Ok the bad news first.
The Coyotes lost the second game of a back to back road trip in two tough places to play (Minnesota and St. Louis)….in OT. The Coyotes had a major mental breakdown across the board which allowed the Blues to basically sit in front of Bryz, pull out the gift wrap and ribbon for the puck and then end the game.
This was a winnable game and they had the advantage over the Blues for the majority of the game…except for that one lapse. That’s all it takes sometimes to change the course of a game….just one little mistake.
Ok now the good news. The Coyotes, with a depleted roster from injuries to key defensive personnel, managed to get three out of four points on this short road trip.
With the Core Defensive personnel out the rest of the defensive roster, who are normally bottom 4 or two players, stepped up BIG against St. Louis.
Check out the ice time of the defensemen that stepped up in regards to ice time:
James Vandermeer – 21:23
Kieth Yandle – 25:01
Adrian Aucoin – 24:39
David Schlemko – 19:55
So why is this good news you ask?
Think about it like this…
When Jovocop and Michalek come back from injury and take their place at the top two, these players above are going to add depth and more options for Coach Tippett down the road when it counts.
This is gonna be one tough, experienced team down the road.
Now add to that a 4th line of Winnik, Fiddler, Pyatt that have found some amazing chemistry in the offensive zone. This team is just getting better and better.
Next up – The Flyers at the Job – Another ‘No TV’ Game
Post game presser with Dave Tippett:
http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/podcastplayer.htm?pid=337&iid=17191&navid=DL|PHX|home
Post game comments with Vernon Fiddler:
http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/podcastplayer.htm?pid=335&iid=17192&navid=DL|PHX|home
Game Summary:
http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20092010/GS020302.HTM
Event Summary:
http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20092010/ES020302.HTM
Play by Play:
http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20092010/PL020302.HTM
Face Offs:
http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20092010/FC020302.HTM
Blues Post Game Comments:
