Phoenix Coyotes Hockey on AZ Vibe

Las Vegas – Tonight at the 2010 NHL Awards at the Palms Hotel, Phoenix Coyotes Captain Shane Doan won the King Clancy Trophy. According to the NHL, the King Clancy Trophy is given to the player “who best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice and who has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.”

Shane Doan is not only the most recognized face on the Phoenix Coyotes but he also donates his time to many and various charities such as the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the Children First Academy. However, he is also being recognized for his accomplishments over the course of the past year or so.

Coyotes fans may remember last off-season that Shane Doan went above and beyond the call of any NHL Captain by answering questions in the media about the Coyotes ownership drama when he really didn’t have to. In addition, the wording of the press release also implied that he is being recognized for leading the Coyotes this past season to franchise records of 50 wins and 107 points with all the outside distractions of the Phoenix Coyotes ownership instability going on.

You wouldn’t know it but the Coyotes off-season last Summer for Doan was “a tough summer in the fact that kind of wondering what was going on.” He continued, “It was exciting to turn it around.”

Doan also sees Winning the King Clancy Trophy as a “great honor. I accepted it on the fact that we had great leadership in the room, and I totally recognize it’s a team thing more than an individual thing.”

I partially disagree with that statement. I’ll explain why.

When I first read the press release that the NHL handed out to us in the media room about Shane Doan winning the King Clancy Trophy, the following statement resonated with me:

Aside from simply making appearances, Doan is well-known in Phoenix for his ability to put a smile on fans’ faces and engage them in conversations about nearly anything. During the Coyotes Carnival in March, during which Doan playfully interacted with each and every fan who stood in line awaiting the chance to participate in carnival games with him…

This afternoon, I checked out the red carpet procession leading up to the start of the 2010 NHL Awards, and I noted this kid and his father next to me. The Kid had a pad of paper and a sharpie trying to get autographs from whomever came by. Some NHL Stars just walked past not signing any autographs, some just signed his pad and moved on, and some didn’t see the kid. However, when Shane Doan came by, something else happened. (Picture Below)

Doan stopped, kneeled down to the kids level and genuinely interacted with the kid asking him questions, asking him his name. He sincerely connected with the kid. It’s the type of connection that kids will remember as they grow older and is the kind of moment that truly defines Shane Doan as a person off the ice.

This is why he won the King Clancy Trophy tonight:

It’s a fitting (and overdue) tribute to a man who is being honored not only for his on-ice contributions but it’s also a reflection of his tremendous character off the ice.

The NHL just announced that Phoenix Coyotes Captain Shane Doan along with Buffalo Sabres Ryan Miller and Sidney Crosby from the Pittsburgh Penguins have been named finalists for the 2009-2010 Mark Messier Leadership Award.

The Mark Messier Leadership Award is given to the player who is not only a proven leader on the ice but makes a significant contribution to their communities. Mark Messier compiles a list of candidates from NHL players, front office staff along with NHL fans via NHL.com. The three nominees and the award winner is determined by Mark Messier.

The Mark Messier Leadership Award winner will be announced at the 2010 NHL Awards on June 23rd at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas.

By now, everyone knows that Shane Doan’s playoff and season ending injury was classified as a ‘Grade/Type 3 Shoulder Separation’. The injury was revealed after the Phoenix Coyotes were eliminated from the 2010 playoffs by the Detroit Red Wings.

Now most people don’t know what the medical terminology of Doan’s injury means or what exactly the severity of the injury was. If you note from the image below, you can see the levels of shoulder separations starting with what a normal shoulder looks like (on the left).

Had Doan re-entered the lineup in the Red Wings series, he would have 1) been a target for Red Wings players and 2) would have not been very effective at all.

I personally saw a similar situation like this in the 2003 NHL playoffs.

The Vancouver Canucks and the St. Louis Blues met in the first round of the 2003 playoffs with the Canucks having the home ice advantage. (On a side note, Coyotes broadcaster Tyson Nash was a member of the 2003 Blues.) During Blues Defenseman Al MacInnis’s 3rd shift in game 2 of this series, Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi leveled MacInnis into the boards behind Blues goaltender Chris Osgood forcing MacInnis out of the lineup with a shoulder injury.

