SB Nation - Jason LaBarbera

Coyotes Continue Hot Streak with 2-1 Shootout Win

OdinMercer — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:53:51 -0000

7 days ago: Phoenix Coyotes' Sami Lepisto, left, of Finland, and teammate Keith Yandle celebrate a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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As Dave Strader said at the end of the game, sometimes you play well and get a tough loss and sometimes you play poorly and manage to get the win. That Coyotes were definitely the latter tonight as they probably didn't deserve the W in that performance.

Just 1:48 into the game Keith Yandle took a Jackets' turnover and weaved through a surprised Columbus Defense to take Mathieu Garon top shelf for the Coyotes only regulation goal. The Coyotes would play about 5 more minutes of their typical puck controlling game before the parade to the penalty box started. For the rest of the night the Coyotes seemed to find any way they could to get back into the penalty box. too many men on the ice, silly interference calls. Whatever it took. The box attendant brought lots of Christmas cookies or something I guess. It didn't help to have Rick Nash trying to sell every tap that he received as an elbow. We were really doing enough to shoot ourselves in the foot without a dive thrown in.

Despite all of our poor play we managed to play some decent defense. While Jason LaBarbera did have many issues in terms of effectively getting the puck to his teammates he was solid in goal all night. He stopped the Jackets on many chances that looked easy to convert. He was able to hold them at bay until the middle of the third when after yet another penalty Rick Nash buried in on the Power Play. The Coyotes were even able to weather a penalty the went through the final minute of the 3rd and into overtime. The Coyotes continued to play on their heels for most of the OT frame as well as they just couldn't get much going. Shane Doan almost became the hero after getting the puck in the slot all alone in the slot. Mathieu Garon made a great glove save though to force the shootout.

In the skills competition Kristian Huselius started things off for the Blue Jackets but got stonewalled by LaBarbera. Radim Vrbata was first on the Coyotes side but got push wide to the left and couldn't keep a handle on the puck. Rick Nash then made a sick move on Jason LaBarbera faking him to the left and then pulled the puck through the crease to score. Shane Doan was up next and he put it into the top right corner to even things up. Fedor Tyutin came up next but didn't even get the shot off as LaBarbera poke checked the puck away before he really got close. Robert Lang was the third shooter for the Coyotes and didn't take what was the hardest move, but wristed the puck straight through Mathieu Garon's pads to end the Game and earn the two points.

Overall I didn't like how the Coyotes played. Somehow they found a way to keep the chances to a minimum but they were throwing themselves everywhere and couldn't get any kind of steady system going. LaBarbera bailed them out and all the bounces seemed to go their way. We can't plan on getting too many more gifts like we did tonight though. The guys should be able to recharge and get things back on track for Saturday's game against the Ducks.

Phoenix Coyotes at Columbus Blue Jackets Preview - Game #35

OdinMercer — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:52:13 -0000

More photos » by Paul Vernon - AP

about 1 month ago: Columbus Blue Jackets' Rick Nash, right, fights for the puck with Phoenix Coyotes' Daniel Winnik in the third period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. The Coyotes won 4-1. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

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The Coyotes continue their 4 game road trip in Columbus tonight against the Blue Jackets. The two teams have split the two previous meetings with the Jackets winning in Phoenix 2-0 and the Coyotes winning in Columbus 4-1. The Coyotes will be leaning on backup Jason LaBarbera in the second game of the back-to-back.LaBarbera Has Been up and down on how his starts have gone, but last time he faced the Blue Jackets he did pretty well only allowing the one goal.

The Coyotes are coming off a big win in Toronto downing the Leafs 6-3 and suddenly finding the offense all at once. Let's hope we have at least a little left in the tank for tonight.

Five for Winning

Shane Doan's 1000th Game
It may not show up on a stat sheet (though it may, I don't really know) but this will certainly an emotional game for not just the Captain, but for the other guys on the team. Doan has been a great guy for this team both on the ice and off and to have had him on the team for the entirety of his NHL career is something you just don't see with many players in any professional league anymore. I want to see both him , or barring that, the team win this one tonight for him.

