Flames 4 - Coyotes 1

Tonight the Coyotes lost to the Calgary flames 4-1. It was not the coyotes best (although, hardly the worst that they have played). They were just flat. They seemed to have no energy and absolutely no offense tonight.

Telly stood on his head. Yah he let in 3 goals, but it could have been so much worse (the 4th was an empty netter). Congrats to Fridge for getting his first goal of the season!

I don’t have much else to say about this game. I am wondering if their play tonight is any reflection of their morning skate. The guys were having too much fun and not doing anything really productive. I don’t have a problem with having some fun, but maybe they were goofing around a little too much.

Apparently the Coyotes really liked the picture of me and Carcillo on my blog, as they took it and used it in their Rookie STH presentation.

Next up, Thursday Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Penguins come to town. It will be nice to see Ziggy and Billy T but I hope we can get the win. Also, Brooks Orpik should prove to be fun to watch.

Ok, well my brownies are almost done, so I am out!

Thursday-Coyotes, Friday-Roadrunners

Thursday night the Washington Capitals were in town to take on the Coyotes. I was seeing a lot of #8 jerseys, looking brand-spanking new. I have decided the Caps have a bunch of bandwagon fans here in the Valley. Washington has a lot of great players, not just Ovechkin (I know, he is amazing though) but I doubt those people notice the rest of the team. I have a soft spot for Mike Green, Brooks Laich, David Steckl and Jeff Schultz. Last season, I actually thought we should trade our 55 for their 55. :)

We went down to watch the Coyotes warm-up and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Yandle was rocking out to his rap song. Carcillo was doing his guitar impression to one song. At one point, McGrattan and Sauer collided and Sauer hit the ice but they were both laughing. All in all, our guys were looking good and having fun.

Telly was given the start. I (and a few other people) was happy to hear this. He was spot on, even earned himself the first star of the game. There were times, if it had been Bryz in the net that I would have been scared to death of that puck going in. I think Gretzky needs to do more of a 1A and 1B tandem with Bryz. It just doesn’t seem he is quite up to the starter job yet or maybe now that he has his big contract, he doesn’t have to work as hard? I’m not sure but I think he needs to be challenged. Telly can’t be a starter, but he could sure give Bryz a run for his money. The coyotes need to use that and make it more of a competition for Bryz, make him EARN the starting role.

McGrattan earned his first start on Thursday also. On his first shift, he had his first shot on goal. I was surprised that Jose “the open door” Theodore was able to stop it (and all the other shots we made), must have been a good night for him. McGrattan seemed to be having words with Brashear. McGrattan looked like he was ready to go but Brashear didn’t seem willing (even though he was pissing off all our guys).

The boys fell apart a bit in the second period. Tiki was injured in the first and of course Gretzky couldn’t just make a small adjustment, he had to change ALL the lines. The boys were running into each other, passing to the Caps and just seemed to lack communication skills. Fortunately, they were able to hold the Caps (and Ovechkin) off and come back much stronger in the third.
Caps got on the board first and thankfully, we held them there. Boedker scored to tie the game (his third goal of the season) and Mueller got the game winner. They were a couple of sweet goals.

Carcillo seems to back to his old self (for the most part). He started laying out some bigger, harder hits. He was shooting like a mad man. I believe his leash has been loosened a little bit but he’s still not playing his game at 100%.

Dmo was awesome Thursday. He was on Ovechkin all night. He slammed him into the boards so hard at one point. It was amazing. We also saw angry Dmo. He was about ready to kill one of the caps. He was yapping at him all the way to the bench. He tried to go after him again, but the refs stopped him. He was ready to throw down, but the refs were letting that happen.

Also, it was great. Ovechkin totally fanned on a shot from the point (and he was going to smack it hard too) and totally fell on his ass. It totally cracked me up. Also, Doan split a puck in two. I have never seen a puck split.

Tonight the Flames are in town. This should be a good game. Iginla is a great player and we can always count on Dion to try to start something. Based on what I saw in morning skate, I am thinking Lisin and Rhino will be the scratches tonight, as the skating coach was putting them through some drills and really working them. Also, Tiki should be back. He was on the ice for morning skate and looking good.

Friday night I went to the RoadRunners game. They played the Idaho Steelheads (Dallas affiliate) and won 2-1. My goalie was in net again and just keeps showing me why he deserves to be on my goalie list. He is just so much fun to watch and he can stop the puck pretty damn well.

