Whoa! WOW! Wolski! (okay sorry, I couldn’t resist) Wotjek Wolski and Lee Stempniak made Phoenix GM Don Maloney look like an evil genius…again. (there’s a reason that Coyotes fans have the mantra … In GMDM we trust. But I’ll get to that later) Poetic justice or not, this game couldn’t have worked out any better for the Coyotes. It had drama galore and back stories out the whazoo.

New boy Lee Stempniak (affectionately as of this moment called Stumps) started his tenure off on the right foot by drawing first blood. Stumps basically woke up in Toronto, hauled it off to the airport, made it to Phoenix in time to suit up for the game. That’s right, no acclimation for this boy, just jump right on in and start the party with his first Coyotes goal. Of course he had an advantage from working wit Fiddy and Winnie, they may not score that much but they sure generate a lot of chances, which can give a kid with a nose for the net plenty of opportunities. Look for a point gathering renaissance for Lee Stempniak in the coming weeks.

It is supposed to sting Petey my lad, if it hadn’t I would have given up on you as many of the Phoenix fans already have done. Peter Mueller said after the game ” It was really strange (playing against Phoenix) It happened so quickly, the last few days. It’s been surreal. This is one of the games where, not just me, but everyone, wanted to win. It stings a little right now.” The constant booing of a former Coyotes player was startling to me at first but I understand the vitriol of the fans after learning that the chronic underachiever…err lazy bum…sorry, I meant the kid asked for a trade months and months ago according to GMDM. Much like Blake ‘the flake’ Wheeler before him, it was a slap in the face to some of the loyal fans. Many felt like that answered their questions about his performance, that maybe Peter stopped giving his all in an effort to get traded and THAT is a very big no no in the eyes of any fanbase, not just Phoenix. But really people, let it go after this, its ugly and truthfully its waaay too much personalization (he didn’t abandon YOU, he had different needs and it wasn’t really that kind of relationship anyway). Think of it this way, his new team got trounced and the last give away that we scored on was directly on him, that should be enough just desserts, lets move on and wish the kid well in the future, the way we would for any former Coyotes player (just never against us thank you very much).

Speaking of poetic justice, what about Wolski with the GWG? Oh yeah, talk about having the last laugh. The big native of Zabrze, Poland sure got the knee slapper over on his former team mates on Thursday. Scoring off a beautiful feed from his new Captain and endearing himself to his new fanbase, his new team mates, his new coaching staff and giving hockey writers everywhere a cool angle to write about all day. After pissing in the skates of his old team I bet WWW went to bed smiling from ear to ear… I know I did.

We hit an empty net? Really? I rubbed my eyes twice before cheering, cuz seriously, these boys and empty nets just can’t ever seem to get together. Thank you Radim for proving 2 things… yes we can so hit an EN and we can also score more than 2 goals in a game after the break.

The return of BeastGalov was great to see, now maybe I can avoid the cost of going to Russia and beating the hell out of the Olympic goat,I meant coach, sorry. Saving 23 of 24 shots was a pretty big deal because it meant Bryzzie is coming back from the doubting place and will be able to keep the boys hanging around til they can find a way to win.

All the new kids found a way to contribute. Nokaleinin? Nokalienen? oh to hell with it, LocoNoko may not have scored but he ran around knockin the fire out of everyone he could reach. (I would love to nickname the boy AT&T for his ability to reach out and touch someone but I have a feeling LocoNoko may be sticking if he keeps playing so edgy)

Last but certainly not least, the DeMolition man has returned… finally. Despite all the hoopla at the end of his last year, we all knew he’d be back if there was a way. He seemed to have a shaky moment or two but other than a puck hopping over his stick during a power play this new Derek Morris is just fine. The hit on Mueller was sheer poetry and he got a couple of nice shots off during his 16+ minutes of TOI without even breakin a sweat. Welcome back Mo indeed.

The Coyotes took down the Avalanche 3 – 1 and it was a great time. The 12k+ fans in the building were rockin the house. Lots of signs were visible welcoming the new kids and fan favorite DMO, a wave was produced after ginormous effort from a crazy man in section 104 and folks were makin serious noise for the boys throughout the arena. 81 points! 4th in the Western conference! 4th in the NHL! Attendance going up every game (including pesky weeknight games)! National media attention…POSITIVE media attention! Holy jumpin! (yes I wish our little motor mouth, Darren Pang could be here to enjoy this, he was the biggest homer ever through some tough times) but I’ll just borrow his favorite phrase to describe this amazing turn of events.

