Neutral zone: Setting the stage for the Coyotes after the NHL All-Star break

Coyotes coach André Tourigny struck a pose of simplicity during the NHL’s All-Star break. He didn’t watch video. He didn’t think about his team’s 0-3 road trip that preceded the break. He didn’t make big plans other than visiting with family.

“A lot of nothing,” he said. “I burned wood. That’s what I did.”

There is a lot of space devoted to the importance of rest, relaxation, reflection and restoration for players during the break, but it also applies to coaches, who work long hours every day and face immense pressure during an unyielding NHL schedule.

“It’s like you have the most important day of your year every second day,” Tourigny said. “It’s not like you have time to regroup and refresh and rethink and reorganize. You have your exam every second day. Every second day you play against one of the 32 best teams in the world.”

While Clayton Keller was busy with the All-Star festivities, the rest of the Coyotes took some time to recharge before returning to the ice on Sunday at the Ice Den Scottsdale for a week of practice leading into a game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights at Mullett Arena on Thursday. Tourigny joked that the team hasn’t had such a long run of practices in two years, but the truth is this is a luxury not afforded NHL teams since training camp.

“If we could have that three times during a season, that would make a huge difference in the performance of your team because you have time to work on some things,” he said. “It would be the same for our opponent, but we often say, ‘Hey, after the All-Star break, the game takes off.’ That’s one of the factors; you had a chance to tune a few things in an environment where you take the intensity of the schedule away. 

“When you play tomorrow, I can tweak some stuff as a player, but I won’t change that much. When I have time to breathe, have a good rest, arrive refreshed and we have three, four days of practice, then I can make some adjustments in my game. So I think that will be beneficial for everybody.”

The Coyotes are making those adjustments this week.

“Listen, that was not the way we wanted to go into the break,” defenseman Sean Durzi said. “To get zero points on that road trip this time of year sucked. But I think there’s some things we can learn from those games; things that are gonna have to help us down the road, especially because teams are only going to get better from here on out. 

“We went into it a little bit [Sun]day; talked about it. At least from my experience, there are games where you throw the video in the garbage, but there are games where you’ve got to find a way to learn from it even if you don’t want to look at it because it sucks and it’s painful. You’ve just got to find those small things to where you can improve, look yourself in the mirror, face the music and get better.”

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Coyotes playoff picture

The Coyotes are well aware of their predicament. before that aforementioned 0-3 road trip, they were right in the mix for a Western Conference playoff spot and exceeding external expectations, but subpar performances against Florida, Tampa and Carolina — three elite teams — have dropped Arizona five points off the pace with a murderous February schedule, and four teams ahead of them.

If the break provided anything, it provided an opportunity to wash away the negative feelings of that road trip and look at the big picture.

“I just want to focus on realizing that we’re still in a good spot,” forward Alex Kerfoot said. “It’s the same thing that happens in the playoffs every year. You win a game in the playoffs and you feel like you’re gonna win the Stanley Cup. You lose the next game and you think you’re going home. At this time of year, you can really ride a wave of emotions, but you just can’t do that. It’s dangerous. You’ve just got to go one game at a time. 

“Every game from here on out is crucial, so realize that we’re still in the mix and that this next stretch of games is going to be really, really big for us. We can’t look at the standings. We can’t focus on the games we’ve lost. We’ve just got to look forward and just focus on one game at a time and keep climbing.”

If you’re wondering where the Coyotes’ remaining strength of schedule ranks in the Western Conference, here’s a look.

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Injury updates

Center Barrett Hayton (hand) was back on the ice Sunday in a noncontact jersey. He shed that orange jersey on Monday and is expected to play on Thursday. Hayton hasn’t played since Nov. 16. Tourigny discussed how he would work Hayton back into the lineup after such a long layoff.

Defenseman Matt Dumba was still in a noncontact jersey on Monday but he is also expected to play Thursday.

Defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok is also ready to resume action and should head back to Tucson this week. He hasn’t played since Nov. 25. The Roadrunners resume their schedule after the AHL All-Star break on Friday in Iowa.

Defenseman Troy Stecher (lower-body injury) will miss another two to four weeks.

With so many players in flux, the Coyotes recalled forward Justin Kirkland and defenseman Steven Kampfer from the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) on Sunday, and then reassigned them on Monday.

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Loose pucks

Forward Lawson Crouse is on pace to set career highs in goals and points. He has 19 goals and 29 points in 47 games. He is on pace for 32 goals and 50 points. His previous highs were 24 and 45, respectively.

As of Tuesday morning, it was still uncertain whether newly claimed forward Adam Ružička would skate with the team for the first time on Wednesday.

Tucson Roadrunners Josh Doan and Matt Villalta helped the Pacific Division win the AHL All-Star 3-on-3 Challenge on Monday in San José. The team’s website provided details.

Top photo via Getty Images

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