Now the problem with the boards at GM Place in 2003 was that they did not have any give (they have since been fixed) at all. The boards were situated literally on the cement foundation that made up the first row of seats behind the glass. As a result, the boards had zero give and would not cushion any force that would be thrown against it.

MacInnis was out for the rest of the series until a game seven was forced. He entered the lineup in game 7 and logged 21 shifts totaling 14:52 of ice time. However, he was completely and utterly useless for the entire game due to his injury managing only one shot on goal in the third period. Even his feared shot from the point was but a mere whimper due to his shoulder injury.

Doan probably could have played in game 7 but the chances are he would not have been effective like MacInnis in 2003. Had Doan had an injury in the ‘Grade 1′ area, Coyotes fans would have more than likely seen him in the lineup.

Phoenix Coyotes vs Detroit Red Wings Game 7 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Quarter Finals Series is tied 3 – 3 Jobing.com Arena – Glendale, AZ Puck Drops at 6:00 PM AZ Time TV: FSN-AZ (AZ Only) Versus (US outside of AZ) – TSN/RDS (Canada)Radio:XTRA 910

“…they got lucky…” – Detroit Red Wings Goaltender Jimmy Howard describing the Phoenix Coyotes victory in game 6

Really?

Not much else to be said here. This game tonight and ultimately the series is entirely the Phoenix Coyotes to dictate.

The Keys to the game below outline what needs to be done to give the Coyotes the best chance at success in Game 7.

In short, the Coyotes need to come out with their most disciplined game to date tonight, Bryz has to play his best game ever, and the secondary scoring has to come up big once again.

It’s time to take this series!

Cheat Sheet:

- According to John Gambadoro of 620 KTAR, Coyotes Captain Shane Doan is out for game 7. Expect the Coyotes to roll with 7 defensemen once again if this story holds up to be true. Head Coach Dave Tippett has said that Doan is a ‘Game time decision’.

- No lineup changes are expected for the Detroit Red Wings in game 7

- Ilya Bryzgalov expected to start for the Coyotes in Game 7 and Jimmy Howard is expected to start in net for the Red Wings.

- Tonight’s Coyotes Game 7 viewing party is at the Native New Yorker in the Westgate City Center in Glendale, AZ

- Pre-game presser with Head Coach Dave Tippett (Courtesy of PhoenixCoyotes.com):

Pre-game presser with Coyotes defenseman Adrian Aucoin (Courtesy of PhoenixCoyotes.com):

Things to watch for:

Stupid Penalties – The Coyotes still haven’t fully stopped taking dumb penalties. Watch to see if they do in game 7.

Coyotes defensive discipline – The Coyotes HAVE to play the best defensive game of the season in Game 7 to be able have the best opportunity to win.

Keys to the game (some of these are the same as game 6 as they still apply for game 7):

Coyotes Role players HAVE to step up in the scoring department – I found this quote from 2009 when a reporter from the AP talked with Former Coyotes Coach Wayne Gretzky about what Pittsburgh needed to win the Stanley Cup last year “In order for Pittsburgh to have success in this series, they’re going to need their role players to step up and contribute in a way that’s going to be a positive factor.” This applies to the Coyotes as well. Key scorers have been shutout as the Red Wings know that the secondary scoring (READ: 3rd and 4th lines) are not coming up with goals in this series. Now is their time to step up. They have to come up big today.

Faceoffs – The Coyotes are most successful when they win key faceoffs and gain possession of the puck. This is another aspect of the series that the Wings have taken advantage of at times. The Coyotes MUST win key faceoffs tonight especially on the Power Play if they are going to be successful tonight.

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 needs to have the best game in his career to be able to give the Coyotes the best chance of moving on. His challenge tonight is to steal this game from the Red Wings.

Stop allowing the Detroit Crease Campers (Bertuzzi/Holmstrom/etc) to get possession of the puck in front of Bryzgalov – They have done too much damage in the series. The Coyotes need to stop the Red Wings from gaining control of the puck in the crease area as they have been wreaking havoc in the scoring department. The Red Wings have done a pretty good job this series stopping the Coyotes from getting secondary chances on Jimmy Howard. Why can’t the Coyotes do the same thing on the other end of the ice?