Up next in this home stand are the Anaheim Ducks. I know everyone and their mama is expecting the Ducks to make their push for a post season spot. We better be ready to squash those plans.

Keys to the game?

Solve Jonas Hiller. Period, point blank and simple. We’ve given this team the business all season but it always comes down to Hilly. This kid is a rock in their net and doesn’t rattle easy. If we can get 2 by him and then hold on tight I would be happy.

Mind our own net. We have to give Bryz some lock down defense. That damn Bobby Ryan can make the best defense look like Swiss cheese. We have to let Bryz see what is coming in and don’t let those damn Anaheim trees set up shop in front of him. Bryzzie still knows how they shoot and always gets up for these games. No rebounds! No second chances for these guys Breezer.

The newest edition of the scoring committee can’t lay back and let the new boys do all the work. (it will be fine if LocoNoko gets the GWG though, I’m all in for another case of poetic justice against his former team) It is time for everyone to partake in the scoring drives. We have to bring all guns to bear in order to get this job done.

Discipline of course will be key tonight. These boys will eat you alive if you give them enough PP time. Just stay out of the box for your own sakes. No stupid penalties tonight please.

Watch your backs! Getzlaf and Wizniewski will be headhunting. Head on a swivel and do unto them before they do unto you should be the words of the day.

There are still some tickets left. The bandwagon is starting to fill up but don’t worry, we’ll scoot over to make room for you to join us. There will of course be a tailgate in Lot J as usual from 2ish to 5pm when the doors open. So come on by and join the party. Don Maloney is hosting a chalk talk around 3:30 ish (I hope you RSVP’d for that) Don is always a great speaker and allows lots of questions.

Don’t forget about the Coyotes Carnival on Sunday! Right here at the JobArena. Rain or shine the boys will be out for this charitable event. We’ll have a blast and you can meet the new kids. It is only a $10 donation to get into the event. Hope to see you there.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Get well Petr Prucha! We adore you.

We lost for a second time to Dallas. We went 8 – 3 in the last 11.  It was just a loss, we’ll bounce back. It is what the Coyotes do, bounce back, stronger and harder every time. Keep in mind that while other leading teams (BUFF, SJS, CHI et al) have been slipping and sliding around these last few games, teams like (PHO, CAR, ATL) have been turning on the afterburners and getting hot at just the right time. This may well be one of the tightest races to the cup berths in a long while.

On the Neal hit, it will be interesting to see what hapens. TSN’s McKenzie doesn’t think there will be any punishment. I guess it depends on the views of the hit you watched. When it first happened I was kinda on the fence but after getting home and watching the replays I wasn’t quite so ambivilent. It is high, there appeared to be contact to the head area, I thought that it warranted a review and an explanation from the NHL. Coach Tippett has been so mum on the refs all year but he really lost his cookies over this one and pretty much called the refs and the league out for accountability on this one. From Tip’s press conference (listen to the whole presser on phoenixcoyotes.com - 

“The league, all I’ve heard for months is how we’re bearing down on head shots,” Tippett said. “Well, that’s a clear head shot. . . . It’s a hit to the head, and you have a guy that’s basically knocked out cold. Again, it just baffles me. When you have referees looking right at it, and they tell you that’s not a bad hit, and you’ve got a guy laying on the ice unconscious. That just baffles me.” -

The 210lb Neal caught the 170lb Prucha vulnerable, no Neal’s shoulder isn’t high but the elbow does come up, there wasn’t any serious speed behind the hit but it is deliberate. Neal has been suspended once this year for his hit on CLS’ Derrick Dorsett. Will he be carrying the repeat offender tag after this one? I certainly hope so.

