Tough three-game road trip will put Coyotes to the test

It has been a while since the Coyotes have played meaningful games. Aside from the weird bubble year, the Coyotes last made the playoffs in the 2011-12 season where they finished first in the Pacific Division and lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Final.

It’s crazy to think that the last time hockey in the desert was this exciting was when the Coyotes’ roster featured players such as Paul Bissonette, Adrian Aucoin, Mikkel Bødker, Jason LaBarbera, and fan-favorite Shane Doan.

Through 45 games this season, the Coyotes are 23-19-3 with 49 points, sitting in fifth place in the Central Division just two points out of the second Western Conference wild card spot in a tightly packed group. The team is finally trending in a positive direction on the ice and it is right in the middle of it all, fighting for a playoff spot. 

“I think now you’re kinda starting to realize that it’s very tight and we’re right in the mix there,” Coyotes defenseman Juuso Välimäki said.

After a rough five-game homestand to kick off the New Year finishing 1-4-0, the Coyotes have turned the tables and have kept pace with the teams they are battling with in the standings by going 3-1-1 in hopes of keeping their postseason dreams within reach.

It’s safe to say the Coyotes are exceeding expectations this season and what makes what they have accomplished so far even more remarkable is the fact that they have not been 100-percent healthy all season. Arizona will be missing three regulars in the lineup on this trip.

“It’s awesome, we have a great group of guys and that obviously makes it more fun,” Välimäki said. “It’s fun coming to the rink and when you’re playing well and you’re winning it’s double the fun.”

Before the All-Star break begins next week, the Coyotes will embark on a crucial three-game road trip that will include the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes. When you look at those teams the first word that comes to mind is yikes. 

“I think it’s all about the mindset and we’ve had it the last couple of games,” Välimäki said. “We’re a good team, and so are those opponents but we’re a good team, too, so I know we can beat them if we play the right way.”

All three of these opponents have been consistent playoff teams in recent years and they have also had playoff success. The Lightning have won two Cups in the past five years, the Hurricanes have made it to the Eastern Conference Final twice in the past five years, and most recently, the Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup Final last year.

There are a couple of reasons why this road trip is so important for the Coyotes. The first and biggest one is continuing to collect points, climb the standings and be able to stay in that mix for a playoff spot. 

If the Coyotes want to give themselves the best shot at being in a wild card spot before the All-Star break they will need to find a way to win two out of the three games or at least get three points. It will be a challenge given the quality of opponents, but especially considering the games against the Panthers and Lightning are back-to-back. 

“We gotta be locked in for these games; these are huge,” Coyotes forward Jason Zucker said. “It’s gonna determine a lot for our playoff position down the stretch so we gotta be ready to go.”

The second reason is that it gives this team the chance to prove it can compete with a few of the best teams in the league; something the Coyotes accomplished on several occasions earlier this season. What better test just past the halfway mark of a season than going head-to-head with two of the top three teams in the Atlantic Division and the third-best team in the Metropolitan Division? 

This road trip will not only provide a better understanding of whether the Coyotes have what it takes to compete with playoff-caliber teams, but also if they can recognize the importance of getting these wins and really dig deep to give it all they can before the break. 

Let’s take a look at how the Coyotes have performed against these three teams in the past and some key things to watch.

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Florida Panthers

The Coyotes will play their first and perhaps toughest game of the road trip Wednesday night against the Florida Panthers (28-14-4), who are currently second in the Atlantic Division. Their record against the Panthers over the past 10 games is 3-7-0. Out of those 10 games, five of them have been played in Florida where the Coyotes only came out on top once. The Coyotes have played the Panthers once this season where they fell by a score of 4-1 during the aforementioned 1-4 homestand. 

When asked about the upcoming road trip, coach André Tourigny specifically touched on how big of a battle playing the Panthers will be. 

“Florida is a really good team and last time we played them they impressed us a lot,” he said. “They are hard on the forecheck, good sticks, and they’re physical […] we need to be ready for that.” 

Key points:

• The Panthers are tied for the fourth fewest goals allowed  
• Their goalie tandem has the fifth-highest combined save percentage at .910
• The Panthers have the 10th-best penalty kill with a success rate of 82.24 percent
• Sam Reinhart is second in the NHL in goals with 34
• Sergei Bobrovsky, who is expected to start, has the fifth most wins

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Tampa Bay Lightning

The Coyotes will play the Lightning (25-18-5) on Thursday on a back-to-back. The Lightning are just behind the Panthers in the standings, currently in control of third place in the Atlantic Division. Arizona has had more success against the Lightning, going 5-5-0 in the past 10 meetings. They have played .500 hockey against the Lightning for the past five years, but what draws concern is that five of those 10 games have been in Tampa where the Coyotes have only won once. The Coyotes played the Lightning in November and won 3-1. 

Key points:

• The Lightning currently have the best power play in the league, operating at a success rate of 30.46 percent
• Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL in points with 80 and is third in goals with 31
• The Lightning have allowed the ninth most goals in the league at 158 
• Andrei Vasilevsky, who is expected to start, is only posting a .901 save percentage

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Carolina Hurricanes

The Coyotes will play the Hurricanes (25-15-5) for their third and final game of the road trip on Saturday. The Hurricanes sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division. This is another team the Coyotes have not played well against in the past 10 games, going 3-7-0. Out of the five games played in Carolina, the Coyotes have only won once. The Coyotes have yet to play the Hurricanes this season. 

Key Points:

• The Hurricanes have only lost five games in regulation at home this season 
• The Hurricanes have the sixth-best penalty kill with a success rate of 83.33 percent
• The Hurricanes have the third-best power play, operating at a success rate of 26.97 percent
• The Hurricanes have the fourth-most average shots on net and have allowed the least amount of shots on net

One more important thing to note is faceoff percentages. The Coyotes have had trouble in the faceoff circle all year. They have the second-worst faceoff percentage in the NHL at 45.64 percentage while all three of their opponents have faceoff percentages operating above 50 percent.

The Coyotes haven’t had the best of luck when it comes to playing these three teams, but this is one of the better rosters the Coyotes have had over the past five years. It’s going to be a challenge to come out of this road trip above .500 but the Coyotes have more to lose than their opponents in this final stretch before the All-Star break.