Lots of Jackets on Fire
While the Blue Jackets may have lost 3 games in a row, several of their players have been finding a scoring touch lately. Rick Nash is back on a point per game pace and RJ Umberger has gotten multiple points 5 times now, most recently on the 14th against Nashville. Jason Chimera and Antoine Vermette have also been generating points for Columbus lately.

Garon Gets the Start Again
Mathieu Garon will get the start against the Coyotes tongiht, just as he did last time we visited Columbus (see 4-1 win above). This time though it's not just to give Steve Mason a night off, but because Mason has not done well of late (1-5-1 in December). Garon isn't a bad goalie, but as we've shown he's certainly someone we can beat.

No More Speed Bumps
With how these two teams have been playing as of late this is a team that the Coyotes should in theory beat. We can't go into the building being confident in that fact, or with how we played last night. Be confident in yourselves, but not to the point that we start getting complacent again or you get what happened in Detroit the other night. Play the same plan and same system that Tippet has preached all year and don't sit back.

Get the Czechs Out There
The line of Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal and Petr Prucha has been on fire lately. Just last night they combined for 3 goals and 4 assists. Hanzal alone had 3 of the As. Everytime the staff tries to move people around and tamper with that line the guys are less productive on their own. So don't touch it! Just put them out there as much as possible and see how long this can continue.

Players to Watch

Shane Doan

#19 / Right Wing / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 6-1

Weight: 224

Born: Oct 10, 1976

Game 1000 for Captain Coyote. Maybe he brought some fireworks for all of us tonight!

Rick Nash

#61 / Left Wing / Columbus Blue Jackets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 218

Born: Jun 16, 1984

I hate him and his highlight goals. NO MORE! Shut the man down. If someone is going to beat us, make sure it's not him.

The Owie List

Phoenix Coyotes Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Kurt Sauer	head	10/07/2009

Columbus Blue Jackets Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Rostislav Klesla	groin	12/01/2009
Derek Dorsett	hand	12/13/2009

Game 35 Preview: Desert Dogs invade Columbus

Mike MacLean — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:05:36 -0000

More photos » by Ann Heisenfelt - AP

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I've got to admit, watching the Jackets tumble down the standings is no fun at all. Not to say that I am a fair-weather fan- because I will be loyal to this team no matter what- but I'd be lying if I said it's difficult to find the energy to be passionate about the team right now.

The pieces are in place to win. The system is in place to win. The schedule has favored the Jackets so far this season, at least on paper, but they can't beat the teams they are supposed to. If they could only give a total effort, they might still be at the top of the standings where they were in October.

Tonight's game sees some interesting line combinations- the Dispatch is reporting that the top line will consist of Umby, Chimmer and Nasher, with Chimmer playing center. The second line has the "Killer Vees" reunited, a combination of Jake and Vermy, who started the season out great together. The third line, the " Tre-Kroner" line has the three Swedish forwards playing together, while the fourth line see Brass buried between Murr-Dogg and Boller. Interesting to say the least. It's obvious that the top line consists of the three forwards who are playing the best right now. Mase gets the start.

EDIT: Looks like Hitch is going with Garon tonight, interesting move.

Phoenix has been a tough play at home, but they played last night, shit-kicking the Leafs in Toronto. This could go either way, either the 'Yotes build off their momentum or they will show up fatigued. My guess is that with their sound defensive system they will still be fresh, and the Jackets need to be ready for that. To ensure a victory, the Jackets need to set the tone early, not fall into the trap that Phoenix will set. The first goal or two will be crucial tonight.

Fearless Prediction :I'm not going to predict a damn thing tonight. I am going to watch the game, and hope for a win.

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Five For Howling

Game Page: Coyotes vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TSN Preview: Coyotes vs Blue Jackets Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Anybody remember the last time the Blue Jackets established a forecheck? The Jackets won 2-0 in Phoenix on Oct. 10, but the Coyotes got even Oct. 28, a 4-1 victory in Nationwide. Phoenix has won the past four games in Nationwide, outscoring the Blue Jackets 16-7. Phoenix won 6-3 last night at Toronto.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

R.J. Umberger	Jason Chimera	Rick Nash
Raffi Torres	Antoine Vermette	Jakub Voracek
Kristian Huselius	Samuel Pahlsson	Fredrik Modin
Andrew Murray	Derick Brassard	Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Mathieu Roy