Shoot. The. Puck. – The Way to beat Jimmy Howard is not only to get perimeter shots on the Red Wings goaltender but to also pepper him with shots on secondary scoring chances up close. The Red Wings dominated the previous games in the shot department. Howard is weakest when he commits to shots and the Coyotes HAVE to take advantage of that. The Coyotes failed immensely in the shot department in game 4. As a result, they suffered immensely in the game 4 final score.

Find safety valves when the Red Wings pressure the puck carrier – One challenge that the Coyotes have had this series is working through situations where the Red Wings pressure the puck carrier in all three zones on the ice. The Coyotes need to be aware of this and adapt to it. Find the open man.

How bad do the Coyotes want it? – There’s only one game left. The Coyotes playoff destiny is entirely in their hands. They have the tools and ability to win this game and the series. The question is….how bad do the Coyotes want it and are they willing to do what it takes to win?

Officials:

Referees: #11 Kelly Sutherland; #33 Kevin Pollock
Linesmen: #57 Jay Sharrers; #86 Brad Lazarowich

Injuries/Scratches (will be updated as information is made known):

Coyotes: Kurt Sauer(IR), Scottie Upshall(IR), Jim Vandermeer (Scratch), Shane Doan(Game time decision), Petteri Nokelainen (Scratch), 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

First off if you haven’t heard by now, The Coyotes and the NHL announced the game time for game 7. The Puck will drop at 6:00 PM and will be shown on FSN-AZ in Arizona, Versus in the US (outside of Arizona), TSN/RDS (in Canada). Pre-game show on FSN AZ starts at 5:30 PM.

Dave Tippett addresses the following practice Monday:

Downloadable MP3 version of the Press Conference from Todd Walsh at FSN Arizona:

http://filesocial.com/2zstb9s

Shane Doan addresses the media following practice on Monday:

Downloadable MP3 version of the Press Conference from Todd Walsh at FSN Arizona:

http://filesocial.com/2zvnle5

Phoenix Coyotes vs Detroit Red Wings Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Quarter Finals Red Wings lead the series 3 – 2 Joe Lewis Arena – Detroit, MI Puck Drops at 11:00 AM AZ Time TV: NBC(US) – TSN/RDS (Canada)Radio:XTRA 910

The Phoenix Coyotes find themselves in a new situation this season….facing elimination at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings in Game 6 later this morning (11 AM on NBC/TSN/RDS). Up to this point in the series, the Coyotes have had the skills and work ethic to win games. However, the Detroit Red Wings playoff experience has been the deciding factor in this series. The playoff inexperienced Coyotes have not played a sound mental game for some time now and will need one to pull out a victory here today.

The good thing is that this series is not overwith as of yet and the Coyotes have the opportunity to force a game seven back at the Jobing.com arena. Furthermore, they have been doing many things right on the ice that can be leveraged for game 6 (like faceoffs, penalty killing, etc).

The Red Wings will be more than prepared to not only play the game of their life later this morning, but will be prepared to face what the Coyotes will be throwing their way….which is the Hockey version of ‘everything including the kitchen sink’.

So what are the Phoenix Coyotes going to need to do to win this game and possibly the series?

Former Phoenix Coyotes Head Coach Wayne Gretzky gives insight as to what it takes to win a Stanley Cup from his experience of winning it all 1982…this definitely applies to game 6 for the Phoenix Coyotes (taken from an AP interview in 2009):

“After losing that first final (against the New York Islanders), walking by their locker room, the one thought we had as players was: it was going to be a dreadful sight going by their locker room and watching them celebrate and having a tremendous time,” Gretzky said. “As we found out … it was pretty quiet in there.

“We sort of walked out healthy and they were beat up. We realized then and there that it takes a lot more than just wanting to win. You were going to have to earn it, and it was going to take a lot to win a Stanley Cup and be a champion. That’s what we learned from the Islanders.”

The thing is the Red Wings are well versed in this aspect of the playoffs. The Coyotes are just learning it.

As I’ve said before, the Coyotes have the skills and talent to win beat the Red Wings in this series. The question is do the Coyotes want it bad enough and are they willing to make the necessary sacrifices to win? This includes checking, blocking shots, being mentally aware of their opponents locations on the ice, and so on.

It’s do or die time.

Bring it back for 7!

