Box Score from TSN (NHL doesn’t have official linkable stats for the media in the pre-season)

http://tsn.ca/nhl/scores/boxscore/?id=14179

Attendance – 6,203

Coyotes post game video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDakGF3l6xE

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE1Hg6cZJ7Y

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1v7u3dFlTM

Phoenix Coyotes post game comments

Forward Martin Hanzal

On the outcome of the game – “It was huge, we didn’t win those kind of games this preseason. So we now have better confidence and we’ll be ready for the regular season.”

On his line getting better – “We get better every game, even though we have only played three games together; but we get better every game and with a solid game tonight, hopefully we get better and better during the season.”

San Jose Sharks post game comments

Todd McLellan on how his team played tonight

“We got to see our players play against a very good team – some of our younger players, and that’s what we wanted. I thought we were sluggish from the ears out, if that makes any sense. We weren’t very good up top. As a result, your legs and hands don’t work. So, we still have some work to do.”

Defenseman Colin White

On his team’s play tonight – “We didn’t have a great game. Obviously, we didn’t do enough to win. They have a good team, they worked hard tonight and they got the win.”

On the conclusion of his team’s preseason – “There were a lot of positives throughout camp, a lot of guys stepped up and played great. It was a very challenging camp for everybody….And everybody did their job, came to work and came focused.”

Early Saturday on national television, the Phoenix Coyotes failed to show up for game 2 of their best of seven series against the Red Wings losing 4-3 even after a late 3rd period rally by led Coyotes captain Shane Doan. The late rally was not enough because the first 30 minutes of the game resembled much of the Coyotes train wreck of an East Coast road trip in December. Sloppy play, not caring that they are in the playoffs, lack of discipline, poor mental errors that are never learned from were just some of the characteristics of not only game 2 but the Coyotes East Coast road trip in December.

As with most of the other content on this site, I strive to not focus on the game storyline but more on the analysis of the game and other angles that don’t get covered in general.

Below are eight things that one can take away from game two of the Coyotes/Red Wings during this off day.

Coyotes bad habits from the regular season are creeping back in – Anyone notice that all the problems that have cost the Coyotes goals and games in this series are all the bad habits they developed and never broke this past season? I sure did. This is partially a player issue and partially a coaching issue. If this becomes the reason that the Coyotes get booted from the playoffs Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney is going to have to take a long look at the assistant coaching staff of the Coyotes in addition to underperforming players on their roster during the offseason.

Discipline – This is one of the keys to Coyotes regular season games that have been brought up so many times on this site that I’ve lost count.  Team discipline is an aspect of the Coyotes overall game that has hasn’t shown up for a full 60 minutes on a consistent basis this season. Now that the playoffs are in full swing, the lack of the Coyotes team discipline is a major cause for concern going into game three.

Why is this cause for concern?

Because if aspects of the Coyotes games like playing a disciplined game during the regular season aren’t fixed by the time the post season comes around, crafty opponents like the Red Wings can and will exploit this to their advantage like they have in the first two games of this series. ‘Discipline’ covers numerous aspects of the Coyotes overall game like poor defensive zone discipline, not recognizing when referees are calling extremely tight games, blocking shots, covering weak side opponents in their defensive zone and so on. In addition, the lack of Coyotes team discipline is exactly the reason why the Coyotes were shelled in the first period of game two. The Coyotes need to choose from here on out whether or not they are willing to do what it takes to play a disciplined team game this season.

Faceoffs – The Red Wings won 38 of 59 face-offs during game 2 for a 64% percentage.  Why is this important? This is important because the Coyotes only won 21 of those 59 face-offs. The lack of the Coyotes winning faceoffs is not THE main reason why the Coyotes lost game 2, but it sure didn’t help their cause.