Mathieu Garon

Steve Mason

EXTRA: Michael Blunden, Marc Methot

INJURED: Rostislav Klesla, Derek Dorsett

Phoenix Coyotes

Shane Doan	Matthew Lombardi	Scottie Upshall
Petr Prucha	Martin Hanzal	Radim Vrbata
Taylor Pyatt	Robert Lang	Peter Mueller
Vernon Fiddler	Daniel Winnik	Lauri Korpikoski

Zbynek Michalek	James Vandermeer
Keith Yandle	Ed Jovanovski
Adrian Aucoin	Sami Lepisto

Jason LaBarbera

Ilya Bryzgalov

To Hell With The Devils! Canucks-Devils Preview

Sean Zandberg — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:00:20 -0000

2:38 PM ET Update: Shane O'Brien will play tonight instead of Mathieu Schneider. The Canucks need some more toughness against the Devils, and I'll speculate that Schneider's lousy game a few nights ago didn't help. OB has missed 7 games as a healthy scratch. Taking 10 minor penalties in 17 games didn't help. Always the smartass, OB told the Province today: "I already told the guys, to be ready to kill one off."

Ryan Johnson is a man's man. He will play tonight, bruised leg and all. And he won't change his style of play either. Balls, you rule, man!

As Missy had mentioned earlier, Rick Rypien should be good to go tonight. That means Darcy Hordichuk will sit this one out.

2:10 PM ET Update: When asked if he'll be watching the Olympic hopeful netminders tonight, Steve Yzerman said:

"I'm going to TiVo it and watch it later," Yzerman told ESPN.com on Tuesday. "I'm going to be at another game [Tampa at Boston], but when I saw this game [Canucks-Devils] on the schedule, I wanted to make sure I watched it."

**********************************

Devils (17-6-1, 4th in the East) vs Canucks (14-12-0, 11th in West)

GAME TIME: 4:00 PST

TV: TSN

THE WICKED: In Lou We Trust

When the Devils beat the Canucks 5-3 at GM Place in their only meeting last year, Brodeur and Luongo were not even playing between the pipes. It was Scott Clemmenson vs Jason Labarbera. Barbie had a rough start, facing 6 shots in the 3 minutes he played and allowing 2 goals. Curtis Sanford replaced him. In 2007-08 the 2 teams played each other once, with the Canucks winning 5-0 at GM Place. That was a Luongo-Brodeur showdown that we can appreciate.

Since the 1997-98 season, New Jersey and Vancouver have only butted heads 13 times. The Canucks have a 8-5 record against them, and outscoring them 35-34 in the process. But that's all history.

The media is going to write a "Brodeur vs Luongo: who's starting for Team Canada?" angle for this game. However, neither goalie is buying into the hype. So far, Brodeur has Lou by the bag.

Roberto Luongo

Games Started: 19

Wins: 10

Losses: 9

GAA: 2.56

Save %: .910

Martin Brodeur

Games Started: 21

Wins: 15

Losses: 6

OTL: 1

GAA: 2.05

Save %: .925

Brodeur was named the NHL's 2nd Star of the Week after winning 3 straight games and posting stellar 0.97 GAA and .963 save percentage.

The Devils hold a 7-4 record at home this year, but an even more impressive 10-2-1 record on the road. The road is where the Canucks are anything but warriors so far this year, posting a dismal 4-8-0 record. Vancouver needs to be better than a .500 team on this trip, and it won't be easy. The night after the Devils game, the Canucks play the Flyers.

Vancouver is now 9 points behind the (puke) Flames, who are clinging to the top spot in the Northwest right now. That being said, the Nucks are still only 3 points out of a playoff spot.

Comparative Stats:

Goals Per Game: Canucks 9th overall, Devils 18th

Goals Against Per Game: Devils #1 in the NHL, Canucks 10th

Powerplay : Canucks 3rd, Devils 10th

PK: Devils 9th, Canucks 23rd (yowza)

5 on 5: Canucks 10th, Devils 11th

Shots Per Game: Canucks 11th, Devils 14th

Shots Against Per Game: Devils 6th, Canucks 10th

Faceoff %: Canucks 6th, Devils 25th. Faceoffs hardly mean shit. The Devils have been missing centers Rob Niedermayer and Jay Pandolfo for extended amounts of time. Pandolfo may return against the Canucks.

Devils to watch out for:

Zach Parise: 15 goals and 30 points in 24 games

Travis Zajac: 7 goals and 22 points in 24 games

Jamie Langenbrunner: 5 goals and 22 points in 24 games.

One thing about the Devils: their defence is very effective defensively, but not offensively. Their best scorer from the back is Andy Greene, with 3 goals and 12 points in 21 games. It drops off considerably after that.

Remember when we used to be called the Devils of the West? Well don't let that fool you. This could be a high-scoring game.

So How Those Other Guys Doing?

Yankee Canuck — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:10:54 -0000

These. Long. Breaks. Between. Hockey. Games. SUCK.

So much so I caught myself watching other games and seeing some old faces in new places. Curious what's up with some former 'Nuckers out there? Take a spin with me then.

Mattias Ohlund - Ah, 'old Matty. Maybe his departure is why Edler sucks so far. Baby bear missing papa bear perhaps? Six points in 17 games (only one PP point) doesn't leave much to be desired for Ohlund though. He did blow up Kessel, that was good for a laugh. His new baby bear - Victor Hedman - has five points in 20 games. Ohlund has been nursing a lower body injury the past few games which perhaps means more ice time for...

Lukas Krajicek - Poor Luke. Once projected to be very much what Blastoff is for the Canucks now, he was deemed expendable for SOB last year and, though he had some injury problems, finished up as the second best scoring defenseman for Tampa. I don't know where he is on the depth chart now, but he's only played 12 games this year, has a single point and somehow has 19 PIMs. If it makes him feel any better, SOB has only played 17 games, has no points and 32 PIMs. Everyone collectively sigh in 3...2...1...

Taylor Pyatt - Old pretty eyes took his act down south to Phoenix, upsetting female fans...everywhere? However, he's only getting a shade over 13 minutes a game (close to a minute and a half off his average TOI last year) and - in 18 games - only has three points. He has been getting a decent amount of time on the PK so he's still got that working for him. OK fine, here puck bunnies, don't say we're not looking out for you and your squeeeeee's. And as long as we're in the desert let's go find...

Jason LaBarbera - Our metalhead back-up from last season is 1-3 behind a rather stellar Ilya Bryzgalov. Many of us didn't want to see Barbie go, but consider Raycroft has more wins, a better GAA (2.19 to 2.66) and a better S% (.916 to .907). So Vancouver did pretty well on this end so far, but we remain confident that Barbie has better musical sensibilities and, at nearly 70 lbs heavier than Raycroft, could probably use him as a tooth pick if he was so inclined.

Mats Sundin - He's doing this. Over and over and over again. Yup, feel bad about yourself. It's cool.

Curtis Sanford - The Sandman basically went from Manitoba to Hamilton of the AHL and is now backstopping the Bulldogs. Just for comparison, Sanford has a better GAA (1.78) and a better S% (.934) than Cory Schneider, though the red had has more wins. And he looks strange without the fan helmet. Or, you know, in general.

Jason Jaffray - When Vancouver went through their hilarious string of injuries last month, it would have been nice to call up Jaffray. The former Moose standout has only played one game for the Flames so far and had no points. But down in Abbotsford he's doing just fine with nine goals which is good enough for fifth best in the AHL (note: both Shirokov and former Canuck Jeff Cowan also have nine goals).

Ossi Vaananen - Ossssssssi! The vowel master wasn't given a second thought by Gillis, so instead he followed his (money) nose to the KHL where he's playing with HC Dynamo Minsk where he has two points and is -7 in 26 games. Yikes. But nevertheless, he'll also be the #1 waiver wire pick up in our hearts (no offense Kris Beech).

Rob Davison - Remember him? Me neither. But his 23 game campaign with Vancouver has been followed up by starting with AHL's Lowell Devils where he has eight points in 16 games. Not bad at all, but I suspect he's a long shot to make the Devil's (NHL) roster and may be destined for Europe at the end of the year.

...and, sure, while we're at it let's kick ourselves and check out the WCE...

Brendan Morrison - As Sean noted, B-mo is like a slightly more expensive Wellwood who, in contrast, has a spine, drive and points in the double digits. Fifth on the Caps in points in fact. Pudge is tied for 18th on Vancouver. Fuck.

