Phoenix Coyotes Hockey on AZ Vibe

The Coyotes lost a heart breaker to the visiting Tampa Bay lightning 4-1. Like the Canadiens game before it, the Lightning brought their ‘A’ game defensively along with goaltender Mike Smith.

However, the secondary story of the game was the sometimes amateur officiating that effected the outcome of the game. Jim Vandermeer getting a poorly called boarding Major followed by the player he hit just getting up and skating off with an Academy Award performance that Denzel Washington would be proud of.

I could go on about the officiating and how bad it was. However, the main point of the game was that the Tampa Bay Lightning brought a great, disciplined game and the Coyotes had no answer to it.

At one point in the game, even with all the penalties, the game was still winnable. However, with the Coyotes having 28 minutes worth of penalties, there’s not much any team can do regarding attempts at mounting any sort of comeback.

Things to take away from this game:

1) When the officiating goes down the tubes, the Coyotes need to learn to keep their composure.
2) Don’t give up when the chips are down or when the opposing team tries to get back into the game.

Dave Tippett’s post game presser:

Game Summary:

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20092010/GS020288.HTM

Event Summary:

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20092010/ES020288.HTM

Play by Play:

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20092010/PL020288.HTM

Faceoff Stats:

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20092010/FC020288.HTM

Tampa Bay Tribune – Slumping Stars contribute in Bolts win:

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/nov/17/170933/sp-lightnings-scoring-has-been-two-sided/sports-lightning/

Tampa Bay Tribune – Vinny, Smith must step up for Bolts to make big leap:

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/nov/18/vinny-smith-must-step-bolts-can-make-giant-leap/sports-lightning/