SB Nation Arizona: All Posts by Jordan Ellel

Sunday's Coyotes Tracks - Ending on a High

2013-04-28T14:00:07Z

Coyotes vs. Ducks Post Game Recaps & News

Phoenix Coyotes @ Anaheim Ducks Recap: Finishing With A Win - Five For Howling

Phoenix Coyotes at Anaheim Ducks Game Recap - 04/27/2013 - NHL.com
Radim Vrbata had three goals, capping his hat trick with a short-handed score, and Jason LaBarbera made 22 of his 43 saves in the third period to lead the Phoenix Coyotes to a 5-3 victory over the playoff-bound Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.

Vrbata, Coyotes down Ducks in season finale - FS Arizona
Vrbata nets hat trick as Coyotes take down division-champion Ducks 5-3 in season finale.

Coyotes News

Hockey Canada Names Tippett to Coaching Staff for 2013 IIHF World Championship - Phoenix Coyotes - News
Tip will join Barry Trotz and Lindy Ruff in Sweden and Finland in May.

Coyotes' frustrating season comes to an end - FS Arizona
Inconsistency, mediocre goaltending, lack of skill, uncertain future defined Coyotes' disappointing year.

Pirates News

Crunch Sink Pirates in Overtime 4-3
Penalties came back to hurt the Pirates who will look for some NHL experienced help with the Coyotes season ending.

Pirates blow two-goal lead, twice, falling to Crunch in OT -Maine Hockey Journal
Teams who take double digits in penalties rarely win hockey games.

Gladiators News

Glads Fall in Double Overtime - Gwinnett Gladiators
Louis Domingue was brilliant, turning aside 45 shots, but the Glads eventually fell 3-2, which is also the series lead for the Cincinnati Cyclones. Game 6, which was set to be a home game for Gwinnett will be played Tuesday in Cincinnati due to lease issues, but the Glads will have home team privileges.

Sundogs News

Sundogs Thank Community for Support: Sundogs News
Now that the scissor lift stunt is done, the Sundogs have a lot more planned going into the summer.

Manchester Phoenix News

EPL 2013 Playoff DVDs
For those that want to see first hand the Phoenix's playoff victory.

News From Around the Hockey World

Saturday's NHL Scores - SBNation.com
Your guide to the busy day around the NHL

Game 48 Recap: Heads Held High - The Cannon
With everything on the line, the Blue Jackets needed a win just for the possibility of the playoffs, and put everything they had on the ice against the Nashville Predators for an incredible 3-1 win.

Don Cherry on Keith incident: ‘I don’t believe women should be in the male dressing room’ (Video) | Puck Daddy - Yahoo! Sports
Oh my god, Ron Maclean's reaction...

The Final Howl

True Facts About…Playoff Bound Canadian Teams | Backhand Shelf | Blogs | theScore.com

Phoenix Coyotes vs. Colorado Avalanche: Complete Coverage

2013-04-27T01:00:09Z

In the home finale, the Phoenix Coyotes host the Western Conference worst Colorado Avalanche at Jobing.com Arena looking to build on a strong showing against the Sharks on Wednesday night.

Playing for pride is all that's left for the Phoenix Coyotes, but if Wednesday night's victory over San Jose is any indication, the Desert Dogs still feel like they have a lot to show folks. For the fans, there will be the usual array of giveaways and fan-oriented arena fun, and hopefully one last victory on home ice to send fans into another off-season of ownership fun and excitement.

For the Avs, there is absolutely nothing to play for - they will finish 29th in the league this year, last in the West and only ahead of Florida in the East. After coming somewhat close to the playoffs last year, the Avs were looking to take the next step and return to the postseason during the shortened season, but injuries and all of the other issues that seemed to plague the Coyotes doomed them to this fairly disappointing finish.

This is the third meeting between the Avs and 'Yotes with Phoenix taking the first two match-ups by scores of 3-2 in overtime at Colorado and 4-0 in Glendale.

Five For Winning

1. Put On a Show. It's the final home game of the season (and possibly the final home game in Phoenix, maybe), so it would be nice to go out with a bang...like a 7 goal outpouring or something.

2. Get a #1? Despite the general disappointment of the season, Mike Smith is actually tied for first in the league with 5 shutouts; adding a 6th for the top spot would be pretty sweet.

3. Who is the scoring leader? Shane Doan leads the team with 26 points, but Keith Yandle and Mikkel Boedker are right behind him with 25 each, Radim Vrbata has 24, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson has 23. Can Doan hold off the younger guys through the final two games?