Cheat Sheet:

- No lineup changes are expected for the Detroit Red Wings in game 6

- Ilya Bryzgalov expected to start for the Coyotes in Game 6 and Jimmy Howard is expected to start in net for the Red Wings.

- Coyotes defenseman Kurt Sauer will appear at the game 6 viewing party at Padre Murphy’s located at 4338 W. Bell Road in Glendale. Sauer will sign autographs for fans on hand. There will also be a second viewing party at Blue 32 Sports Grill located at 1524 East Williamsfield in Gilbert.

- Defenseman Mathieu Schneider is expected to play in game 6

- Coyotes Captain Shane Doan will be re-evaluated by the training staff this morning. I’m expecting him to play in this elimination game. What actually happens, may be something entirely different.

Comments from Phoenix Coyotes Head Coach Dave Tippett on Saturday Afternoon (Courtesy of PhoenixCoyotes.com):

Comments from Coyotes Defenseman Ed Jovanovski from Saturday Afternoon (Courtesy of PhoenixCoyotes.com):

Things to watch for:

Stupid Penalties – We get to see if the Coyotes Team Chaplin fully exorcised the Stupid Penalty Demons that existed during game 5.

Coyotes defensive discipline – The Coyotes HAVE to play the best defensive game of the season to be able have the best opportunity to win.

Keys to the game (some of these are the same as game 5 as they still apply for game 6):

Coyotes Role players HAVE to step up in the scoring department – I found this quote from 2009 when a reporter from the AP talked with Former Coyotes Coach Wayne Gretzky about what Pittsburgh needed to win the Stanley Cup last year “In order for Pittsburgh to have success in this series, they’re going to need their role players to step up and contribute in a way that’s going to be a positive factor.” This applies to the Coyotes as well. Key scorers have been shutout as the Red Wings know that the secondary scoring (READ: 3rd and 4th lines) are not coming up with goals in this series. Now is their time to step up. They have to come up big today.

Faceoffs – The Coyotes are most successful when they win key faceoffs and gain possession of the puck. This is another aspect of the series that the Wings have taken advantage of at times. The Coyotes MUST win key faceoffs tonight especially on the Power Play if they are going to be successful tonight.

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 needs to have the best game in his career to be able to give the Coyotes the best chance of moving on.

Stop allowing the Detroit Crease Campers (Bertuzzi/Holmstrom/etc) to get possession of the puck in front of Bryzgalov – They have done too much damage in the series. The Coyotes need to stop the Red Wings from gaining control of the puck in the crease area as they have been wreaking havoc in the scoring department. The Red Wings have done a pretty good job this series stopping the Coyotes from getting secondary chances on Jimmy Howard. Why can’t the Coyotes do the same thing on the other end of the ice?

Shoot. The. Puck. – The Way to beat Jimmy Howard is not only to get perimeter shots on the Red Wings goaltender but to also pepper him with shots on secondary scoring chances up close. The Red Wings dominated the previous games in the shot department. Howard is weakest when he commits to shots and the Coyotes HAVE to take advantage of that. The Coyotes failed immensely in the shot department in game 4. As a result, they suffered immensely in the game 4 final score.

Find safety valves when the Red Wings pressure the puck carrier – One challenge that the Coyotes have had this series is working through situations where the Red Wings pressure the puck carrier in all three zones on the ice. The Coyotes need to be aware of this and adapt to it. Find the open man.

How bad do the Coyotes want it? – This is a best of two series now. The Coyotes playoff destiny is now entirely in their hands. They have the tools and ability to win this series. The question is….how bad do the Coyotes want it and are they willing to do what it takes to win?

Officials:

Referee – #20 Tim Peel – #9 Dan O’Rourke – (Standby) #43 Brian Pochmara
Linesmen – #93 Brian Murphy #80 Thor Nelson – (Standby) #50 Scott Cherrey

Injuries/Scratches (will be updated as information is made known):

Coyotes: Kurt Sauer(IR), Scottie Upshall(IR), Jim Vandermeer (Scratch), Shane Doan(Game time decision), Petteri Nokelainen (Scratch), 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

Phoenix Coyotes vs Detroit Red Wings Game 5 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Quarter Finals Series is Tied 2 – 2 Jobing.com Arena – Glendale, AZ Puck Drops at 7:00 PM AZ Time TV: FSNAZ (in AZ) – Versus (US outside of AZ) – TSN (Canada)Radio:XTRA 910

The Phoenix Coyotes continue their quest for the Stanley Cup tonight when they take on the Detroit Red Wings in game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals playoff series. This series is all tied up at 2 games a piece after both the Coyotes and Red Wings each won a game on their opponents home ice. With potentially three games left in this series, the Coyotes now have home ice advantage and look take control with a win in game 5 tonight. Both teams have shown signs of strengths and weaknesses in four games but neither team has taken control of the series thus far. Tonight should be an indicator of where this series is heading.