Coach Crawford should keep his mouth shut, his first sentences make him sound like a completely callous creep - 

“It was to me, it really was nothing,” he said. “Nobody likes to see anybody get hurt. It’s terrible when a guy hits his head on the glass, but he took him out. You watch the play, and he doesn’t even finish his check. It was all his head hitting the glass. It’s tough. (Loui) Eriksson got a tougher hit (from Doan) at the end of the game, and he’s got the face to show it right now. We hope Petr’s OK. You hate to see anybody get hurt.”

I would be all over giving Turco props for getting back on track except he seems to have lost his mind (the deliberate head butt last game and the punches to Doan as he was falling across the paint last night were not only uncalled for but very un-Dallas like) I lost a lot of respect for Marty with these actions. One of the solidly Dallas fans in the stands took off her Turco jersey after the punches and has disavowed him. (She was staunchly in his corner for years) Playing hard and playing with attitude are great things… why does the cheap and ugly suddenly have to enter the picture?

Props to Bissonnette and Hanzal for standing up for their team mates.

Anyway, the Stars did exactly what they were supposed to do, get a lead and make a tired, legless team chase the game. Intentional or not, the injury to Prucha helped the Stars to keep the Yotes off their game and mentally screwed up. Does this game matter in the scheme of things? We’re still 3 – 2 in this series. I guess it only matters if you are wearing the green and gold. (Dallas remains in 9th tied with DET and 14th in the league.)Dallas is still fighting for their playoff lives, we on the other hand didn’t lose anything, still 4th in the league and in the conference. (although LAK and COL have snuck a little closer, we’ll have to put some serious distance between us when we return from the break) 

Come playoffs, the Yotes will have to shake these things loose and continue to play their system if they want to progress. Not forgive of course, but forget long enough to get the job done. First priority is to get the win, revenge is a dish best served cold, from a big silver cup that finally has our name on it.

Darryl Jones of Ice Edge was at the game last night. Good to see that they are keeping a sharp eye on their future investment. Too bad we lost but he did get to see a team of heart put out a good effort after a brutal travel schedule and a team that stands up for itself and its mates. If you haven’t been watching Goldwater’s attempts to interfere in our business, the Judge pretty much told the GWI to butt out. The court says there are no new documents for them to root around over and to get lost because they didn’t present enough evidence to contradict the City of Glendale and Ice Edge.

So enjoy this break Yotes fans, devote time to the family and the dog and the yard. Watch the Olympics and cheer for our kids playing for their countries and of course root for the USA to win a bunch of gold. We’ll all be really busy watching the Yotes make the mad sprint into their long awaited post season berth after this haiatus. A healthy and well rested Coyotes team will be hunting points and howling their way through the NHL ranks. THIS is the year of the Coyotes!

As always… Go Coyotes!

There are 20 games left including tonight’s tilt against the Dallas Stars. That is 40 points, sitting there, begging to be brought home. Now of course we can’t bring them all home but I’m sure our record can accommodate 21 or more of the little critters.

Looking back and being honest, who can say they saw this coming? We had hopes of course and most of us said we’d skid into the post season on a smoking wing and a prayer. But who saw THIS? This team that won’t quit, that hasn’t lost more than 3 in a row all season. This Coyotes squad that never gives up, even when they’re 2 goals or 3 goals behind. Who saw these guys becoming a family, a unit, a force of nature?

That force is back in Glendale tonight after burning the Oil,  sweeping the Wild for the first time ever! and just missing beating the Avs to 2 points. (we just left too many chances on the table last night. Totally winnable but I’m not totally disappointed. Just gotta say… there are nights when I really hate zebras) But the boys scratched, clawed and as Tippett says, hung around til they could find a way to win for the most part. We grabbed 4 more of those coveted little points to bring our total to a whopping 79! *we’re 3 points ahead of LAK and within shouting distance of Chicago’s 83*

Tonight is one of those nasty back-to-back nights with a bit of travel slipped in to make it more interesting. (the NHL scheduler really hates us apparently, because we just did this… against Dallas no less!) Well the Stars can forget about facing a lifeless, legless team again this time. They’re home and we’ll be providing them with some energy to help them along tonight on home ice.

So, keys to this game?

Screw Marty Turco. Literally and figuratively. Make him a non factor. Don’t dump anything too close or he’ll go all 3rd defenseman on us. *putting it out far enuff that he’s tempted to go out front would be fine and then strip him and put it in the net!* that works quite well.

Watch out for the rejuvenated Ratboy, Ribbie is back in the lineup and ready to sneak a few goals if he can. Don’t let them get any good chances, they had a good game against CAL the other night.

Play physical not tentative. (just because the refs in COL blew some calls at the end, doesn’t mean we’ll get jobbed again) We have to play these guys physically and hard all 60 minutes. No space allowed.

Discipline as always will have to be tight. No matter what any Star does, let HIM get the penalty… or take that clown to the box with you. (we don’t have to worry about Otter, he’s out with his appendix)

Scoring committee and their new left wing Lombardi need to come out firing all the heavy artillery tonight. We need to go into the break with a good victory.

Puck drops at 6pm. Tailgate is from 2pm til 5pm in parking lot J. Hope to see you all there! It is we win/you win night so don’t forget to keep your ticket AND the voucher for free tickets after we win. Booster Club 50/50 bring your extra 2 bucks to get in on the chance to win some dough.

******************NHL Olympic Roster Freeze is on

Some juicy pieces cleared waivers  Like Jonathan Cheechoo… an interesting player,  we should at least kick the tires on that

As always… Go Coyotes!

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On that note…

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

The keys to this game?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As always… GO COYOTES!

Good news: Upshall has been activated! TheGr8t Scott has been deemed fit for duty and will hit the ice tonight. We missed him alot, thankfully the kidney shots that creep Holmstrom gave him didn’t do any permanent damage. (Where’s his friggin suspension? Scottie was IR’d and facing urine checks for a couple weeks from that cheap shot)

Bad news: JovoCop has been deactivated. Mr. Jovonasty has been suspended for 2 games and fined more money than I have even seen in my lifetime for his elbow on Tavares. It is sad that Jovo is now considered a repeat offender and people like Burrows (deliberate slash to the knee of Vrbata) don’t even rate a looksee*EDIT(oops ROFL, I stand corrected, apparently SOMEBODY sees thru AlexB). Don’t even start with me about the elbow. He did it and although I’m still sure the big guy wasn’t out to cripple the kid, it appears pretty damn intentional. We can play without him but our guys better have eyes in the backs of their helmets without that big deterrent on the ice.

Sad news: Porter and Hoggan are back to San Antonio. We hate to see them leave but consolation is, everytime they come back they look better and better. Its good to know that our future roster players are almost ready for prime time.

Cool news: We have a new featured blogger. In honor of our Pacific Division chase its Sharks afficianados; Dudes on Hockey! These guys are informative and often edgy (just the way we like our blogs) So be sure to go check them out for your San Jose Sharks news, notes and insight.

So it is time once again to face the fish people. This is the 5th of 6 and we’ve gotten a point off these boys every time we’ve played but this time we really need to get both points. This is the time of the year where cushions start disappearing. 3rd one day and 9th the next is not that rare of an occurrence in the Western Conference and the Pacific Division is one of the toughest in the league.

Keys to the game?

Play THE system! Tippett has the knowledge to get us to the post season. He can lead us to water but he can’t make us drink. The boys have to listen and follow the plan. Shark’s Captain Rob Blake describes our system pretty well in the local news. “Phoenix, is a team that tries to frustrate you,” Blake said. “They play well. They’re pretty patient throughout the neutral zone, and they want you to be frustrated and either take penalties or create turnovers.”  It has worked very well… no deviations tonight guys.

Goaltending better be straightened out. As the Olympic break gets closer, Breezer has to be getting a little distracted no matter how hard he tries not to. Even though his last start wasn’t pretty, we can probably all agree that it wasn’t his fault. (We pretty much sucked the first 2 periods and the extended man down scenario didn’t help either) Hopefully, facing Nabby (Breezy’s best competition for the Olympic starter spot) should focus the big guy on this game.

Offensive touch is on the verge of breaking out! (No, really. We proved we can do more than 2 goals a game and its time to show off our new skill again tonight) Getting Upshall back gets the Korpedo off the main line which should be good for a few extra chances at beating that crazy alien Nabokov.