But, all in all, couldn't happen to a better guy. Go B-mo go.

Todd Bertuzzi - Let's see: Bert has the lowest shooting percentage on the Wings, leads Red Wings forwards in giveaways (18) and has nine points in 22 games. To quote one commentator from the A2Y crowd: "I can’t possibly imagine that there isn’t a single other healthy player out there that couldn’t fill or exceed Bertuzzsi’s current role." Wow.

Markus Naslund - He's at Sean's house, baking fluffy, fresh muffins daily before Sean goes to work. And Sean could NOT be happier!

Coyotes @ Blues - Preview #22 - 3rd Time Already?!

OdinMercer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:18 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle (3) has hops.

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The Phoenix Coyotes stroll into St. Louis to take on the Blues tonight after downing the Wild 3-2 last night. This is already the third time the two teams have met in this young season. The Coyotes have won both previous games, one 3-2 in OT and the other 2-0 in St. Louis. Maybe this game will actually have a little bit of flow to it unlike the other games. THough if it means Ilya Brygalov gets another SO, i'll take no flow :D

Five for Winning:

Damn Right Bryz Starts: The Coyotes site said they expected him to, but someone better guaran-damn-tee me that Ilya Bryzgalov is going to start for the second night in a row after how Jason LaBarbera played last time. That and Bryz seems to have the Blues number along with making saved he didn't even see coming last night. Be the man Bryzzie!

Upshall be Clutch: Scottie Upshall is leading the team in goals with 7 after last night's tally. No offense to the Carcillo loving people, but right now we're winning that trade. Sorry to say, well not really because Uppy has been awesome but I think you get what I mean.

Defensive Scoring wins games: I don't have all the statistics in front of me right now, but it seems like whenever we get a little bit of input from the defense we end up winning the game. Jim Vandermeer got a goal and Keith Yandle got an assist last night and we won the game. How about we continue that model for the foreseeable future?

Their house is our house: The Blues have been terrible at home this year going 3-8 at home. No idea what the problem is there, but I have zero problem exploiting their issues. 3-9! 3-9!

Score first!: We don't seem to be doing that a whole lot, but when we do, we win 82% of the time. THat's 6th in the league in that awkward statistic. If we let the other team score first? 30% of those become wins. So... Let's score first eh?

GO YOTES!

Coyotes at Wild - Game Preview #21

OdinMercer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:31:42 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

about 1 month ago: Phoenix Coyotes right wing Shane Doan (19) looks to pass as Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier (4) defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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After a listless performance against the Lightning, the Coyotes take a short 2 game roadtrip starting tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild are not what one would call a "good" team at the moment. They've gone 7-11-2 so far for 16 points. That puts them just above the Ducks in the Western Conference standings. They have, however been pretty good at home going 5-2 at XCEL. Mikko Koivu leads the Wild in points at 5-13-18 and Andrew Brunette leads in goals with 7.The Coyotes need to take this team seriously though as they have not been playing well as of late. Against the Lightning there was zero energy and though the Wild haven't been all that great this year, if we look past them we'll have another L against us.

Five for Winning:

No More LaBarbera!: Some of those goals that went in on Monday were really soft. while I know Bryz lets those in now and then, I expect Ilya Bryzgalov to get both tonight's game, and unless he gets shelled, the game against St Louis as well. The season started out with myself and others liking Jason LaBarbera, but his recent performance has many calling for Al Montoya to get another shot in the big league.

Make the Wild Stay Minus: A lot of people don't like the +/- statistic, but it can help show patterns in teams and players. For example, Of the 25 skaters that have played games for the Wild this season only 5 are not in the -. 2 of the five left are at an even 0. That goes to show that at least at even strength, they haven't been all that strong.

Power Play woes: Just a few games ago, the Coyotes were one of the better teams in the league when it came to PP%. Now we've slid from a high of 6th in the league to a middling 14th. Minnesota isn't the team we want to face to bust out of that slump as even with a so-so record they still have an 82% PK percentage.

Weathering the Injury Storm: Now we've added Matthew Lombardi to the ever growing list of the Coyotes injured reserve joining Zbynek Michalek, Kurt Sauer and the Day-to-Day Ed Jovanovski. Hopefully we're just getting the injuries out of the way early and everyone will be completely healthy for the rest of the year once they come back because this is starting to get brutal. At least we're not lacking Forward prospects to call up unlike on the blueline.