Final Game 2 Phoenix Coyotes faceoff stats:

Kyle Turris – Won 0 of 6 faceoffs 0%
Vernon Fiddler – Won 5 of 14 faceoffs 36%
Lauri Korpikoski – Won 0 of 1 faceoffs 0%
Andrew Ebbett – Won 0 of 1 faceoffs 0%
Lee Stempniak – Won 0 of 2 faceoffs 0%
Eric Belanger – Won 3 of 10 faceoffs 30%
Shane Doan – Won 1 of 4 faceoffs 20%
Ray Whitney – Won 2 of 2 faceoffs 100%
Martin Hanzal – Won 10 of 18 faceoffs 56%

Datsyuk and Doan leading by example – If you want two examples of what a playoff player should look like or what standards for performing in the post season should be, look no further than the Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk and the Coyotes Shane Doan. Both players have raised their level of play from the regular season to the post season across the board defining not only what the true description of a playoff performer should be but what teams need to do to not only win playoff games but series as well.

When it comes to Pavel Datsyuk, confidence is the key to his success in the post season.

“It’s great to see him skating with a lot confidence and it’s hard to defend him when he’s playing like that.” said Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom about Pavel Datsyuk following game 2.

That is an understatement if I ever heard one. Pavel Datsyuk in just two games has been a wrecking machine in all aspects of his game. Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan has done just the same in the latter stages of Game 2 against the Red Wings.

“He’s a dominant player when he plays like that. He got rewarded with goals tonight.” said Dave Tippett about Shane Doan’s performance during game two.

Speaking of people who should take the lead…. – There’s a few Coyotes players that have been pretty much invisible in this series and have yet to show up for the playoffs.

As happy as Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett was with Shane Doan’s performance in the latter stages of Game 2, he did send a message about his dislike of the performances, or lack thereof, from the rest of the Coyotes roster.

“I just wish there were a few other guys on our team who would take the lead from that (Doan’s game 2 performance)”, said Tippett during his post game 2 press conference.

Lee Stempniak, Mikkel Boedker, Lauri Korpikoski, and Taylor Pyatt are four players that are examples of Coyotes players who have literally been invisible on the ice during this series. Let’s be honest, it’s time for these underperforming Coyotes players to start earning their paychecks.

Penalty parade for both teams – 16 penalties totaling 32 minutes of penalties were handed out to both teams in Game 2.  Sure Lots of these were very weak calls that normally wouldn’t get called in the regular season.  When I first envisioned the matchup for this series, I forgot to factor in the NHL switching up the way they call games in the post season. Get used to this folks.

Painful lessons being learned/Coyotes reap what they sewed – The goals the Coyotes allowed along with the amount/type of penalties the Coyotes took in the first period and part of the second period of game 2 was a rude awaking and learning experience for the Coyotes. The thing is did the Coyotes learn from it? We’ll soon know during game 3.

Who is going to answer the bell for the Coyotes in game three? – The proverbial Bell is ringing right now for the Coyotes.   The question is who is going to answer said bell for game three? If I had to guess, aside from Shane Doan, and a few other core players I would have to say no one based on what I’ve seen in the series so far. This is a resilient team but when it comes down to it, this year’s Coyotes roster has yet to show that they can not only play as a team but also be a force on the ice as a team.

Post game comments from Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett (Video courtesy of NHL.com):

Post game 2 comments from Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock (Video via NHL.com):

BizNasty’s fight last night against the San Jose Sharks Ryan Clowe at the 17:00 minute mark of the third period.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_3u6obBMmc

BizNasty’s second fight of the game last night against St. Louis Blues defenseman Tyson Strachan at the 2:33 mark of the second period.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fUvNt43Mi4

BizNasty’s fight last night against St. Louis Blues forward Ryan Reaves at the 1:58 mark of the first period.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=chnmDaE76JM

Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows speaks with reporters about this hit from behind he delivered to Phoenix Coyotes forward Vernon Fiddler during last night’s game in Vancouver. The Coyotes beat the Canucks by a score of 3-1.

Note: This video was produced by the Vancouver Canucks

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgX83i9ate8

Burrows was tossed from the game after receiving a five minute boarding major and a 10 minute misconduct at the 11:09 mark of the third period.

Post game comments from Phoenix Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett following his teams 5-4 shootout victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

Video courtesy of PhoenixCoyotes.com
Transcription courtesy of my Laptop keyboard.

(Tippett Points off camera) “He just asked if I want to re-write the post game speech.”

Reporter: Have one ready?