Enough with the goals against! Play friggin defense. Forwards need to forecheck like their lives depend on it. We’re down a big part of our blueline without Jovo. The dmen are gonna need every advantage they can get. Do NOT give that Marleau line any leverage. And for gods sake NO POWER PLAYS if at all avoidable.

Its our barn, we’re your peeps, play for us! We’ll give you back double what you give out.

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

The Ambassador’s Club met on Saturday for the second time. AJ is in the lead with like 50 purchases through the program. There were a bunch of us tied with 4 or more purchases. We’re doing good guerilla marketing for the boys. Giving out the cards, posting the links and just basically trying to talk butts into the seats by any means possible. Thank you to everyone who has purchased tickets so far. The promotion will be ending soon (I’ll get the exact date so you guys don’t miss the opportunity) remember its not just for the game of the day, you can buy the discounted tickets for packages and for games all the way through April. (Including The Ded games, Shane’s Bobblehead night, we win you win nights too.) Also don’t sleep on the CircleK/Pepsi deal. The cheap soda prices ends Jan 31st but the choice of games ends before that. Grab your 10bucks and go buy the 4 (8) pks, take your receipt AND the voucher from the display to the Jobarena and score 2 lower bowl (80 & 100 buck seats!)

Doug Moss did a mini Q & A for us. The team is talking about snowbird packages with WestJet and a hotel in the Biltmore area to package with Yotes tickets for our Northern friends to get out of the cold, see great hockey and enjoy our great city. Talk about a great shuttle idea vacation package. The Yotes have bid on the ASG week for 2011/2012/2013. Don’t count on 2011 even though we’ve heard from Bill Daly’s lips that we’re in the running. (the BK and ownership stuff just won’t get settled in time most likely to make us a serious choice) BUT, we’re most likely going to get the nod for one of the other 2 bids. We were also updated about our beloved #44. Sweets has been out all season and is still having issues. There is a slim possibility that we might not get him back at all for this season which just blows. The old  injury continues to plague him, affecting his skating, balance and the odd headache. We hope he continues to progress and makes it back to the roster after the Olympic break.

Haterz are really silly people. They don’t listen and they sure make up some really crappy stuff to natter on about. The NHL has said repeatedly that it may take as long as the end of the season to get our ownership deal done. Yet some dorks (mostly AZCentral POS commenters so I guess any credibility goes down the tubes straight off the bat) continue to cling to January 15th as some doomsday decision making date that will knock Ice Edge out of the buyers process… and they are gloating about it. Sheesh! Get a different hobby haters. But my favorite thing so far is the conspiracy stuff. They apparently don’t watch our games, don’t see the crap we take from the refs. Now they are all about the NHL trying to give us preferential treatment to get into the post season. ROFLMBFAO, don’t bother getting a hobby haterz, get a life instead, you guys have waaay too much time on your hands and not enough working brain cells.

So, puck drops at 7pm, doors open at 6pm. Hope to see you all there!

As always… GO COYOTES!

WE DID IT! We got 10 straight home wins to set a franchise record. What an amazing night.

We stole a point in San Jose Monday night (we almost took 2 but just couldn’t come all the way back) Battling the #1 team in our division is always tough since SJ has so much talent. It was great to keep within striking distance of the leader.

The big story is our home ice performance though. Feels like nothing can stop us on our own ice. Everyone is starting to notice and say nice things about us. We got plenty of room on the bandwagon, even for the former haterz. Can you believe even Gambo is giving us props. I wish our opponent’s fans would be as classy as Canuck’s Coach Alain Vignault who said we were the hardest working team they’ve faced. Canuck fans are making excuses but lets face it, they were outplayed by a team that went head to head with the Sharks the night before…all the way to shoot out. The Nucks got to sit around and watch us battle, they shoulda been able to put us away but couldn’t. Deal with it Canuckleheads, you got Korpedoed by the lowly Coyotes.

We started AZBarbie for this second game of the back to back. I was totally not expecting anything from him but Jason stepped up and snatched this win from the Canuckleheads. I will still be nervous when JB starts but tonight went a long way towards believing in him. Going head to head against Luongo is no picnic but Barbie outplayed one of the league’s top tenders tonight. At this rate of play, AZBarbie just might become a term of endearment. JLB is 3 – 3 – 0 for his starts which is acceptable considering he has rather large layoffs in between. He really needs to stay in his net before he gives me heart failure but other than a bit of a shaky start with big dramatic movements that take him out of position, he did a good job. Gotta give him props for his shootout prowess too.

