During the first fifteen minutes of the Flames-Coyotes game Saturday night, two issues stood out prominently for me when thinking about the hockey teams.
The Calgary Flames are desperate for that playoff spot, preferably the lead in the Northwest Division, while the Coyotes may not have the required experience to pull off the playoff qualification.
And, the Calgary Flames have plenty of experience enduring the ups and downs of high stakes hockey where the Phoenix Coyotes are gaining that experience as a team.
At the beginning of the year, I was pretty happy with a .500 record, and the Coyotes have certainly done that with some games to spare. However, realistically speaking, I don’t think the Coyotes are ready for post-season play.
Typically, the record at home should be next to dominating where the road record should be one of .500 or slightly better. For the Coyotes it seems, it’s been reversed. Those I sat with in the stands Saturday night are staunch supporters of the Desert Dogs, but I can’t help but wonder if they wonder why the Coyotes play so inconsistently at home.
It’s a pretty easy answer to surmise, really. There is a lot of pressure when coming home to a barn of fans that have to be convinced that the team can be supported and that the team can win. But when they lose in front of the home crowd, it is tough to dispel that myth that the Coyotes can’t play hockey. We know that they can, those that have cheered this team through thick and thin know that this franchise is headed in the right direction, but there are detractors and it is just not the ones that yell “SHOOT” during a power play cycle.
The experience that these players are going through now is just invaluable – earn every point possible in regulation, play desperate whistle to whistle, be physical and force the opposition into making plays that they don’t want to, and find ways to score that ugly goal because if the ugly one goes in, that pretty one is not far behind.
Young players start thinking about the game instead following the adage, “allowing the game come to the player” as in the case of Peter Mueller. A few weeks ago he was brilliant. Now, he has been inconsistent because he’s thinking too much. But it’s just not him.
They all are.
I don’t question the work ethic or being prepared for games rather I question the mental toughness it takes to play the game at such a high level 82 times. I am very sure that I don’t have what it takes to do so and many in the stands don’t either. However, these are professional athletes, and they must have that mental fitness to go along with the physical fitness.
The Coyotes have to win 11 games in the 16 remaining to qualify and while it’s still possible, it will be difficult. The games will just get tougher to play.
And the lessons will get tougher to learn.
From around the mainstream:
Coyotes Burned by Joseph, Flames Arizona Republic
Flames Light Early Fire En Route to Victory Calgary Herald
From the Coyotes’ Voices:
Coyotes Drop 2 of 3 and Struggle to Stay in Playoff Race Coyote Corner
Random Brain Misfirings Roam Free Hip Shot Blog
Post Game Reaction from Hit the Post
Pregame Prediction by Five Hole Fanatics that was pretty close.
Tags: Calgary Flames, Hockey, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes by pbcoyotes
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