The Phoenix Coyotes are coming off their most anemic offensive outputs of the series in game 4 by hardly shooting the puck for the entire 60 minutes of game 4. Instead of taking advantage of offensive opportunities, the Coyotes seemed tentative and more focused on making pretty passes than riddling Jimmy Howard with pucks.

This must change if the Coyotes want to win this series.

The Detroit Red Wings have done a fairly good job of scoring on the Phoenix Coyotes exploiting numerous lapses in the Coyotes defensive game. Defensively, Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard barely got any work in game 4 partially due to the Coyotes focusing on their pretty passing in their offensive zone and not focusing on putting shots on Jimmy Howard. I’m fully expecting the passing drills to be over in game 5 and am expecting to see the Coyotes work on putting more pucks on Jimmy Howard over the course of the game.

The outcome of this game for the Coyotes is simple…

Play Phoenix Coyotes hockey for a full 60 minutes and they will have the best chance of winning the game. This is the Coyotes home ice, the Coyotes fans, the Coyotes series to win.

The only question now is….

How bad do the Coyotes want it?

Cheat Sheet:

- Dave Strader of Fox Sports Arizona is reporting that Mathieu Schneider is in the lineup tonight for the Coyotes, no word on who will be scratched tonight for the Coyotes tonight.

- Ilya Bryzgalov expected to start for the Coyotes in Game 5 and Jimmy Howard is expected to start in net for the Red Wings.

- According to Todd Walsh of FSNAZ, Today’s Morning Skate was optional and Shane Doan was not on the ice.

- Coyotes Captain Shane Doan will be a ‘game time decision’

- Coyotes head Coach Dave Tippett’s Game Day Press Conference (Courtesy PhoenixCoyotes.com):

http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/podcastplayer.htm?pid=335&iid=22308

- Mike Babcock game day press conference:

http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/podcastplayer.htm?pid=335&iid=22307

Things to watch for:

Coyotes Offense – Will the Phoenix Coyotes get aggressive and take advantage of the offensive opportunities given to them in game 5? Or will the Coyotes continue to play their passive passing game in their offensive zone? Correct me if I’m wrong, but you don’t get points for passing the puck around in your offensive zone.

Coyotes Defense – Are they going to pay attention in their defensive zone and not give the Red Wings any scoring chances or will they chase the puck around their defensive zone?

Shane Doan – Will he play? If he does, what will his role be for game five? If he’s not going to play, what will the Coyotes backup plan be?

Who will look better in their white tux? – Strader or Nash?

Keys to the game (some of these are the same as game 3 as they still apply for game 4):

Faceoffs – The Coyotes are most successful when they win key faceoffs and gain possession of the puck. This is another aspect of the series that the Wings have taken advantage of at times. The Coyotes MUST win key faceoffs tonight especially on the Power Play if they are going to be successful tonight.

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 for success. He has to be a rock in net tonight while the Coyotes go to work on Jimmy Howard.

Shoot. The. Puck. – The Way to beat Jimmy Howard is not only to get perimeter shots on the Red Wings goaltender but to also pepper him with shots on secondary scoring chances up close. The Red Wings dominated the previous games in the shot department. It’s the Coyotes turn for shot dominance. Howard is weakest when he commits to shots and the Coyotes HAVE to take advantage of that. The Coyotes failed immensely in the shot department in game 4. As a result, they suffered immensely in the game 4 final score.

Stop allowing the Detroit Crease Campers (Bertuzzi/Holmstrom/etc) to get possession of the puck in front of Bryzgalov – They have done too much damage in the series. The Coyotes need to stop the Red Wings from gaining control of the puck in the crease area. The Red Wings have done a pretty good job this series stopping the Coyotes from getting secondary chances on Jimmy Howard. Why can’t the Coyotes do the same thing on the other end of the ice?