The return of JovoNasty was spectacular! If your name was Sedin or Erhoff you ended up calling him MR. Jovonasty. All night Jovo was upending Canucks like a dump truck. Haven’t seen him grin like that in awhile. (He sure likes plowin through people) Also haven’t seen him that pissed in awhile (he should always play mad) but I thought the refs were gonna toss the big guy for arguing their stoopid calls. Totally loving this rendition of Ed Jovanovski. Poor Canucks, must hurt to go up against that many players you rejected and get beat. (Jovo, Babs and Pyatt)

13k in attendance watched our historic moment. You may have noticed googahs of mini hockey teams around the arena. The Coyotes Cup was held in Scottsdale and teams from all over( including the cute group in my section from Alaska) came to battle for supremacy. They got an extra present of seeing the Coyotes play the Canucks and win. Congratulations to Murph! The Squirt A Phoenix Polar Bears won the Coyote Cup.

Count the night a success. We haven’t had a record this good since 2002 when Bob Francis’ team went 12 over 500 (took them nearly the whole season to get there). In the 30 years of the franchise’s existence as Jets and now Coyotes, we’ve never strung together 10 straight home wins. Every game just keeps getting better, this one had it all too. I think we have actually found another gear. Thank god because we’re gonna need it to finish the second half of the season successfully.

Well we’re still chasing that #1 spot in the Pacific. The Sharks ate Washington like a bucket of their favorite chum tonight. So hopefully they’ll either be tired as hell or too high to concentrate. I’d love a delivery of sushi from the boys for New Years, wouldn’t you?

So what do we gotta do to serve up home win number 11?

Well 11 is a good start, Marty Hanzal has to keep doing his spectacular job of corraling Thornton. Z has to keep playing second goalie. Jovo could plaster a few Sharks to the boards for shits n giggles and Bryzzie needs to look sharp and watch out for that damn red hot Pavelski.

Goalie Battle! Is that our newest redundant statement? (Besides pack mentality and committee scoring) It seems to always come down to whoever blinks last with these two goalies. In Bryz we trust. (some nights I swear he could take teams on alone… if he could score, he just might).

Grit and discipline will be the watchwords of the night. Staying out of the box should be a little easier after what we put up with from the Canucks. The Sharks are hard hitting but mostly not cheap shot artistes (like that little bastard Burrows). We know they’ll get their chances but if we can keep them to low percentage chances and screw up their entry through the neutral all night, we should be fine… give the PKers a break guys.

*************OLYMPIANS!************

Z and Sami have been added to the list of Yotes that will be heading to the Olympics. Breezy was announced for Russia earlier in the month. The Michaleks will hit the ice together and give the Czechs a serious chance at a medal. (May be our only chance to see the boys play together) Lepisto will join the Finns along with former Yotes Kapanen and Jokinen. (Good luck Niko! I still adore that little guy, he is all heart). My heart goes out to Doaner, Jovo and Ryan Smyth who were not chosen for the Canadian squad. You know they really wanted to be there. Doan has led Canadian teams to sweet victory before, I think they may regret not grabbing our Captain when all is said and done. The guys stayed classy in the face of disappointment, declaring that they will be with the team in spirit and wishing them golden success. Team USA has not been announced yet, might we see our very own Yands get the nod? (good chances there for the Boston boy who has matured beyond belief this season)

Hope to see you tomorrow night for Coyotes Howlin Good New Year’s Eve game and party at Westgate. Puck drop early peeps. 5 pm start with Westgate going from 7pm – 2am. Remember designated drivers! Be safe out there please.

As Always… GO COYOTES!

Holy guacomole! What a night. We held a pregame celebration for our Captain’s 1000th game and 16,ooo folks showed up. They came in old school sweaters. They came in new school and home made apparel. They came in family groups and teams and singles. It wasn’t a cheap promotional trick, there were no tickets from vodka bottles or white out gimmicks. They came to honor Shane Albert Doan and to watch his team in action. What a tribute and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer, more deserving guy… or team.