“There’s probably a different couple that were coming. After the second period, we just said ‘we worked hard’ I didn’t think it should have been a 4-1 game. They got a couple breaks on some goals that went in. I thought other than that last power play in the end, we were pretty good in the game. We just went in and said ‘you know what? We had a string of bad luck here, the only way this is going to turn around is if we stick together as a group and we make sure we put our hardest work in we can.’ We went out, and got a couple breaks and got a win. That was a game right there. It’s Saturday night, an exciting game against Detroit, great fans, I think that’s a game even the Goldwater group would even like. (assembled media laugh) That’s how good a game it was. That’s how good a game that was. Was there that much excitement in the game? It was unbelievable. It was great.”

Would the Goldwater’s enthusiasm be delayed?

“(Laughs) No comment on that one.”

Dave, was that your best line of the year?

” I don’t know. Everybody loved that game. Some good, some bad. Some train wrecks in it, some good stuff in it. Lots of excitement with the Detroit fans in there it just adds to the atmosphere. The Coyote fans get goin’, Wings fans get goin’. It’s a great Saturday Night.”

On what he learned about the ‘Kid line’ (Turris/Boedker/MacLean) tonight and what they learned about themselves.

“The one thing they can do is they can play with pace. When you play against Detroit, you know they’re going to play fast. That’s a game our kids jumped in there. I thought they played very well together. Kyle Turris – That could be the best game he’s had all year right there. MacLean came up and he did what he’s supposed to do. He’s hard around the net, he’s hard on loose pucks. That’s a real positive sign for us.”

(Couldn’t hear question)

“I think it was just a belief system that at some point this was going to turn around. We’ve been getting some bad breaks against us. We thought we played well in Los Angeles and didn’t get the win and come out tonight and we were going to try to do whatever we could to win. Like I say, after the second period, we didn’t feel like we should have been down 4-1. You go out there, and just give your best effort and see what happens and fortunately we got the points. ”

On how the Coyotes rallied tonight

“Well hopefully it’s a momentum swing. When I get up here and talk to you after Dallas games, you’re looking to change a negative into a positive. Now we get to change a positive into a positive and use it as momentum. That’s what we talk about. We’ve got a day off tomorrow, we got a top team in Vancouver coming in on Tuesday, we got to make sure that we use this as a spring board. Not just a spring board of winning but a spring board of how we want to play to be successful. Tonight we had some good efforts all the way around. ”

If the way the Coyotes played desperate hockey against Detroit is the key to the way they need to play down the stretch?

“I think when you haven’t won in a few games, and you get in a bit of a slump you’re looking for something to turn your way. You know the old adage ‘You gotta to earn your way out of a slump’. Like I say, LA I thought we played well. I thought we did some real good things tonight. Hopefully we can use that as a spring board to get on another run.”

On how important it was on this home stand to start it with a character victory.

“That’s one of the things we talked about before the game with the group is to get some momentum tonight going into these three games this week would be huge. For a while there it didn’t look like it was going the right way but it ended the right way so we’ll take that momentum and move on. ”

On putting the Kid Line back together after the team was down at the beginning of the game to give the Coyotes an energy lift.

“Well they gave us the first goal which was a good energy lift. We had a couple of guys who were questionable with some status of injuries so we’re kind of feeling our way in there a little bit. But then once we got settled in, they played very well together.”

On Derek Morris’s status

“Day to Day. We got a day off tomorrow. We’ll call him ‘lower body – day to day’”

On if the late penalties are still frustrating

“It’s frustrating because timing is not good, questionable penalty/no penalty. That’s debatable. It’s something we certainly have to continue to be aware of. ”

On Radim Vrbata’s confidence with his shot in the shootout.

“It’s a pretty good move he’s got there. It’s interesting you go into shootouts they’re different things. I watch those pretty close in practice. Both Turris and Boeds (Mikkel Boedker) are both real strong in the American League. They’re pretty good in practice up here too so you’re looking for a couple of people different they (opponents) might not know. Vrby (Radim Vrbata) it seems like it doesn’t matter if they know him because he still finds a way to score. He’s clutch for us, that’s for sure.”

On how close Martin Hanzal was to not being in the lineup against the Red Wings.

“Very. Very. A day off will do him a lot of good tomorrow.”

