Just the Facts
The Time: 6:00 pm PT / 9:00 pm ET
The Place: A very small college arena in Tempe, AZ
Where to Watch: Root Sports NW (ESPN+ and Sportsnet+ for out-of-market fans)
Where to Listen: KJR 93.3 FM
An Opposing Viewpoint: Five for Howling
Know Your Enemy
As we all predicted in the summer, the Seattle Kraken are in hot pursuit of juggernauts like the Arizona Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks, while the Edmonton Oilers continue their endless rebuild (If only they could get some luck at the Draft).
Jokes aside, the Coyotes are no longer a pushover. Eleven games into their season, they’ve won 5 and managed a loser point in another, tied for the last western Wild Card slot here in early November. They boast a positive goal differential and a top ten powerplay. Newcomers are leading the way in the desert, with rookie Logan Cooley in the early Calder Trophy conversation, and defenceman Sean Durzi, stolen from the LA Kings this summer for a pittance, leading the team in plus/minus and ice time. The improved results are surely a treat for the 4,500 or so fans that can fit in Mullett Arena.
The Coyotes have been an ever-present story in sports media. Their continual inability to secure a longterm home, along with year after year after year of subpar results has them seen as a perennial underachiever and something of a laughing stock across the league. It just may be that there are axes to grind in Arizona now that the team appears, at long last, to be good.
Game Plan
The new look Coyotes are capable of winning more games, but the team still has plenty of holdovers from less successful times. I mentioned on the Beneath the Frozen Sea podcast that there’s a fragility that develops when players get used to losing far more games than they win. That’s still going to be there for the Clayton Kellers and Lawson Crouse’s of the world, lurking just under their newfound confidence. A strong start is important in any game, but get a couple quick ones against the Desert Dogs, and the Kraken might find themselves on the fun side of a rout.
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