Another Close Game Slips Away
After spending some time away from the game of hockey, the Coyotes returned to the ice a different team. Gone was the passion, the energy, and the tenacity we saw in the last few games. The Nashville Predators outworked the Desert Dogs for the first 20 minutes of the contest.
Once again, a goal was allowed by the Coyotes within the first five minutes, putting the team in a position of weakness that the Predators capitalized on.
The team woke up for the second and third and clawed their way back to earn a point thanks to timely goals by Shane Doan and Steven Reinprecht. However, that final point escaped them with one minute remaining, Alexander Radulov was in the right spot to shoot the puck which bounced on Ilya Bryzgalov’s mask and went behind him for the Predator’s overtime win.
In the overtime period, Nashville had five shots on goal whereas Phoenix did not register a shot. The Predators definitely kicked it up a gear and the Coyotes had to chase them.
If the Coyotes opened the game as they did in the second and the third, the outcome may have been different, but as it stands, the Predators were the better team and they showed it last night.
In addition, the Coyotes had a five-on-three power play chance where they could not cash in. Yes, the Predators are fourth in the NHL in penalty kill, but here was a chance to tie the game early and then score the go-ahead goal later.
On Monday, the Coyotes travel to Colorado where they are 2-0 against the Avalanche this year. The Avalanche have 60 points to the Coyotes 57. A win against the Avalanche would pull them into one point away from the Avalanche and possibly eighth in the conference.
Also, I wrote yesterday that Steven Reinprecht scored a hat trick against the Nashville Predators…brain said one thing (Radim Vrbata) and my word processor said another (Reinprecht)…mea culpa. 
The recaps from elsewhere:
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