking call, putting us right back on the PP. Niko ‘lil Ninja’ Kapanen sneaks in, steals a puck, strikes and struts back out with the goal KAPI scorzes!(unassisted!). 2 – 1 Yotes.

I keep sayin WG has some serious koolaide bein served at intermission cuz its all Yotes when 3 minutes later, the Captain gets his party on and plants a wrister past Tbo. Doaner scorzes! 3 – 1 Yotes. ( The captain has 11 games with points in his streak, 4 of them are multi pointers)

To round out the first 5 minutes of play, good ol DMo (musta accidentally sipped some of the score causing juice) plows a nasty slap shot past Tbo to make it 4 – 1. DMo scorzes! Now to be fair, the Sabres don’t lose their cool, they stay disciplined and work hard but they just have 0 confidence in their net minder at this point and it really shows, they get ultra careful and in this game that just doesn’t cut it. 14 – 6 sogs and only 1 penalty each * we nailed ours…they didn’t*

Big props as usual to our slightly ailing TQ! That boy is slightly insane. The guy is practically a game time decision and is still haulin ash and blockin shots.

So into the third we go, laughing all the way (well Breezy was probably yawning) The Sabres’ Drew Stafford caught the big guy on one of those perfect tripod passing maneuvers to make it 4 – 2 Yotes.

Roy’s line w/ Vanek and Stafford was the only line consistently troublesome all night. It turned out to be ’suck the life outta those suckers time’ in this period. First Boynk and Donor set up the big PM for his streak lengthening goal. Mules scorzes! 5 – 2 Yotes. (Mueller has points in 7 games, 3 of those are multi point games).

Not to be outshone by a PP Qb rookie, Jovo nails a PP goal to finish the rout. Jovo scorzes! 6 – 2 Yotes for the win.

What a holiday! What a performance! and you’ve already witnessed what a miraculously transformative experience a Coyotes game can be in the entry before this one. Come on out folks before there are no tickets to be had. We have been nearly at capacity for the last couple of games.

This was my backstage pass night and I have to say, the Sabres are classy. Thanks Ryan ‘Lady Killer’ Miller – you made my STH perk worth so much more by signing that jersey when you probably just wanted to get the hell out of the desert.

~photos by the ever miraculous BTinAZ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/9302501@N02/sets/72157603774680435/

OnyxStarr@coyoteshipcheck.com

Well I know I haven’t done the post game Sabres entry yet but I absolutely had to share what Bleedin Teal in AZ caught on film during the game.

There is a gentleman who carries the handle SinBin75 on the AZCentral board. He was raised in Sabres country. Now our friend Sin understands that when you are a 1A/1B fan you gotta take a lot of crap from your mates and sometimes total strangers when your ‘home’ team comes to town.

Sin geared himself up for it (and man did he take a huge drubbing all day in the comment section) about 18 pages worth… and his friends Q and DTG photoshopped him onto the worst pic of a Sabres fan ever taken. Our Sin is made of very stern stuff indeed and descended upon Jobing.com arena in all his Sabres finery (ok a Miller/30 jersey might not be considered finery in these parts) … but hey, one man’s junk and all that.

Now that you have the backstory, onto the really fun parts … besides the win of course.

Pictoral Tale of Redemption -

SinBin watches anxiously – not sure who the hell to root for.

SinBin looks on in disgust as his *completely done in by mismanagement* Sabres eat the 1st 3 goals.

The 4th goal begins the transformation.

SinBin returns to the fold in time to watch his now beloved again Yotes finish off the Sabres.

SinBin endures the laughing with true Coyotes pride.

There is more than just a return to the fold as the ending to this story. I took the much abused jersey down for backstage pass night. The gracious and ever so gorgeous Ryan ‘Lady Killer’ Miller signed it for poor SinBin. Now it can go on a wall somewhere. Where it belongs as part of Sin’s past and he can fully embrace his Coyote side.

~photos from the ever vigilant and photastic BTinAZ~

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9302501@N02/sets/72157603770064142/

The 4th game of the home stand promises to be another doozy.

Two goalies who have never faced each other’s teams. That means preparation and game film better have been done and watched carefully. The Buffaslugs are wounded right now, despite the 10 – 1 shellacking they gave an unsuspecting Atlanta team. They quickly returned to their slump in the very next game against a quixotic Leafs team and their road trip is pretty much off to a craptastic start.

Now don’t let that 10 game losing slide fool you. These boys have some pretty good firepower.  Campbell and Pomminville are no joke. Add into the mix the formerly very hot Thomas Vanek and this is a recipe that needs very careful handling (think unstable TNT with Roy as the fuse).  In the game against the Thrashed: “Reunited with wingers Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek, Roy sparked the Sabres to life.  His line accounted for 13 points (7+5) and a combined plus-10 rating.” just ouch!

http://sabres.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=350511

They play very similar style to ours. Hard work, speed and no superstars. I have always been secretly fond of the streaky Kotalik (he gives his all every game) but I have no illusions that he could suddnely find his game and take it to us. These Buffalonians have hung in tight against power houses like Ottawa and New Jersey. Ryan Miller may seem to be struggling right now but there is every expectation that he will find the will to survive this road trip starting with Coyote fodder.

Bryz! will most likely be back in net and with Rhino back in action the lines will stabilize a bit. I liked seeing the Big Kids line back together, which puts Kapi back with Rhino and York and that also works fine for me. I am not quite sure where the recently called up BillT will fit. Hopefully between 2 mates who can yell “HEADS UP!” before the boy gets plowed again. I also hope Bill has been workin on his forechecking skills, otherwise he’ll find himself short on minutes and back in San Antonio faster than I care to speculate on. But the kid can find the back of the net and that may be all we need to tide us over until Vbrat gets healthy again.

We won’t be running 7 Dmen for the next 12 or so days as Jonesy has been sent to SA for  conditioning stint (Matty hasn’t been getting much ice time since Yandle moved in on his shift) the prolonged look-see at Yandle has told me a couple of things… the kid still gets nervous when pressed and often stutters when making decisions under pressure and he has hella offensive instincts though… he’s a keeper for sure and is really close to snagging a permanent spot.

As always we better start hard and fast, I don’t think this Sabres team holds up well under pressure. The odds are in our favor all the way across the board. But we better beware the old saying ‘on any given day’ lest we find ourselves on the short end of the score again.