My favorite dman, Andrew Andricopoulos, was having words with one of the Steelheads and it looked like they were going to throw down. Then at the last second, the steelhead just turns and skates to the bench. Who does that? The refs weren’t even anywhere near by to stop it.

My other favorite dman, Rory Rawlyk, did not play as he was injured pretty badly in Wednesday’s game. He was missed because he is not afraid to jump in and help the goalie out. Plus he isn’t afraid to check and push and talk smack. He is one tough player.

Brett Thurston did get into a fight (and won) with one of the Steelheads. Ashton Rome didn’t seem like his normal self, no fights and not a lot of big hits. We were thinking he might be a little bit hurt.

We will be attending the next home game on Friday. They will be playing the Ontario Reign (Kings affiliate). Apparently I also need to learn how to skate by January, which means I also need to buy skates. We will see how that goes.

Saturday the Coyotes lost to Montreal. I only really saw the first period. I kind of saw/heard the second period and completely missed the third. It wasn’t the best Coyotes game but Doan was able to score on his cousin. I am not sure why Gretzky didn’t play McGrattan. We could have used him in the lineup. Sauer laid a hit on Andrei K. and it may have been a bit questionable (I didn’t have the best internet feed) but was not malicious, so Montral was after him. BGL asked Sauer to go and he declined. He did go later with a player more his size. BGL went with Fedoruk, but Fridge didn’t have much of a chance (but yay! Fridge for taking the challenge).

Saturday night I went to a Roadrunners game. I am loving this team. They played their other goalie and he seems solid too. Victoria started their other goalie, who is much better than the guy they played Friday. Roadrunners won this one. Rome was in the penalty box like crazy. He was hitting everyone and fighting. These games are so intense!

Also, I went on Sunday. They ended up losing this game, but they put forth a good effort. They also played the goalie from Friday night. He is just so much fun to watch. At one point he did something (excellent stick handling) and I yelled, “Hey goalie I liked that!” and he turned and raised his stick a bit. I’m pretty sure he heard me.

After the game, my friend skated on the ice with some of the players. She talked with a few of them (Campbell and Rome). Winnik was there watching and talking to the guys. It was a fun time. I must get skates before the next skate. That and learn how to stop. Or I could just run into a player.

The Roadrunners went 2-1 in the series. I would say that is not bad, not bad at all. We are going to try and make it to this Fridays game and are definitely going on Halloween.

Thursday night the Caps make their way to jobing.com arena. Telly is going to get the start and Carcillo will be back in the line-up.

Also, to the person using bypassthat…I do not publish anonymous comments if I do no know who they are from.

Disappointment. I think I best get used to it..

Ok, so the Coyotes started off amazing with two big wins and now they have had two bad losses. Wednesday night the Coyotes were in Chi-town to take on the ‘hawks. They played a strong first period, hitting hard and both teams ended the period at 0-0. Morris got into a scuffle with Adam Burish (a fellow Wisconsinite) and a linesman skated over Dmo’s hand. He left the ice and was taking to a local hospital. Thank god he was ok (he was back for the game Friday night). After that, the Coyotes seemed to fall apart. Also, our blue line was exposed. We were weak once we lost DMo. Ulf was playing musical d-pairings and nothing seemed to click. There was a lot of shoving and physical play but the coyotes just couldn’t get back in the game. I am not so sure getting Jokinen was the best move. He was great in the games we won, but not so much in the games we lost.

One of the shoving matches was right in front of the coyote’s bench. As one of Chicago’s players was shoved into bench, Carcillo took a swat at him. It was harmless, but because it was Carcillo and the Coyotes, he got a 2 game suspension. Gretz should have let the boy loose during the ducks game or this game. He was hungry for a fight and could have had lots of them during those two games. He is a fighter, you are never going to squash that in him, so let him loose, especially when the other teams are taking so many liberties with our players.

Friday night the boys played in Ottawa. We were hoping for a big bounce back but that did not happen. Our D was still a bit shaky but come on Bryz, you are the goalie. You need to stop those pucks. Why Gretz didn’t pull Bryz is beyond me. He had a bad night in Chi-town, so you give him a shot to redeem himself. Then in the first he lets 3 goals (from 13 shots) in, in a span of about 7 minutes. When Bryz came back in the second, I knew it was over. The boys were able to rally a bit in the third after a goal by Doan (what has gotten into our Captain? He is so not off to his usually slow start, I hope this doesn’t mean he tapers off at the end of the season). Lisin and Bods also got goals, but in the end it wasn’t enough. The coyotes lost 6-3.