Look out for the Second Period: Minnesota likes to score and get scored against this year in the second period. 52% of the goals against and 46% of their goals for come in the second period. Those are some pretty lopsided stats in terms of goal distribution. This bodes well for the Coyotes at least as they're usually waking up after a slow first period.

GO YOTES!

Coyotes at Ducks - Game #17 Preview - It's Gonna Get Bumpy

OdinMercer — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:26 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

about 1 month ago: Phoenix Coyotes' Paul Bissonnette (12) fights with George Parros (16) in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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The Phoenix Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks last met a week ago in a game in Phoenix. It was your average Ducks and Coyotes game until James Wisniewski decided to hit Shane Doan in the face with a forearm and elbow. Doan was woozy after the hit and the Coyotes were just plain pissed. Things were more than a little chippy from that point on. The hits were quite a bit harder and Doan even dropped the gloves with Wizneiwski and got even. Though I'm not so sure that's over with so it should be another hard hitting game tonight (That most here won't see on tv)

Five for Winning

It's Bryz Again: Ilya Bryzgalov is still getting the majority of the starts for the team. Jason LaBarbera was brought in to relieve him and push him, but hasn't really done that. Bryz will get a few days off as the next game isn't until Thursday, but It would also suck to have him get burned out down the stretch. He did great against the Hawks, so hopefully he can keep it up tonight.

Don't let the Hitting Get in the Way: While having a certain amount of physicality going on can make for an intense game, we can't let it be the sole focus and get us off our game. That's exactly what happened for a couple periods last week against them before we bounced back, but I imagine that the Coyotes will come in with a game plan that combines both hitting and skill.

Weather the injuries: Zbynek Michalek is still out with a leg injury of some sort as it's been reported that he has a walking cast on, Kurt Sauer is still out as well. Now Ed Jovanovski is Day-to-Day too. He made the trip with the team to California though, so he may be good to go. If not Shaun Heshka, who was just called up will start in his place. David Schlemko was solid on Thursday and will get Michalek's spot again tonight.

Keep the Special teams Up: 10th in PP% and 13th in PK% is the best our team has had in a Looooooong time. We're far enough into the season to see that it's not just a fluke anymore. In past seasons, the special teams were atrocious on both ends. Our new defensive system has the PK working well and though we don't get much offense in general we find ways to make it happen on the PP.

Getting the Role Players Involved: Daniel Winnik has looked great in this new system. He gets to hot, but in the odd point and leads the team in +/- at a +5. Peter Mueller got his first goal of the year in the last game as well. We need both of these guys to be playing at the top of their games to keep this team in contention.

I'll be watching tonight (I hope).

GO YOTES!

Coyotes at Avalanche - Game #15 Preview

OdinMercer — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:01:05 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

about 1 month ago: Phoenix Coyotes' Petr Prucha, top, of the Czech Republic, gets sent to the ice by Los Angeles Kings' Brad Richardson in the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz. The Kings defeated the Coyotes 5-3. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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Both the Phoenix Coyotes and the Colorado Avalanche are coming off of some rough losses in their last contests. The Coyotes (9-5-0) were taken out in a sloppy game against the Kings in which there was no rhythm or flow in the game at all and Jason LaBarbera was playing for some reason. Oh. Right. It was so Ilya Bryzgalov could start tonight's game. We'll need him to do well since our goals will likely be few and far between against Craig Anderson. The Avs are also coming off a shutout loss to the Vancouver Canucks. It wasn't even to Roberto Luongo, but to Andrew Raycroft. That's demoralizing. Anyhow...

Five for Winning:

Put a couple behind Anderson: Seems Obvious, but not a lot of teams have gotten to the netminder so far this season. Time to start camping out in front and trying to get deflections. Whatever works.

Mind the Passing: Last game against the Kings wasn't all that great on the puck posession end for either team. We need to get control over our turnovers. It was maddening to see every pass go wrong on Monday, tonight has to be better.

