The Phoenix Coyotes made their home debut this afternoon at Jobing.com Arena against a reincarnation of their former selves, the new version of the Winnipeg Jets.
The Phoenix Coyotes might have precious few atmospheres like they one they had Saturday night at Jobing.com Arena throughout the season, but they made this one a night to remember.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a 20-year-old defenseman from Sweden, scored a pair of goals to lead the Coyotes to a 4-1 win over the reincarnated WInnipeg Jets before 17,132 fans.
Phoenix (2-1-1) also got a goal and assist from Ray Whitney and two assists from Shane Doan, who didn't get his 300th career goal but still played a major role.
Center Daymond Langkow opened the scoring 34 seconds into the game, and the Coyotes never trailed thereafter. Ekman-Larsson made it 2-0 before the first period was over and 3-0 with his second-period goal before Andrew Ladd scored for the Jets.
The Coyotes converted on only one power play, but Whitney's goal made it 4-1. He took a pass from behind the net from Martin Hanzal and scored with 13:17 to play in the game.
Goaltender Mike Smith stopped 18 of 19 shots, including a penalty shot from Jets center Nik Antropov halfway through the final period. Smith got his first win in goal of the season for Phoenix.
Smith took a knock from the Jets' Evander Kane with 9:04 left and was down on the ice for a little bit, but got up and finished the game.
Andrew Ladd scored the winless Jets' only goal of the game, giving those in the crowd rooting for Winnipeg -- and there were more than a few -- something to be happy about. The Jets are back in the NHL after a 15-year absence after the original Jets relocated to Arizona and became the Coyotes in 1996.
Still no 300th goal for Shane Doan, but Oliver Ekman-Larsson has his second goal of the game. He scored with a slap shot from distance that beat Winnipeg goaltender Chris Mason with 5:03 left in the second period.
The Jets did well to kill off four minutes of power play after a double-minor to defenseman Ron Hainsey for high-sticking. The Coyotes peppered Mason with shots but he was up to the task, until Ekman-Larsson’s goal.
The Jets gave their many fans in attendance something be happy about when defenseman Tobias Enstrom's shot was tipped in by Andrew Ladd with 18 seconds left in the period. Enstrom's shot went under two sticks, touched Ladd's stick and went off the pads of the Coyotes’ Mike Smith in goal, making it 3-1 Coyotes in the second intermission.
Winnipeg has upped its shots count to 14 while the Coyotes are at 21. Smith came up with a big save on a shot from right in front from the Jets' Tim Stapleteon with 10:29 to go.
Thirty-four seconds into their home ice debut, the Phoenix Coyotes scored. Left winger Ray Whitney took the puck behind the net, passed out in front to center Daymond Langkow and Langkow put it away for the team’s first goal.
Phoenix scored again at the 10:48 mark of the period with defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson shooting one in that looked like it went off a Jets player among a lot of traffic in front of the goal. That excited the heck out the Swedish reporter sitting to my right up here in the press box.
In the meantime, the Coyotes killed three two-minute penalties and peppered Winnipeg goaltender Chris Mason with 11 shots on goal. The Coyotes look well on their way to securing Win No. 2 on the young season.
The Jets have some fans behind them here at Jobing.com Arena, but they haven’t had much to cheer about except the Canadian national anthem. It's 2-0 Coyotes at the first intermission.
GLENDALE -- All of the uncertainty surrounding where the Phoenix Coyotes would end up in the immediate aftermath of Game 4 of the Western Conference first round series last spring between Phoenix and Detroit can now truly be put to rest. There is a Coyotes team, a schedule and this afternoon, a first home game of the season.
Temperatures outside Jobing.com Arena are in the high 90s, but walk indoors and it might as well be like you stepped into a refrigerator unit at a restaurant. Fans are filing in, picking up free long-sleeve T-shirts celebrating the club's 15 years in the Valley of the Sun. And there are more than a few fans in Winnipeg Jets blue among the partisans. See for yourself.
It's crazy to think that the Coyotes, who were talked about last year as possibly moving BACK to Winnipeg, were once the Jets. The Peg was without an NHL team for 15 years, now it has one again at the expense of Atlanta. And it's the Coyotes who seek ownership stability in a twist of fate.
Phoenix is 1-1-1 after its first three road games of the season on the road. Winnipeg, which had to replace Atlanta in the NHL Southeast Division and therefore is in there with teams from the U.S. Southeast, is winless in its first two games.
Puck drop is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. The Coyotes, led by Shane Doan's three goals already this season, are 10-3-1 in home openers since moving to Arizona. Doan is the one link to the past, as he played for the Jets before the move south and is one goal away from 300 in his career.
For more Coyotes talk, visit Five for Howling blog.
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Odds Shark 
Coyotes Announce Howl-O-Ween Night Oct. 29 Against Kings
by Ernie Pomin
The Phoenix Coyotes want their fans to have a fun, safe place to enjoy Haloween this year with their friends and family, and what a better place to do so than at an NHL hockey game, right?
The team announced Thursday their plans for their Howl-O-Ween night, presented by Fry's Food Stores, on Saturday, October 29 during the Coyotes v. Kings game at Jobing.com Arena, starting at 6 PM; an effort to the team hopes will provide a family Halloween option that everyone can enjoy. Kids nine and younger will get free admission to the game (with purchase of a full priced ticket) and a chance to Trick or Treat on the suite level of the arena starting at 5:00 p.m.
The first 5,000 kids at the game will get a free Coyotes Pillow Case/Trick-or-Treat bag from Fry's Food Stores, while one lucky boy or girl will get the "Golden Puck," good for a free luxury suite at a future Coyotes game along with a visit from Coyotes mascot "Howler". All fans can come dressed in their costumes as well, with chances to win great prizes happening throughout the game.
For more information on the Coyotes Howl-O-Ween event, click here for more details.
Oct 20 12:34p