4. Play For a Spot. Chris Conner, Alexandre Bolduc, and Rob Klinkhammer (maybe to a lesser degree) are each trying to show the management that they deserve to be here in the fall. Conner's been the most impressive recently, but whether they will be this year's Gilbert Brule remains to be seen.

5. Win. For the fans, just because.

Players to Watch

Shane Doan

#19 / Right Wing / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 6-1

Weight: 223

Born: Oct 10, 1976

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2012 - Shane Doan	46	13	13	26	6	35	0	0	2		127

Gabriel Landeskog

#92 / Left Wing / Colorado Avalanche

Height: 6-1

Weight: 204

Born: Nov 23, 1992

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2012 - Gabriel Landeskog	34	9	7	16	-3	22	0	3	1		106

Doaner's had a lot of success against the Avs this year with a few goals (including the OT game winner), a few assists and some general feisty play. Landeskog is just a fun kid to watch play even if he isn't scoring as much as I would've expected.

Likely Starting Goalies

Mike Smith

#41 / Goalie / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 6-4

Weight: 218

Born: Mar 22, 1982

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2012 - Mike Smith	33	1891	15	12		80	2.54	910	830	.912	5

Jean-Sebastien Giguere

#35 / Goalie / Colorado Avalanche

Height: 6-1

Weight: 202

Born: May 16, 1977

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2012 - Jean-Sebastien Giguere	17	852	5	4		39	2.75	438	399	.911	0

Can't imagine it's not Smitty for the 'Yotes. Varlamov and Giguere seem to be exchanging starts recently, so we'll go with J-S.

Injuries

Coyotes

Rob Klinkhammer (concussion) - day-to-day

Derek Morris (lower body) - day-to-day

Avs

Erik Johnson (wrist) - day-to-day

Phoenix Coyotes vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview: Fan Appreciation Fun Day

2013-04-26T16:00:07Z

This is the third meeting between the Avs and 'Yotes with Phoenix taking the first two match-ups by scores of 3-2 in overtime at Colorado and 4-0 in Glendale.

Five For Winning

1. Put On a Show. It's the final home game of the season (and possibly the final home game in Phoenix, maybe), so it would be nice to go out with a bang...like a 7 goal outpouring or something.

2. Get a #1? Despite the general disappointment of the season, Mike Smith is actually tied for first in the league with 5 shutouts; adding a 6th for the top spot would be pretty sweet.

5. Win. For the fans, just because.

Players to Watch

Shane Doan

#19 / Right Wing / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 6-1

Weight: 223

Born: Oct 10, 1976

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2012 - Shane Doan	46	13	13	26	6	35	0	0	2		127

Gabriel Landeskog

#92 / Left Wing / Colorado Avalanche

Height: 6-1

Weight: 204

Born: Nov 23, 1992

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2012 - Gabriel Landeskog	34	9	7	16	-3	22	0	3	1		106

Likely Starting Goalies

Mike Smith

#41 / Goalie / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 6-4

Weight: 218

Born: Mar 22, 1982

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2012 - Mike Smith	33	1891	15	12		80	2.54	910	830	.912	5

Jean-Sebastien Giguere

#35 / Goalie / Colorado Avalanche

Height: 6-1

Weight: 202

Born: May 16, 1977

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2012 - Jean-Sebastien Giguere	17	852	5	4		39	2.75	438	399	.911	0

Can't imagine it's not Smitty for the 'Yotes. Varlamov and Giguere seem to be exchanging starts recently, so we'll go with J-S.

Injuries

Coyotes

Rob Klinkhammer (concussion) - day-to-day

Derek Morris (lower body) - day-to-day

Avs

Erik Johnson (wrist) - day-to-day

Sunday's Coyotes Tracks - Holding On

2013-04-21T15:00:08Z

Coyotes vs. Blackhawks Post Game Recaps & News

Phoenix Coyotes @ Chicago Blackhawks Recap: Coyotes Keep Slim Playoff Hopes Alive with Shootout Win - Five For Howling

Phoenix Coyotes defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in a shootout - AZCentral (AP)

Chicago Blackhawks: Crawford in goal vs. Coyotes - chicagotribune.com

Coyotes vs. Blackhawks: Corey Crawford gives up goal from center ice - SBNation.com

Coyotes News

EA Sports NHL 14 Cover Vote: Doan vs. Yandle - Phoenix Coyotes - Features
Who do you want on the cover of NHL14?