Find safety valves when the Red Wings pressure the puck carrier – One challenge that the Coyotes have had this series is working through situations where the Red Wings pressure the puck carrier in all three zones on the ice. The Coyotes need to be aware of this and adapt to it. Find the open man.

How bad do the Coyotes want it? – This is a best of three series now. The Coyotes playoff destiny is now entirely in their hands. They have the tools and ability to win this series. The question is….how bad do the Coyotes want it?

Officials:

Referees: #23 Brad Watson; #34 Brad Meier
Linesmen: #65 Pierre Racicot; #84 Tony Sericolo

Supervisor: Rob Shick

Injuries/Scratches (will be updated as information is made known):

Coyotes: Kurt Sauer(IR), Scottie Upshall(IR), Jim Vandermeer (Scratch), Shane Doan(Game time decision), Robert Lang (Scratch), 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

Round 2 Playoff Tickets go on Sale today

Phoenix Coyotes Individual Round 2 Playoff Tickets go on sale today at 10:00 AM. Pick them up while you have the chance!

Fiddler Nominated for the Masterson Trophy

According to the NHL Player’s Association Website, Vernon Fiddler is the nominee for the 2010 Masterson Trophy. The three finalists for the Masterson Trophy will be announced on April 26th.

Post Practice interview with Tippett

The Coyotes were back at practice yesterday after taking the previous day off. Following the Coyotes practice, Phoenix Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett addressed the media (Courtesy of PhoenixCoyotes.com):

Doan talks to the media

Shane Doan addressed the media about his injury and the possibility of him playing in game 5 (Courtesy of PhoenixCoyotes.com):

http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/podcastplayer.htm?pid=335&iid=22284&navid=DL|PHX|home

Monday was a practice day for both the Red Wings and the Phoenix Coyotes.  Here’s the best of what went down after both teams practiced Monday.

Coyotes news via Twitter:

- Last Fri’s Coyotes/Red Wings game 2 got 2nd best all-time rating for Yotes on FSAZ, Best since ’99. #1 rated show that day in Phoenix (4.7) – FSN Arizona

Shane Doan skated for a few minutes and then left the ice. He’s not being made available to us. Tippett will address us in a few min. – Pierre LeBrun – ESPN

Forgot to mention Rafalski didn’t practice today. Babcock said it was a “maintenance day” and he would play tomorrow – Pierre LeBrun – ESPN

Shane Doan is listed as day-to-day. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow following the Coyotes’ morning skate at Joe Louis Arena. – Sergey Kocharov – Coyotes Director of Media Relations

- Dave Tippett: “It’s been a fun year to watch the progress of the team coming together. The players have played so hard.” – James Mirtle – Globe and Mail

- Mikkel Boedker, Alexandre Picard,Joel Perrault skated with the Coyotes today and are on stand by should Shane Doan not be able to go Tuesday - John Gambadoro – KTAR 620

Coyotes News and Press Conferences:

- Todd Walsh of Fox Sports Arizona recorded Dave Tippett’s press conference from Monday in Detroit – Includes comments about Shane Doan’s and Vernon Fiddler’s status for Game 4:

http://filesocial.com/1odcl7m

- Todd Walsh of Fox Sports Arizona and Dave Strader (The TV Voice of the Phoenix Coyotes) talk about Game 3:

http://filesocial.com/1qe9w71

- Todd Walsh Talks with Martin Hanzal Monday:

http://filesocial.com/1qd0iuc

- Interview with Coyotes GM Don Maloney from PhoenixCoyotes.com

http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/podcastplayer.htm?pid=335&iid=22200

- Red Wings Head Coach Mike Babcock addresses the media Monday (Courtesy PhoenixCoyotes.com):

http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/podcastplayer.htm?pid=335&iid=22196

Phoenix Coyotes vs Detroit Red Wings Game 3 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Quarter Finals Series is tied 1 – 1 Joe Lewis Arena – Detroit, Michigan Puck Drops at Noon AZ Time TV: NBC (US) – TSN (Canada)Radio:XTRA 910

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)

Close

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