It took 80 games and two periods but the Arizona Coyotes will once again but be on the golf course come puck drop of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
At 39 wins its their best season since their 2011-2012 trip to the Western Conference Final.
It was no doubt a fun season, Rick Tocchet is a legit candidate for the Jack Adams award, Darcy Kuemper was statistically a top-five goaltender in the league and several players had career seasons.
Despite all that success and the scratchin’ and clawin’ mentality of the team I still can’t help but be a little angry they missed out on a Whiteout.
With ten games left they had a three point lead in the Wild Card race and pissed it away during a disastrous four game road trip where they scored just four goals. That debacle and a loss at home to the Kings are going to stick with me all offseason and the Coyotes should be held accountable for letting those five losses happen during the biggest games the team has played in nearly a decade.
Now they are stuck on the outside looking in with a likely draft pick outside the top-10 and another offseason where finding a goal scorer will be tough.
I may be a little ticked off but Coyotes fans optimism after such a tough Thursday night has me excited for the fututre.
I asked for fans to sum up this season & it was almost all positivity about the future.
Others just summed everything up in one word.
After a season of almost and maybes GM John Chayka has some work to do.
The Coyotes ranked 29th in goals per game & that has to be addresed.If it does not we will probably be looking at an eighth season of no playoffs.
Steve Keim, Uncle Rico, and the Hokey Pokey
By Alex Clancy