Gilles Marotte Trophy: Derek Morris the front-runner, Erik Johnson closing in | Puck Daddy - Yahoo! Sports
DMo might win a highly prestigious (or not) award.

NHL Playoffs: Columbus, Detroit, Dallas And Phoenix Fight For 8th Seed : The Hockey Writers
Columbus, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix are fighting for the 8th seed in their quest for the NHL playoffs. Who will get in and who will be left out?

Keith Yandle wears Martin Richard jersey, honoring 8-year-old Boston Marathon victim (Photo) | Puck Daddy - Yahoo! Sports
This was linked in yesterday's recap, but the story is too good not to bring more attention to it.

Pirates News

Lane Hat Trick Lifts Pirates over Whale
It was the first career hat trick for Phil Lane in the home finale for the Pirates.

Pirates win home finale | Maine Hockey Journal

Pirates Sign Chris Rawlings to Amateur Tryout Contract
The career shutout recordholder for Northeastern University gets a pro contract with the Pirates.

News From Around the Hockey World

Saturday's NHL Scores - SBNation.com
Links to recaps of last night's action.

PLAYOFFS - Pension Plan Puppets
THE LEAFS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS

Bruins, Penguins pay tribute to Boston | Backhand Shelf | Blogs | theScore.com

Video: Jack Edwards compares Matt Cooke to Sirhan Sirhan, apologizes | ProHockeyTalk
Might want to sit the next one out, big fella.

Wayne Simmonds scores first career hat trick | ProHockeyTalk
He's never had a four-point night until Saturday, either.

Video: Alex Ovechkin pushes goals total to 30 in win | ProHockeyTalk
Steven Stamkos is in second with 27.

The Final Howl

Stephen Gionta hit over into bench, shoved back onto ice by Panthers (Video) | Puck Daddy - Yahoo! Sports

Phoenix Coyotes @ Chicago Blackhawks Recap: Coyotes Keep Slim Playoff Hopes Alive with Shootout Win

2013-04-21T04:49:51Z

Not many people would've like the odds in a shootout that would feature Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Marian Hossa for the Chicago Blackhawks against Mikkel Boedker, Radim Vrbata, and David Schlemko for the Phoenix Coyotes. But with the season on the line, Coach Tippett was rewarded for his gutsy call when Schlemko beat Corey Crawford for the game winner after Hossa hit the cross bar on a rocket just moments earlier.

[Complete Coverage] - [Chicago Reaction]

[Event Summary] - [Play-by-Play] - [TOI Report] - [Faceoff Report]

To be honest, I missed a significant amount of this game, but from what I've seen in highlights and heard on the radio, the Phoenix Coyotes were fairly outplayed throughout much of the game, particularly the first 40 minutes. Mike Smith, back from a lower body injury, kept the Coyotes in this one through the first two periods, turning aside 26 of 28 shots he faced. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ice, Corey Crawford looked shaky, allowing a goal from beyond the red line on a hopper from Rostislav Klesla. Radim Vrbata was the Coyotes other goal scorer.

For the Hawks, Brent Seabrook lit the lamp twice on the power play to book end the two Coyotes goals, converting 2 feeds from Patrick Kane. There were some remarkable opportunities for Chicago in overtime, but Mike Smith literally stood on his head at one point to keep this game tied and headed to the shootout.

In the shootout, Smith stoned Toews to start the proceedings and then Boedker turned Crawford inside out before settling the puck on his forehand and flipping it into the net. Kane opened up Smitty's five hole on a move with uncharacteristic speed and Vrbata missed the net on a variation of his normal forehand-backhand move. Hossa had the most terrifying shootout chance taking a full on slapshot from 10 feet in front of Smitty but clanging it off the cross bar. Then David Schlemko pretty much photocopied Boedker's move and put the game winner into the top part of the netting surprising a packed United Center, the watching TV audience, and even Schlemko himself it seemed.

With the win, all eyes turned to Rogers Arena in Vancouver where the Red Wings and Canucks were knotted at 1 as a I wrote this, and Vancouver has just won the shootout, giving Detroit an ever important loser point.

Paw Prints

The Coyotes' max possible points remains at 54. Minnesota and Columbus are the only two teams that the Coyotes can possibly catch and they need to jump Dallas and Detroit en route.
Before the game, Keith Yandle honored 8-year old Boston Marathon bombing victim Martin Richard in a custom jersey as seen here.

