Coyotes Make Second-Half Push for Playoffs

As we pass the mid-point of the season the Coyotes have compiled 43 points, two fewer than at the same mark last year.  The key to the overall success of the current season is whether or not the team can finish strong and avoid the melt-down that has plagued the Coyotes the two previous seasons.  Last season the Coyotes earned just 38 points over the last half of the season and were, once again, shut-out of the post-season.  In 2006-07 the Coyotes earned just 27 points over the same span but that was the year of the great Coyote Firesale which ultimately netted the team a number of valuable draft picks so take the number with a big grain of salt.  On the face it looks like we are no better off than last season, in fact, a couple of points weaker.  But upon further examination the Coyotes appear better suited for a strong finish than they did last year for a number of reasons.

1. The Vrbata Effect –  Last year Radim Vrbata electrified the team by notching 18 goals in the first half of the season.  He followed that with a thud by notching just 9 the rest of the way including a devastating 22 game streak with no goals and just 7 assists.  The team’s leading scorer disappeared and with him the Coyotes playoff hopes.

2008-09 Cure — The Lightning helped by signing Vrbata to a lucrative 3-year, $9 million contract prior to the start of the season.  He scored 3 goals over 18 games and facing demotion, requested to return to the Czech Republic where, after passing waivers, was assigned to a team there.  This season the leading scorers are veterans Shane Doan and Olie Jokinen who are not likely to have the production fall-off that Vrbata did last year.  The Coyotes other scoring has been spread around with seven other players contributing at least 7 goals so far this year.  Some Coyote youngsters are likely to falter but the pool is so deep someone else will simply be given the opportunity to step-up.

2. Erratic Goaltending –  The goalie tandem of Bryzgalov & Tellqvist were together last season but neither could maintain any steady momentum.  There were flashes of brilliance but then a five-goal debacle would rear its ugly head, usually on those games when the normally dormant offense would wake-up.

2008-09 Cure — Recently that erratic goal-tending has returned with three games of four or more goals allowed in their past five games.  Unless Bryzgalov starts to show he can play five, six or seven games in a row without having a four-goal game the Coyotes may need to hit the open market for another solution between the pipes.  In previous years the goalies were victimized by some shoddy defense but the blue-line has been solid this year with Zybynek Michalek leading the league in blocked shots while veterans Ed Jovanovski, Kurt Sauer and in particular Derek Morris having strong seasons so far.

3. Not So Special Teams -  Last year the Coyotes power-play was respectable with the Desert Dogs ranked 11th.  Their penalty kill unit however was not nearly as effective, ranking 24th in the league.  This season the power-play is awful with Phoenix ranked 29th out of 30 teams.  The PK has dropped to 19th and the Coyotes will not be a playoff team without fixing both these issues.

2008-09 Cure  — The power-play issue should have been resolved with Jokinen but instead the team has somehow gotten worse.  The bottom seemed to be on Tuesday when the ‘Yotes could not get a goal on a 4 minute power-play against the Blackhawks.  It could be time for the team to pull-the-trigger on a deal to bring in an established sniper.  Peter Mueller has been a huge disappointment in his second season.  He helped QB the power-play from the point last season but his contributions have been nearly non-existent thus far in 2008-09.  A Mueller resurrection could single-handedly be enough to cure the Coyotes PP problems and overall scoring issues.

GM Don Maloney expects his team to improve as the season progresses, something he also expected last season but did not see.  It is difficult with such a young team as the players are getting use to a much more rigorous — and long — season.  It will be up to the veterans to lead the way and for players like Mueller to finally step-up.  I expect the Coyotes will remain in playoff contention for the remainder of the season.  Thankfully they don’t have to play Chicago again this year so that alone should be good for a few extra points in the second-half.  It will come down to the youngsters and whether they can put together a strong second-half push that will help carry this team to the next level.

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