Every game lately makes me think, wow, thats the best game of 2009. This one was no different. We had a hell of a crowd. We had a fight. We had neck and neck scoring. We had a goalie battle. We had the requisite crazy goal (just so the hockey gods can let everyone one know who they favor?). We had the epic 6 on 4 battle in the last seconds that brought the crowd to its feet. And we got the win. Who can ask for anything more? This couldn’t have been better if I sat down and planned it out. A huge crowd got to see what we die hards have been witnessing all year. If this 3 – 2 last ditch effort win doesn’t draw back some fans I don’t know what will.

This was the tale of 2 underrated long shots vying for the right to take on the perrennially division leading Sharks for first place honors. So evenly matched and each with something to prove after no play off appearances in over 7 years. Each team is clawing their way up the points ladder, game by game. Neither team has a major proven star but after this season, there may be a few more household names in the Western Conference.

Our best get-well-soon wishes go out to Justin Williams who suffered a broken leg during the first period. And to our own Daniel Winnick who may have broken an arm (we’re still awaiting official word but Winnie was sent straight to IR and that spells long term issue). I have never seen the stretcher at theJobarena. It was scary as hell. The Dawgs play so honorably and unusually clean that this kind of thing never crossed my mind to happen in a Yotes game.

We didn’t move up in the league or conference but we sure as hell proved a point in the division. 50 points is good enough to get us into 2nd place and within targeting range of the Sharks. Do we really want that distinction though? I mean look at San Jose, they are in 1st place a lot and it gets them diddley squat in the playoffs. It may even be jinxed!  It also paints a target on our backs for every team in the Conference to start gunning for. But then again, I for one would be willing to risk it since 1st in division guarantees us a berth in the post season. So lets go get it and worry about keeping it later.

Speaking of keeping it, all the haterz out there have started chattering again. Trying to cha cha their way out of the doody hole they put themselves in by predicting the Yotes for dead last in the NHL. Rumor has it that we are a fluke and will be dead after the break. Do they just not do their homework? Dave Tippett has coached (4) 50 game winning seasons. He has a reputation for getting everyone on the same page and for delivering the performances of their lives…consistently. I hope they all enjoy a heaping helping of crow when we blaze into the post season no matter what place in the league we take to get there.

The Sharks know we’re coming for them. Monday night in the tank is going to get crazy. This first part of a home n home will be a serious testing ground for us. If we take the win we will be within 1 point of them and with a second shot at them on home ice on Thursday we could start opening up the distance between competitors in the Pacific.

I am not looking forward to this game despite beating the Sharks twice so far in the series. I can’t think of a worse time to be out Winnie and Fiddy. The Sharks play a very physical game against us. We could really use Winnie’s size and tenacity tomorrow. We weren’t too bad on the face off without Vernon Fiddler but puck possession against the Sharks will be tough without those extra FO wins that Fiddy brings to the table. We’ve called up Porter and Hoggan. Hoggan brings the physical with his play and hopefully can help ward off McLaren, Shelley and Murray’s bruiser tendencies.

Keys to this game?

Shut ‘em down – Thornton is not easy to make invisible but Hanzal seems to be in his head, lets keep it that way. Marleau is on a tear, we just can’t give him any room. Heatley is just Heatley and we’ll have to try to limit him as much as possible.

Jump them early – we do much better playing with a lead. We need to give Ilya that breathing room so he can put the onus on Nabby to blink again. We’ve chased their goalie from the net before and if that 1st line can keep rolling like the last few games this might be another one of those nights. But we may need another unlikely hero to step up and surprise these guys.

Goalie battle! – Sheesh how many times can this be a key to a game? The goalies in the west are all exceptional and Nabakov is one of the wiliest. I still think he’s at least part alien but this season at least we know he’s beatable. Our mad Russian VS theirs will once again be the difference maker.

Own the neutral zone – this is our best chance to keep ourselves out of trouble.

Discipline, discipline discipline – it has to be said. Stay out of the box. #8 in the league with PP points against our #9 place PK looks pretty even but we’re down one of our best with Winnie out. Lets not test our PK prowess tomorrow.

Puck drops at 8:30pm and the game is not on local TV so listen on the radio with Heeter or visit a friend with Center Ice.