Five For Winning

1. Give a Damn. This shouldn't be a problem for the Coyotes because I've never seen them quit in a game under Dave Tippett, but they will hopefully be looking to exact some revenge for the 12-6 combined beatings that Chicago laid on them earlier this year. The Coyotes got stronger as the game went on and even though they couldn't score after the first, they certainly played hard to the end.

2. Play Physical. Chicago shouldn't want to play too physical a game because they have little to gain from it, but with guys like Andrew Shaw, Daniel Carcillo, and Duncan Keith, it's not like they aren't going to be hitting a lot. The Coyotes need to match the physical play that the Hawks will bring. This did not seem to be an issue as hits were laid pretty well.

3. Stick to the System. The last thing the Coyotes can afford against Chicago is to try and run-and-gun with the Hawks. This has been one of the biggest problems from the teams' first two match-ups and getting away from the defensive system that makes the Coyotes click will lead to similar results. Hard to judge by what I saw, but it definitely wasn't a run-and-gun, and the Coyotes forecheck was strong when it needed to be.

4. Win the Special Teams Battle. The best unit between the teams is Chicago's penalty kill which combines solid kill numbers with 5 shorthanded goals. Although discipline has been a key for the Coyotes, the Hawks powerplay, despite all the talent, is a miserable 21st in the league (still better than the 'Yotes). Nope - 2 power play goals allowed and nothing doing for the Coyotes man advantage.

5. Let Toews Score a Few. Ok, this is selfish because he's on my fantasy team and I need the playoff help...but if the Hawks are gonna score goals, let's have it be Captain Serious, eh? Nope, Toews was held scoreless.

Our Three Stars

1. David Schlemko - because, what?

2. David Schlemko - see above

3. David Schlemko - still in shock.

3a. Mike Smith - he was pretty awesome.

Comment of the Night

Schlemko!

We won a skills competition!!

The Closer, Part 2?

-HowlofRevel [he's automatic! - sorry Beta, I laughed out loud at this one]

Official Game Highlights

Looking Ahead

The Coyotes close out their road trip with a Monday night tilt at Joe Louis Arena in a must-win head-to-head match-up with one of the teams they are fighting with for a playoff spot, the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings sit 2 points ahead of the Coyotes, but hold the ROW tiebreaker (18-15). Columbus has played one more game, but has one more point than the Wings who are at risk of seeing their first non-playoff season since 1989-90.

Phoenix Coyotes @ Chicago Blackhawks: Complete Coverage

2013-04-20T20:00:05Z

In what would have been Torres' first game back at the United Center since his hit on Marian Hossa, the Coyotes roll in to Chicago for a must-win Saturday night tilt against a Blackhawks team that has already clinched the #1 seed in the West.

The Phoenix Coyotes make a long-awaited return to the Madhouse on Madison tonight in their final match-up of the year against the Chicago Blackhawks. This game marks the Coyotes first trip to Chicago since eliminating the Hawks from last year's playoffs in game 6 of the first-round series; the Coyotes' first ever playoff series win in Phoenix. So far this year, in two games in Glendale, the Hawks have dominated the Desert Dogs, winning both games by a combined score of 12-6.

For Hawks fans, tonight's game was to be the bloodletting of Raffi Torres to make amends for his brutal hit on Marian Hossa. Unfortunately for the rowdy fans in Chitown, they will have to wait until next year to get their chance to boo Torres in person. Instead, they get to deal with a Coyotes team that is clinging by their final fingernail to a sliver of a chance to still make the postseason. A 5-0-0 finish will give the Coyotes a slightly better than 70% chance at securing a spot in the second season, but with future road games in Detroit and Anaheim, it's an uphill struggle to be sure.

Both teams are battling some injury issues, but the Coyotes are certainly more desperate to have star players like Shane Doan and Mike Smith play if available, as opposed to Chicago that comes in riding a 7-game winning streak, but wants to make sure that their key pieces like Patrick Sharp are healthy come the playoffs.

Five For Winning

5. Let Toews Score a Few. Ok, this is selfish because he's on my fantasy team and I need the playoff help...but if the Hawks are gonna score goals, let's have it be Captain Serious, eh?

Players to Watch

Chris Conner

#14 / Right Wing / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 5-8

Weight: 180

Born: Dec 23, 1983

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2012 - Chris Conner	7	1	1	2	3	0	0	0	0		11

The 5'8" forward (yeah right) is providing quite the spark in the offensive zone and on transition much the way Rob Klinkhammer did earlier after his call up. Conner may never have a full time role on an NHL roster, but he's trying to prove that he deserves a shot at it through a full look in training camp next year.

Brandon Saad

#20 / Left Wing / Chicago Blackhawks

Height: 6-1

Weight: 202

Born: Oct 27, 1992

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2012 - Brandon Saad	42	10	15	25	16	8	0	1	2		87

The rookie winger has been mighty impressive for the Hawks this year and is getting top-line minutes.

Likely Starting Goalies

Chad Johnson

#31 / Goalie / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 6-3

Weight: 205

Born: Jun 10, 1986

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2012 - Chad Johnson	4	247	2	0		5	1.21	108	103	.954	1

Carter Hutton

#33 / Goalie / Chicago Blackhawks

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Born: Dec 19, 1985

Data for this widget is not currently available

Going completely off board with these picks because we've generally been so good at getting it right. Smitty still sounds a bit banged up and there is little reason to rush him back if he's not 100% considering how good Johnson's been. As for Chicago, Corey Crawford got the start yesterday and wasn't terribly impressive against the Predators, and Ray Emery is still a bit banged up...Hutton is next on the depth chart and at least the folks at Second City Hockey wouldn't mind seeing him get the start.

Injuries

Coyotes

Mike Smith - lower body (day-to-day)

Shane Doan - receiving treatment, unknown (day-to-day)

Lauri Korpikoski - upper body (unknown)

Zbynek Michalek and Boyd Gordon - bruises (playing)

Blackhawks

Ray Emery - lower body (unknown)

Patrick Sharp - upper body (unknown)

Phoenix Coyotes @ Chicago Blackhawks Preview: It's Raffi Torres Night...oh wait

2013-04-20T19:00:07Z

Five For Winning

5. Let Toews Score a Few. Ok, this is selfish because he's on my fantasy team and I need the playoff help...but if the Hawks are gonna score goals, let's have it be Captain Serious, eh?

Players to Watch

Chris Conner

#14 / Right Wing / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 5-8

Weight: 180

Born: Dec 23, 1983

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2012 - Chris Conner	7	1	1	2	3	0	0	0	0		11

Brandon Saad

#20 / Left Wing / Chicago Blackhawks

Height: 6-1

Weight: 202

Born: Oct 27, 1992

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2012 - Brandon Saad	42	10	15	25	16	8	0	1	2		87

The rookie winger has been mighty impressive for the Hawks this year and is getting top-line minutes.

Likely Starting Goalies

Chad Johnson

#31 / Goalie / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 6-3

Weight: 205

Born: Jun 10, 1986

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2012 - Chad Johnson	4	247	2	0		5	1.21	108	103	.954	1

Carter Hutton

#33 / Goalie / Chicago Blackhawks

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Born: Dec 19, 1985

Data for this widget is not currently available

Injuries

Coyotes

Mike Smith - lower body (day-to-day)

Shane Doan - receiving treatment, unknown (day-to-day)

Lauri Korpikoski - upper body (unknown)

Zbynek Michalek and Boyd Gordon - bruises (playing)

Blackhawks

Ray Emery - lower body (unknown)

Patrick Sharp - upper body (unknown)

Phoenix Coyotes @ St. Louis Blues Recap: Dogs Bit By Shooutout Loss

2013-04-19T04:56:30Z

The Phoenix Coyotes season may not be mathematically over, but with each game that doesn't involve getting two points, it becomes more and more of a certainty that the three-year playoff run for the Desert Dogs is at an end. The 'Yotes fought to the bitter end to tie the game, but it was the St. Louis Blues that had the final laugh, as Brian Elliott stopped all three Coyotes shooters in the shootout, to secure a 2-1 Blues win.

[Complete Coverage] - [St. Louis Reaction]

[Event Summary] - [Play-by-Play] - [TOI Report] - [Faceoff Report]

Early in the season, as we've documented many times, Thursday nights were not kind to the Coyotes. More recently, however, the Coyotes have played pretty well on Thursdays, including a 7-4 win over Nashville and a 4-2 win over Detroit. In that Detroit game, an emergency spot start by Chad Johnson proved instrumental in the win. Tonight, it was again Johnson getting the call for the Coyotes, making his first road start of the season. Over the course of the night, he would make 29 saves, only getting beaten on a deflection by David Perron midway through the first that was reviewed for a possible high stick, but was well below the cross bar.

