Time to take one in their house – Game 3 – WCQF – Coyotes/Red Wings
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Phoenix Coyotes vs Detroit Red WingsGame 3 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Quarter FinalsSeries is tied 1 – 1Joe Lewis Arena – Detroit, Michigan
Puck Drops at Noon AZ Time
TV: NBC (US) – TSN (Canada)Radio:XTRA 910 |
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Click here for the Coyotes/Red Wings Western conference Quarter Final Series Preview
| Point Leaders | |
| Red Wings | Zetterberg(3), Filppula(3), Holmstrom(3) |
| Coyotes | Morris(3), Yandle(3), Lombardi(3), Wolski(3) |
| Goal Leaders | |
| Red Wings | Zetterberg(3), Filppula(2), Holmstrom(1) |
| Coyotes | Wolski(2), Yandle(2), Morris(1) |
| Assists Leaders | |
| Red Wings | Kronwall(2), Bertuzzi(2), Franzen(2) |
| Coyotes | Morris(2), Lombardi(2), Seven other players with 1 assist |
After an uncharacteristic curb-stomping at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings in game 2, the Phoenix Coyotes have regrouped and will play in their first nationally televised game on NBC (in the US) later today.
Even though no one expected the Coyotes to win this series in four or five games, the big surprise to Coyotes fans was that they stopped playing ‘their’ game and allowed the Red Wings to dictate the game as well as the final score.
Game 3 is expected to be another battle where Coyotes fans will see if the Phoenix Coyotes can not only can tweak their game plan accordingly but to see if they can come out on top by dictating the pace of the game. The outcome of a playoff series is not just who makes the least mistakes (a theme that we have written about all season) or has the strongest will. The winner of a series is also the one who can best adapt to how their opponent is playing them at the shift, period, or game level.
Game 3 marks a situation for the Coyotes where they will need to learn from their mistakes from game 2 and apply them as a team. We all know that the Coyotes have the skills/tools to win this series. It’s time for them to turn their game up a notch.
The Red Wings pose an interesting challenge. Coach Mike Babcock stated (paraphrasing) that some of his player were not willing to do dig in and do the work in game 3. This is something that needs to be watched out for.
Cheat Sheet:
- Bryzgalov and Jimmy Howard are expected to be the starting goaltenders for the Coyotes and Red Wings respectively.
- The Coyotes will be hosting a Viewing party at The Vine on Elliot Road in Tempe starting at 11:30 AM (map below)
Things to watch for:
Coyotes Defense – Will they be able to maintain a full 60 minutes of disciplined hockey and do their jobs instead of chasing the puck all around. Their opponents know that the Coyotes are prone to this every now and then. Now is a great time to remove that negative from their overall game.
Red Wings Defense – The Coyotes had the Red Wings on their heels for part of the game. Keep an eye on how the Coyotes play in their offensive zone.
Will Strader dress in White – Some fans jokingly and playfully stated that one of the reasons that the Coyotes lost was that Coyotes Play by Play man Dave Strader didn’t have his white suit on again for game 2.
Keys to the game:
Discipline – The Coyotes can’t play another defensively porous game 2 today. The Coyotes need to bring the hurt and ‘their’ game for 60 minutes. Blocking shots, not allowing secondary scoring chances, not allowing the Holmstrom/Bertuzzi like players a spot in front of the net, and not allowing their big guns any room to move on the ice.
Shut down the Wings in Transition – The Wings have to be kept from getting comfortable in their offensive zone and that starts with the entry into their offensive zone. They are best kept from winning by not allowing them to get shots off or by establishing the offensive zone.
Bryz has to be the best player on the ice – In this series Bryz has been one of the best players on the ice. However, he’s let in some uncharacteristically soft goals. The Coyotes feed off of his confidence and his dominance.
Shoot. The. Puck. – The Way to beat Howard is not only to get perimeter shots on the Red Wings goaltender but to also pepper him with shots on secondary scoring chances. The Red Wings dominated the game in the shot department. It’s the Coyotes turn for shot dominance.
Hit me with your best shot – Keep up the hit parade on Red Wings players. It’s working. Just keep it going!
Officials:
Referees: Bill McCreary-7 & Ian Walsh-29
Linesmen: David Brisebois-96 & Jay Sharrers-57
Supervisor: Rob Shick
Injuries/Scratches (will be updated as information is made known):
Coyotes: Kurt Sauer(IR), Scottie Upshall(IR), Vernon Fiddler(Day to Day), Viktor Tikhonov (Scratch), Paul Bissonnette (Scratch), The San Antonio 8 (Scratch),
Red Wings: Kurt Maltby, Jason Williams, Daniel Larsson, Doug Janik, Brad May, Mattias Ritola, Jakub Kindl, Derek Meetch, Brett Lebda
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