Scouting the Enemy: Anaheim Ducks vs. Arizona Coyotes
November 7, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks left wing Matt Beleskey (39) moves in for a shot on goal against the defense of Arizona Coyotes right wing Shane Doan (19) during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Anaheim Ducks return home tonight after a two-game Western Canada road trip to take on the Arizona Coyotes in the Ducks’ third consecutive Pacific Division match-up. The Coyotes were a team that missed the postseason by just three points last season (they were two points behind Dallas, but the Stars would have held the tiebreaker). However, the Coyotes are currently 12th in the Western Conference with 20 points in the standings. Part of the team’s struggles is because the Coyotes are currently in the bottom third of the NHL in both goals scored (25th) and goals against (24th).
For better insight on the Coyotes, I sent some questions to Catherine Silverman, the editor at Howlin’ Hockey, which covers the Arizona Coyotes here on the FanSided network. Catherine got two staff writers, Richie Flores and Bill Grigsby, to answer some questions about how the Coyotes have stayed successful despite a big-time scoring threat, some trade rumors circling the team, and why the team has not returned to their 2012 Western Conference Final form.
November 7, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Arizona Coyotes defenseman Connor Murphy (5) and right wing Shane Doan (19) help goalie Mike Smith (41) defend the goal against Anaheim Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg (33) during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
1. The Coyotes are a team that truly depends on scoring from throughout their lineup. The team last season had eight separate players who scored 40 points, but no player reached the 60 point mark last season (Keith Yandle led the way with 53 points). This season, no Coyotes player is projected to reach the 60 point mark again. How have the Coyotes been so successful at winning despite the lack of a great scoring threat (100 wins in the past three seasons and top 10 in the West each year in that span)? Also, are there any players coming up who could potentially be the scoring threat that the Coyotes need, such as the extremely talented Max Domi?
Richie: All hail coach Tippett. The Coyotes have definitely lacked the talent of the top tier teams in the Western Conference, but they have been able to succeed because everyone bought into the system that Dave Tippett implemented. They knew exactly who they were as a team, and they embraced it. Hockey the hard way was an attitude and it showed on the ice. They were able to get “the Wizard” (Ray Whitney) to find his youth playing alongside Radim Vrbata, and most of all, they had great goaltending. It still irks me that Ilya Bryzgalov and Mike Smith got robbed of Vezina nominations during a couple of the most successful Coyotes seasons.
Bill: They have done it with good defense and goaltending, along with some skilled forechecking. The way I look at it, if the opponent can’t get out of their own end, they aren’t going to score very often. The lack of scoring, yet being fairly competitive is puzzling, but if you play a low scoring game and your defense falters, you can see how that is working for them this season.
YES: there are several players up there whom I believe will help this team’s meager offensive numbers. Max Domi and Henrik Samuelsson are two who come to mind. I also think Justin Hodgman has a chance to propel himself into the scoring totals soon. Tobias Rieder, who was called up recently, has some speed and can shoot the puck. But to play in Dave Tippett’s system, these young players must learn to play the two-way game, or they will not move up to the NHL. Domi especially needs to improve in this area, and I believe he is working on it.
Jan 11, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Anaheim Ducks forward Kyle Palmieri (21) handles the puck against the Phoenix Coyotes defensemen Keith Yandle (3) in the first period at Jobing.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
2. The Coyotes are generally seen as a team loaded with good defensemen, yet lack the forwards to compete, especially at center. There seem to be trade rumors surrounding the Arizona defensemen, especially Keith Yandle (who lacks a no-trade clause and is one of the premier point producers from the blue-line in the NHL). With the carousel of defensemen that have been dealt recently (Sergei Gonchar, Bryan Allen, Brenden Dillon, and Jason Demers), and the general desire for teams to upgrade their blue-line, how aggressive do you believe Arizona should be in potentially acquiring some forward help?
Richie: The Coyotes are lucky in that they have some decent depth on the blueline with Brandon Gormley, Connor Murphy, and Zbynek Michalek, and that makes them all trade options. The most likely to go in my opinion is Michalek. His contract is up at the end of the season and he is sort of part of the old guard, as Gormley and Murphy continue to grow.
I really hope GMDM (General Manager Don Maloney) has something planned to bring in some scoring help, but I doubt it will be as big of a splash as most fans are hoping for.
Bill: I think Keith Yandle has been rumored to be on the trading block for the last two seasons, and if this team doesn’t start improving, he may be involved in a trade to bulk the weak forward lines. It’s no secret he would love to play for the Boston Bruins, but they have salary cap issues, and Yandle has a $5.25 million contract, which may be difficult to work out a trade with another team.
I’ve had this pipe-dream that the Coyotes could trade Yandle for Taylor Hall. Of course, Edmonton needs better defense, and Yandle has improved his defensive skills of late, and we all know he can score and run a power play. If Edmonton stays pat, they will not make the playoffs again, so it could be a possibility. It would instantly improve both team’s weaknesses. Will it happen? Doubt it.
November 7, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith (41) blocks a shot against Anaheim Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen (45) during the overtime period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
3. When the then-Phoenix Coyotes won the Pacific Division and went to the Western Conference Final in the 2011-2012 season, they were fifth in the league in goals against per game (2.37). However, those numbers have gone down each season, and the Coyotes are 24th in the league, allowing 3.05 goals per game, which is unexpected for a Dave Tippett coached team. How much of that is on Mike Smith (whose GAA has gotten worse in each of the past three seasons as well)?
Richie: Smitty certainly hasn’t been the same since he took the Coyotes to the Western Conference Final, and he has been shaky at times this season (and his numbers reflect that), but I honestly believe that the Coyotes play in front of Smith has been less than satisfactory (and the coaches and players have said this). This has turned around quite a bit, as the Coyotes have played much better of late. They now rank fifth in the league in blocked shots, a goaltender’s best friend.
Bill: I’m not a big fan of the huge contract the Coyotes rewarded Mike Smith after just one outstanding year (six year, $34 million deal before the 2013-2014 season). He has played very poorly so far this season, and Devan Dubnyk has looked better. I think now the team feels like they must play him since they are paying him so much. The success of past teams has been attributed to a strong defense in front of the goaltender, and that has not been the case thus far this season. They have started to tighten things up a bit of late, but if Smith continues to falter, I would trade him, We has some good prospects in the minors to replace him. I’m quite disappointed in his play, and feel he last lost his edge he once had. Can he recover? Not sure they will want to wait to see. He’s gone…
November 7, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Arizona Coyotes left wing Martin Erat (10) moves the puck against the defense of Anaheim Ducks center William Karlsson (38) during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Again, I want to personally thank Catherine, Richie, and Bill for taking the time to answer my questions. Go check out Howlin’ Hockey for anything related to the Arizona Coyotes, and get ready for the game tonight between the Ducks and Coyotes at 5:00 p.m. PT!
Jason Byun is the editor for Pucks of a Feather. He can be found on Twitter. For more Anaheim Ducks coverage, follow Pucks of a Feather on Twitter or like us on Facebook.