For the next 49 minutes, it looked as if that Perron goal would be enough as St. Louis goaltender Brian Elliott was giving the Coyotes absolutely nothing all game. To make matters worse, Elliott was getting help from his best friend the right post, as Rob Klinkhammer and Zbynek Michalek each put shots off the iron in the second period. And while the fans grew restless at the lack of scoring, the Coyotes brough a strong effort to St. Louis in the must-win affair.

The referees, Tim Peel (ugh!) and Mike Leggo, unfortunately became a part of the story late in the game as a trio of boarding plays (with only one called) created a significant amount of bad blood between the teams. The first hit occurred along the side wall when Kyle Chipchurra hit Vladimir Sobotka from behind into the boards. A scrum ensued in which Sobotka would suckerpunch Oliver Ekman-Larsson as the two sized each other up, although OEL would not drop the gloves. Somehow, Peel and Leggo called no penalties on the play. Later in the period, with just over two minutes to play, David Backes boards OEL hard into the corner boards which got an immediate reaction from Derek Morris, Antoine Vermette, and Shane Doan - with various scrums ensuing while Backes pretty much covered his bum. Although Peel (or maybe Leggo) immediately made the initial boarding call, the ensuing punches, pushes, and general mayhem would get nothing.

This led to a hectic powerplay opportunity that saw Martin Hanzal hit Alex Pietrangelo from behind into the boards, similar to the earlier Chipchura hit. With no penalty or stoppage, Hanzal grabbed the puck, swung it to OEL who found Radim Vrbata for the game tying goal with just 67 seconds remaining. A livid Blues defenseman took a slash at Hanzal's leg after the goal was scored, although it looked like just a grazing blow. More chirping would ensue and at the end of the game, Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock would actually be assessed a game misconduct for coming onto the ice and barking at the officials while being restrained by one of the linesmen.

In the shootout, Andy McDonald got a nice shot over the stick of Chad Johnson for the only goal. Elliott gloved an OEL shot, forced Vermette to shoot wide, and got his stick on Vrbata's automatic forehand-backhand shot for the victory.

Paw Prints

During the overtime, Johnson made a huge save on Chris Stewart on a semi-breakaway chance that led to the comment of the night below.
The Coyotes now have 44 points and will need to win out (5-0-0) to get to the magic number of 54 which would give them about a 50% chance to make the playoffs.
On the season, the Blues took all 3 meetings with the Coyotes and out-scored them 11-4.

Five For Winning

1. Goals. Forget the usual score first, just score. The Coyotes didn't put the puck in the net a single time in their last game on Monday and didn't the last time they played the Blues either. They would score one late, but it wasn't enough.

2. Contain the Captain. David Backes went all Hulk on the Canucks on Tuesday night. The Yotes need to put a body on him and not give him time/space, unlike what they did with Logan Couture in their last game. Backes had an assist on the goal for the Blues and was physical all night; he's a younger Shane Doan and imposes his wills on teams with his physical play - he'll be fun to play against for years.

3. Elude the Trap. The Yotes tend to struggle mightily when teams employ systems which clog the neutral zone. Given the Phoenix's lack of elite passing skill they likely need to find ways to create aggressive dump and chase situations. Having players hitting the blueline at full speed and with ill intent will be crucial. Coyotes tried a lot of ways and weren't as bad as we've seen them at times against the Blues, but they still were unable to really play their aggressive forecheck type of game.

4. Energy. The Coyotes have been lacking this ingredients for the majority of time in their last two contests. I thought the Coyotes had good energy and it showed in how well they did play against a team that gives them fits.

5. Desperation. Related to #4.The Yotes need to be the more desperate team. They haven't looked like a team fighting for their playoff lives in their last 2 games. Certainly at the end of regulation the desperation was there, but probably not as much in the OT as it needed to be. Once it went to the skills competition, desperation won't really get you too far, unfortunately.

Our Three Stars

1. Brian Elliott - 33 saves, stoned all three in the shootout and was solid throughout the game

2. Chad Johnson - continues to impress with each outing, giving up the lone goal on 30 shots and making some big saves.

3. Andy McDonald - had some good scoring chances during the game and cashed in during the shootout for the lone goal.

Official Highlights

Comment of the Night

Johnson plugging up the five hole

-TwoTon21

A Look Ahead

Coyotes have two more games on the road with the next coming in Chicago against the Western Conference overall #1 seed (clinched) Blackhawks. Chicago has dominated the 'Yotes this season and the Coyotes need a miracle to make the playoffs. Should be a good time.