Go check out BTinAZ’s newest pics, they’re phenomenal as usual. And if you need tickets, you came to the right place we got the ambaasor’s club discount still going strong!

As always… GO COYOTES!

King slaying. Tonight will be all about knocking the LA Kings off the throne.

After their 8 day rest up and with all the crown princes back in the line up (Smyth, Simmons and JMFJ may all return tonight) its time to take these guys out decisively. No points, no mercy. Too much rest and the rust from too much time away from the rink due to injuries, may just provide a chink in their armor.

The Kings grew a pair of brass ones when they kept rookie Wayne Simmons on the team. They play with more grit with that kid in their lineup. The Smyth/Kopitar pairing was as hot as anything the NHL could throw at us. Kopi did not fare well in Ryan Smyth’s absence and hopefully will take some time to redevelop that rapport. Adding Jack Johnson to a back end that includes Pouty Doughty is no picnic… unless Drew decides to brainfart all night again.

So far we have delivered big games (like the win for Tippett’s first game against Dallas) hopefully we can pull off a spectacular showing for our Captain’s 1000th game celebration. A win would also mark the team tying a franchise 9 game home winning streak that hasn’t been duplicated since we were Jets.

Both teams sit at 7 – 2 -1 in the last 10. We’re more alike than people think… except we roll deeper lines and are not dependent on 3 – 4 players to get a win.

So how do we pull this off?

Be careful! If Ryan Smyth and Anze Kopitar manage to avoid the injury-rust syndrome and recreate their magic it will not be a pretty outcome. Kopi has barely managed 2 g/4 a’s in 15 games since Smyttie has been out. Together they represent a serious portion of the King’s goal production.(32 points in 22 games for Kopitar) King Kopitar uses Smyth’s crease camping to disguise his devestating shots with disgusting ease. We absolutely have to contain Kopitar without losing track of Big Dustin Brown and Frolov the wonder hobbit. Easier said than done I know but we have the tools.

Match their physicality without getting penalties. That is one badass blueline rockin the purple. Johnson and Doughty are willing to knock you into next week and send our puck cross-ice without thinking and that puck could end up in our net if Bryzzie so much as blinks at the wrong time.

Special teams had better be something really special tonight (just not short bus special please)

JUST SAY NO! to power play chances. We cannot give them any easy opportunities. These guys LOVE a power play. The Kings aren’t great at it (they are like 12th in the league while we are like 21st) its like giving a fat kid cake, they get a high that is hard to neutralize later. Please hockey gods let us find someone else’s power play. (some team that is really good at it like WSH … I need to be specific with the hockey gods or they’ll give us Carolina’s or something)  We need to capitalize tonight. These guys can really take the joy out of a man advantage.

Our PK is something magical. But it’s better not to be dependent on it tonight. We’re around 6th in the league while the Kings are around 23rd. Lets keep that superiority going, by limiting the times we have to break that puppy out.

Offensive creativity. We need to roll all 4 lines. We’ve found our top line (the Lombo combo is back, this time with Doan in Prucha’s place.) Thes boys are the tic-tac-toe sorcerers. Followed by the Czech Federation (Prucha, Vrbata and Hanzal pick their spots but when they get rolling its a monster). The 3rd  and 4th lines shift pieces but any combination that includes Pyatt, Fiddler (if he’s well), Lang (slow to the party but brings excitement with him when he arrives) and the high octane Mueller (now that he’s getting on track) is sure to break a few royal hearts (hopefully Quick’s)

Goalie battle! Can Jon Quick’s glove hand beat the overall insane performances that Breezy delivers? If we remember stick side high in traffic, this might be a perfect storm. Quick can blow hot and cold but his beefy blue line usually pulls his Nestle out of the fire. We’re gonna have to run some Prucha-esque blitzes on his crease to make sure he doesn’t see who is coming. Making sure Bryz can see everything is going to be critical but limiting their visits by cutting off their access at the neutral (like the Duck’s game) would be the best help we can give our big guy.

So home ice, a blood pumping Captain’s ceremony and a good crowd to be the 6th man should be the last pieces to aid in this joust. Let’s go Coyotes… play for us!

As always… GO COYOTES!