On how Hanzal’s complexion changes on a night like this.

“(Laughs) As big as he is 6’5″? That’s how big it changes. You look at the depth they (the Red Wings) have at center ice they have Datsyuk or Zetterberg they can throw in the middle Filppula and they got Modano those are three top players. Anytime you can have a guy like Hanzal play against any of them is a big plus. We were very glad that he decided he was able to play”

A replay of the shootout Saturday Night between the Phoenix Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings. Going into the shootout the game was tied 4-4.

Phoenix Coyotes 5 – Detroit Red Wings 4 (SO)

Attendance – 17,382

Game Photos http://www.nhl.com/ice/gallerylanding.htm?id=21064

Three Stars of the game:

3) Ray Whitney – F – PHX

2) Radim Vrbata – F – PHX

1) Kyle Turris – F – PHX

Goal #1 – Detroit – Miller (7) from Helm (19). Time on the goal was 2:04 of the first. Score is 1-0 Red Wings

Goal #2 – Detroit – PP Goal – Franzen (27) from Lidstrom (40) and Modano (9). Time on the goal was 16:57 of the first. Score is 2-0 Red Wings

Goal #3 Phoenix – Turris (11) from Aucoin (18) and MacLean (1). Time on the goal was 18:41 of the first. Score is 2-1 Red Wings

Goal #4 – Detroit – Filppula (13) from Lidstrom (41) and Stuart (11). Time on the goal was 15:27 of the second. Score is 3-1 Red Wings

Goal #5 – Detroit – Short Handed – Helm (9) from Stuart (12). Time on the goal is 19:47 of the second. Score is 4-1 Red Wings

Goal #6 – Phoenix – Boedker (2) unassisted. Time on the goal is 2:23 of the third period. Score is 4-2 Red Wings

Goal #7 – Phoenix – Whitney (13) from Turris (11) and Doan (32). Time on the goal is 14:34 of the third. Score is 4-3 Red Wings

Goal #8 – Phoenix – Hanzal (16) from Vrbata (22) and Whitney (37). Time on the goal is 18:03 of the third. Score is tied 4-4.

Goal #10 – Vrbata wins the game in the Shootout – Final Score Phoenix 5 – Red Wings 4 – (SO)

Game highlights

Starting Lineup/Scratches

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/RO020980.HTM

Game Summary

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/GS020980.HTM

Event Summary

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/ES020980.HTM

Faceoff Stats

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/FC020980.HTM

Play by Play

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/PL020980.HTM

Time on ice/Shift Stats – Red Wings

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/TV020980.HTM

Time on Ice/Shift Stats – Coyotes

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/TH020980.HTM

Shot Summary

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/SS020980.HTM

Shootout Stats

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/SO020980.HTM

By now you’re familiar with the third period meltdown that was the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. Instead of going over what went wrong at the end, I’m going to focus more on the events that led up to it in just some quick notes.

- First off, this was the answer to the opening question of Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett’s post game press conference. Tippett was asked how the Coyotes overcome the loss Tuesday to the Stars.

“I think we need to look at it right in the teeth and say “What the hell’s going on?” That’s two games this week we lost because of penalties. At some point we got to get it. We’ll look it straight in the face and take the challenge. We better or it’s not a good thing.”

When it comes to Dave Tippett and being angry at losses to games such as this one, he’s not the type of Coach that will fly off the handle with unfiltered profanities like New York Rangers head coach John Torterella. No, Tippett takes whatever rage or frustration over a loss like this one and channels it into very controlled yet potent answers. In this case the answers to post game questions were delivered in the form a laser beam of anger and frustration over the way the Coyotes lost to Dallas Tuesday. The fuel for this proverbial laser beam were the four unnecessarily stupid penalties (three of them hooking calls) that eventually cost the Coyotes the game.

- Coming into this game, I was expecting to see the Phoenix Coyotes to be lagging a bit from their recent road trip. What happened was exactly that. Call it the tail end of a proverbial lack of energy hangover. It was clear that the Coyotes did not have 100% energy to bring to the table against the Stars. On the flip side they weren’t at the 20% level or below like they were against Tampa Bay. This team needs a day off from the ice and team activities at the earliest convenience.

