Weekly Wrap-Up

Christmas week ended well for the Coyotes with a 2-1 win over LA. It didn’t start off that well with a loss to Edmonton.

I didn’t get to see the Edmonton game but from the stats and a friend who was watching it, it sounded like the boys didn’t play that well. They did battle back to tie the game but lost it in the third. Apparently Carcillo got a misconduct for firing off a puck after Jokinen got called for a penalty. My friend watching the game said it was no different than what other guys have done, yet he gets a penalty for it.
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Tuesday night the boys played in Colorado and ended up taking it to overtime. I was hoping we would finally break the OT curse, but we didn’t. We are now 0-5 in OT. I was also hoping Doan would break his hat-trick curse, but again, he was stuck with 2 goals. I’m pretty sure he has never had a hat-trick in his pro-career. He always gets just two goals. I was hoping for Christmas Santa would give him the hat-trick. If he ever does get one, I hope it’s at home though. He would get the biggest standing ovation ever.
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Last night the game against the Kings was a good one. I was hoping Bryz would get another shut-out but when Jokinen took a stupid penalty in the third, the Kings were able to score.
Bods was looking like a monster out there. He was hitting and battling through guys and shooting the puck like crazy. He hasn’t had a goal in awhile but if he keeps it up it won’t be long before it finds the back of the net.

Mueller broke his 21 game goal-less streak with a sweet pass from Doan. Doan and Mueller actually played really well together last night. They looked more and more like the Doan and Mueller of last year.

Jokinen looked like a pee-wee league player in the first. It was like he forgot how to play hockey (another Jovo moment?).

Bryz was making me really nervous at the end. He was out of position and flopping around like a dead fish.

I was impressed with King’s goalie Quick. He played a good game. He also seemed to have fixed his pants issue he had during the first rookie game… And I think I may have a new goalie crush on my hands. I hope he plays again tonight so I can watch him again. I am not a fan of LaBarbara.
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Tonight the Kings come back to the Job to take another shot at the Coyotes. Look for some interaction between Carcillo and Ivanans as they were looking like they might have fought last night. They were definitely up in each others business. Brown may also get a beat down or be a target of many Coyotes hits for his cheap punch on Jokinen.

No word on who will be in goal. Bryz or Telly? Bryz didn’t play bad but will he need a rest with back to back games? Will Hale get to play with the back to back games with Klee needing a rest?
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In other news, Paulina Gretzky sang the anthem last night. From the clip I heard, I was not that impressed.
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New Years we will take on the Avs at the job. I will be in a suite for the first time and the margaritas will be flowing! It should be a good time with my hockey family. I am looking forward to it.

A hodgepodge of a post!

Well, I have missed quite a few games on my blog. So here is a quick round up of what I have not written about.

Let’s start with the oldest game first and work our way forward. The game against Detroit was a heartbreaker. I know many fans who were just pissed off but I wasn’t mad about it. The boys played hard and really made the Red Wings work for that win. It wasn’t like games past where we laid down and let them win. We fought them all the way to the shootout. Yes, it went to a shootout.

Which brings me to my next point… Why did we rest the game in young KT’s hands? I know he had a good game and all, but why not put him out in less stressful situation? We need to work on our shootouts in practice. We have not won a game in OT or shootout all season (I think we are 0-4 now).
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In other news… Sean Avery is not welcome back with the Stars. I have a feeling he won’t really be welcome back in the NHL.
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Speaking of the Stars, Turco’s got his game back. He was spot on when we played in Dallas this past week. Sucks for us. Turco’s got his game back, the cancer is gone…look for the Stars to make their way up in the standings.

Again, the boys played hard and took it to OT. Again, we couldn’t get the win in OT. Nevertheless, it was a good game to see and I was glad to see Turco back to his usual self. Yes, I have a goalie crush on Turco and I am not afraid to admit it!
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Thursday night my other favorite team rolled into town. I think I annoyed my seatmates as I was cheering on the Coyotes and then I’d be like good one Suter or way to go Arnott. They kept telling me not to cheer for the Preds but I was like, the coyotes are winning and I can say that the Preds did something well.

And, I never noticed this before but Ellis has this little ritual/dance that he always does when the ice girls clear the snow away. It was actually pretty cute. Yah, another goalie crush…what can I say? I love the goalies.

Anyway, this was a great game and I was excited to see the Preds for the first time this season. Of course the Coyotes win this one and that is all that matters.
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Last night the Coyotes played the Bluejackets. Bryz with the shutout! Coyotes with the sweep! TAKE THAT NASH! That is for the goal on Ballard/Dmo/Telly last season.

I was on the edge of my seat for about the last minute and a half. I wanted Bryz to get the shut out because he really needs it for his confidence and to prove to us fans that he wants to be a starter and it was looking like he was going to let that one soft goal in. He was looking a little slow while the Bluejackets had 6 guys out.

And speaking of the extra attacker, we really need to work on our empty net shots. Wow, we cannot aim, not even in practice. We went today and it was not pretty. Fridge was launching those suckers. The pucks were getting some air!

Ok, back to the game. Carcillo got in a fight with Boll, which was pretty much expected. It was a pretty good one and I bet the guys could have went longer when the refs stepped in.

All-in-all, a great game. This accompanied by the Wild’s lost to St. Louis has put us in the 7th spot. It’s a pretty nice place to be and the guys seem to be in good spirits.
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On another note, the Coyotes brought up Lindstrom and I think this kid has finally gotten it. He also seems to make KT better. KT has just played so well with him (he got our only two goals in the Nashville game). I hope Wayne recognizes the chemistry and keeps those two together for a bit. I believe he will be in the lineup for awhile.
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The guys left today for a road trip. They are hitting Edmonton tomorrow, Colorado on Tuesday and the Kings on Friday.
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I would also like to say best of luck to McGrattan. He is still with the team but has taken some time to work on a personal matter. I am sure he is going through a hard time; Phoenix fans are here for him and hope to see him back on the ice for us as soon as he is able.
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And in another note, my friend Michelle thinks I should buy hockey skates with the Christmas money I will be getting. I am still undecided about this since I have only gone once this year. I looked online and it looks like the cheapest skates are $75. That is a lot of money for something I am not sure I will use very often. Eventually, I would like to learn more how to play but right now is not a good time for me; hockey is expensive!