Who to Watch out for: Wojtek Wolski, Paul Stasney, Milan Hejduk and Ryan O'Reilly account for 40% of the Avs' point total. Wolski is the Goals leader with 8 and Stasney and O'Reilly both have 9 assists

Bryz needs to be in Top Form tonight: As noted earlier, Craig Anderson has been a tough nut to crack this year so what few goals we do get need to be protected. THat means Bryz can't let in any soft ones tonight.

Will Mueller be back?: Peter Mueller was scratched from the lineup against the Kings again and Mikkel Boedker was called up from San Antonio. Not sure what the deal with Mueller is, but He's looked lost so far this season and needs to get working hard if he wants a place on this team. How he performs will determine his paycheck as he's an RFA at the end of the season.

Sorry for the lateness, but...

GO YOTES!!!

Coyotes vs. Ducks - Game Preview #13 - QUACK! QUACK! BOO!

OdinMercer — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:42:42 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

about 1 month ago: Phoenix Coyotes' Daniel Winnik (34) celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring a goal in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 in St. Louis.(AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

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The once again hot Coyotes make their way back to Jobbing.com arena tonight to take on the Anaheim Ducks. The Coyotes went 2-1 on the eastern roadtrip with the goaltending once again being the difference maker. Jason LaBarbera was strong against the Blue Jackets and Ilya Bryzgalov shutout the Blues. Maybe LaBarbera as competition for Bryz is actually working out. All of the guys that nobody was really expecting a whole lot from contributed on Thursady. Daniel Winnik got a goal, Taylor Pyatt added the second and Vern Fiddler was again strong on faceoffs and with his passing. Coach Dave Tippett said we'd need scoring by committee to be successful and contributions from that third/fourth line are huge.

Anaheim is coming of a rare win at home in which the lit up the Canucks 7-2. The Ducks have not had a very good start to the season going 4-6-1 for nine points so far. A big reason has been a lack of defensive effort as after the departure of Chris Pronger, the blueline just hasn't had the same punch. That's led to more scoring chances and the goalies haven't helped. J.S. Giguere has been bumped to backup, but has lost all three of his starts (one in OT) of his starts and sports an overall GAA of 3.64 and Jonas Hiller has been iffy as well going 4-4-0 with a 3.06. Hopefully the offensive production was an aberration for the Ducks as well.

No TV coverage locally tonight, so get to the arena or listen on 910AM

Five for Winning

Watch out for the 4th Line: In the Ducks win against the Canucks, it wasn't just Getzlaf and Perry doing the scorring, George Parros got a goal and so Did Mike Brown. Linemate Ryan Cater got an assist on both of the goals as well. We know Hanzal's line will be out there against the big guys, but we also need to make sure that the 4th line scoring for them was a one night only kind of thing.

Watch Out For Ours Too: As previously mentioned, the Winnik-Fiddler-Pyatt line wasmaking things happen on Thursday. Getting those goals for both Winnik and Pyatt looked like real confidence boosters. Especially for WInnik who was snake bitten last year and couldn't find the net to save his life. Hopefully that makes him more willing to shoot and take chances. For Pyatt it should reinforce the idea that collapsing on the next is a good thing. He was on his way to park there as Fiddler found him for that pretty goal.

What's up Mueller?: The slump continues for forward Peter Mueller who has yet to find the back of the net, or really any kind of offensive rhythm. According to the Preview on the Coyotes site "Coyotes forward Peter Mueller still is seeking his first goal of the season. Mueller played a season-low 10:21 on Thursday." That's not a good sign for Peter as it's become clear that you need to earn your ice time on this squad. He needs to pick it up or he's going to be watching a game or two from the press box.

Ilya! Ilya! Ilya!: For Ilya Bryzgalov, leading the league in Shutouts with 3 in this young season is huge. As many Coyotes fans know, if he gets down on himself it's hard to get the confidence back up for the next game quickly and what was a bad performance can snowball into a long streak. But it seems as though he's responding to both good team effort in front of him and being backed up by a competent goalie as well. He's putting in All-Star worthy performances so far which is what we'll need to find the post season this year.

New Jovo?: He's a had a few cone worthy performances this year, but overall he's much improved (though still overpaid) from last year. He's tied for the team lead in both goals (4) and points (12). He's actually laid a few good hits on some people too. It's nice to see him actually leading the blueline by example this year instead of just wearing the A.

GO YOTES!