- One of the byproducts of this ‘hangover’ was the Coyotes inability to out think their opponents like recognizing clearing attempts by Stars goaltender Kari Lethonen being delivered in virtually the same manner every time. On the flip side, the Stars did an excellent job of recognizing the Coyotes tendencies especially when the Coyotes were in transition out of their defensive zone. The Stars jumped on every sloppy or easy to recognize pass and made the most they could out of every opportunity.

- If you watch the game from a tactical standpoint like I do sometimes, you’ll note that the latest opponent tendency is to shoot the puck on Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from the half boards around the faceoff circle area. It’s something that’s appearing not just in the Coyotes game with the Stars but in previous games as well.

- If there’s one thing that the Coyotes have yet to solve in their season series with the Dallas Stars it’s the fact Steve Ott has been completely and utterly dominating the Coyotes in the faceoff circle. Check out Ott’s stats from the last three Coyotes/Stars games:

March 1 – Won 11 of 16 faceoffs (69%)
February 9 – Won 10 of 15 faceoffs (57%)
December 26 – Won 9 of 16 faceoffs (56%)

- Rostislav Klesla played a solid first game as a Phoenix Coyote. He looked fatigued near the end of the game but that’s to be expected for a few games. With Klesla in the lineup, the Coyotes visibly have some much needed stability across their defensive corps for the first time this season.

- I’m keeping a close eye on Kyle Turris for the next few games to see how he’s progressed this season. My theory is that he’s earned his lack of ice time due to the fact that he hasn’t figured out he need to develop chemistry with his linemates, learn how they operate, and help them to be better players. Some fans have been saying just put him with better players and he’ll play better. I’m saying that he has to earn that ice time with better players by first being a dominant player on the 4th line and working his way up. It’s something Turris has yet to do this season.

Post game comments from Phoenix Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett following their 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.

On how the Coyotes overcome a loss like this.

“I think we need to look at it right in the teeth and say “What the hell’s going on?” That’s two games this week we lost because of penalties. At some point we got to get it. We’ll look it straight in the face and take the challenge. We better or it’s not a good thing.”

On whether discipline and special teams is the root of the Coyotes problems when going from the eight game streak to their game with Dallas.

Discipline…you find ways to win. Right now taking penalties is finding ways to lose. That’s a game that they get a couple of fortunate goals a couple of bounces, we get ourselves back in the game and we take just a bad penalty and end the game. It’s a nothing play. Take a bad penalty and then can’t clean it up at the end. It’s devastating not getting any points out of that game.

On whether the team understands the magnitude of this and if they know what the Coyotes need to turn the ship around.

“They should. How would you feel?”

On how Klesla played in his first game

“It’s the first game he’s played in a while he’s coming off an injury. Obviously he got the goal. He’ll take some time to come up to speed to figure out how the way we do things. I thought it was a good start for him. He got thrown into a very important game not playing for a while. I thought he meshed pretty well. I think there’s still ‘better’ in him.”

On how Dallas played before the Coyotes got on the score board?

“I thought it was kind of a lethargic game. We looked like a team that came off a road trip and they (the Stars) were playing a real disciplined road game. Both their first two goals – one is a shot from the corner that happens to find its way in another shot from the corner that bounces off somebody and in. You know, it was kind of a muddy game that way. I like the way we pushed back from the start of the third and got ourselves back in the game. That’s what’s so disappointing about it.”

Starting Lineups/Scratches

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/RO020949.HTM

Game Summary

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/GS020949.HTM

Event Summary

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/ES020949.HTM

Face-off comparison

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/FC020949.HTM

Play by Play

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/PL020949.HTM

Time on Ice/Shift Report – Dallas Stars

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/TV020949.HTM

Time on Ice/Shift Report – Phoenix Coyotes

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/TH020949.HTM

Shots on goal Summary

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/SS020949.HTM

Post-game comments from Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett, defenseman Keith Yandle and forward Eric Belanger following the Coyotes 4-3 shootout loss to the Blackhawks.

Audio via of Todd Walsh of Fox Sports Arizona

Dave Tippett

Keith Yandle

Eric Belanger