One Fan's Perspective

The last time the New York Islanders were in town was on opening night of 2006 where the Coyotes defeated them 6-3. Now they return with a 10-22-4 record that puts them last in the division, last in the conference and miles away from contention.

By not having the services of Rick DiPietro, the Islanders have had a difficult season. Lately, the only bright spot they have seen is the play of former Coyote Mike Comrie.

So far this season, they have had the worst of it playing away from Long Island. They are 5-13-2 with 2-6-2 in their last ten games. They do rank higher than the Coyotes in their specialty team statistics, but they are not that great everywhere else. The Islanders are a terrible third period team only scoring 32 goals to their oppositions’ 57!. On the other hand, the Coyotes have been a terrific third period team all season long.

They still have to play the game, and I wouldn’t give the Coyotes a victory without doing so, but it’s a good matchup for the Desert Dogs. However, they still have to play at a high level; giving two points to the Islanders would not be a wise idea.

It looks like goaltender Ilya Brzygalov is still sore with a bad back, so Mikael Tellqvist will get another shot in goal tonight.

Tags: Hockey, NHL, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes by pbcoyotes
No Comments »

The Phoenix Coyotes came out of the gate with a purpose – to eliminate the debacle that was the defeat to the Los Angeles Kings – and snapped the three game win streak of the Colorado Avalanche. They came out flying and for most of the hockey game, they took it to the opposition.

The Avalanche drew first blood as T.J. Hensick put a goal past Mikael Tellqvist. Hensick took advantage of a rebound that came off of Tellqvist and capitalized. David Hale missed his chance to take the man out of the play, but Hale had a good game otherwise.

However, the Coyotes did not cave. They kept to the system and worked until they got what they wanted.

After going goalless for 21, Peter Mueller has three goals in two games with two goals last night and the game winner. They will come in bunches and hopefully, it’s a good sign for him. He definitely showed a lot of confidence and the Coyotes will need him to keep playing well.

The play of the night for me was due to an up-ice pass from Mikkel Boedker and watching Enver Lisin bear down to get the puck. He outskated the Avalanche defense, stopped on a dime, and made a pass to Olli Jokinen who scored an important insurance goal. Lisin’s speed is incredible and I enjoy watching him play.

Today is the Winter Classic on NBC, which I’ll be watching very shortly.  But until then, take a look at the other virtual voices that recapped the game last night.

From the Arizona Republic:

Mueller Scores Twice to Lead Coyotes

From the Denver Post:

Avs Seem to Have Little Interest in Loss to Phoenix

From Mile High Hockey:

Game 37: Coyotes 3, Avalanche 1 (Quickie Recap)

Tags: Enver Lisin, Hockey, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes by pbcoyotes
No Comments »