Wow, those were some tough losses to watch. I am glad they were away games and I didn’t have to witness them in person. But they better get their act together, we have Montreal tonight, Caps Thursday and Pens the Thursday after that.

In other news, my night was not all lost. We went to the RoadRunners game and they beat the Salmon Kings (WTF kind of name is that?) 7-1. Oh that game was amazing. I didn’t know any of the players yet, but we found a few that we liked. The goalie was awesome. He is amazing, 5’9 and just wow. He was spot on! There was another player that was 5’8 and he was going after all the big boys. #61 got two goals. #17 and 51 were very physical and making space on the ice to create some good puck movement. We are planning on going back tonight and tomorrow. They looked better than the coyotes.

Also, I noticed it seemed the players were able to get away with some questionable hits. One guy totally charged another player and nothing! And they were hitting hard and getting into scrums all over the place. There was only one real fight but the atmosphere there was awesome. Even though they are part of the Sharks organizations, I am liking these hometown boys. I even bought a $5 hat so I could support the RoadRunners at their games. I guess when there is no Coyote hockey in town, I can catch some games. You can get tickets for as low as $8.

Coyotes start the season with a BANG!

The Phoenix Coyotes are off to an amazing start, two wins in two nights.

The coyotes had their season opener this past Saturday, taking on the Columbus Bluejackets at home. The coyotes started off hot. They were skating fast and hitting hard. They had Columbus quite frustrated and it seemed that the bluejackets’ penalty box had a revolving door installed.

The coyotes seemed to fall apart a bit in the second. They seemed disjointed and not together. I am not sure what happened, maybe a failure to communicate? They were able to hold Columbus off and they came back in the third to seal the deal.

Jokinen finally started to become the player I had been expecting. He had a goal and an assist. Jovo did not give me any cause for alarm. Hale had a solid game. Yandle had one major fumble, which seemed to lead to Columbus’ goal (or maybe I just blamed him since he was on the ice). He then later got a goal and also a fight, so he kind of redeemed himself.

Fedoruk is looking slow on a line with Boedker and Rhino, but damn the boy likes to hit! He was hitting anything with a Bluejackets jersey on.

The following day, I got up bright and early and hit the road to go to the Ducks home opener against the Coyotes. I am so glad I went to that game. It was awesome.

The coyotes got off to an early lead. The ducks were hitting hard but the coyotes didn’t let that stop them. Hale was taking the grunt of the punishment, but he just kept on going. He even got in a fight (he didn’t do very well, but the point is he tried). That boy has just earned a spot with al us fans. We like a guy who is not afraid to stick up for his teammates, and Hale proved that this weekend.

Jovo had one major turnover, but it didn’t lead to anything, so I guess I will forgive him. Doan got a pair of goals; maybe he’s not off to his normal slow start. Turris had a goal. The ducks fans around me were pissed. The guy in front kept yelling that it was kicked in. I was like, dude, no. First off, there was no “distinct kicking motion” (there was no kicking motion AT ALL) and second off, a duck pushed Turris into the net and he just took the puck with him. Bryz let in two goals. They looked to be the exact same shot and he should have been able to stop them. They were the types of goals I knew were going in as soon as they left the ducks stick. Bryz, please close or cover your 5 hole. K? Kthanks.

There was a big fight at the end (tension was building all night) and they showed Gretz on the jumbotron and he was screaming “The game is fucking over!”. There was .3 of a second left and the refs made them do another face-off. Gretz sent out all forwards since there was no way they could win the face off and get to the other end of the ice in .3 of a second.

Overall, it was a great game. We went down to watch warm-ups. Doan gave us a huge grin and Tiki tried to toss us a puck but it was intercepted by a ducks fan. The guys that sat down next to us tried to tell us they were loud. We laughed at them. They were no where near as loud as we were. As part of the overall Ducks fandom, yes. As individuals? No. A couple of times I wanted to tell the guy sitting next to me to watch the game, not me. I kept seeing him out of the corner of my eye staring at me.

I went skating and to practice

Ok, I don’t know how these hockey players do what they do. Oi am I stiff today! I went skating yesterday and my abs, arms and legs are stiff. That and it’s probably the most exercise I’ve done in the past couple of months. My friend tried to teach me how to stop. I was pretty good going slow, not so good going fast. I boarded myself trying to stop while going fast. Oops. That was the only time I fell though, so I did pretty good.

I went to practice today. Ahnelov, Mueller and possibly Rhino were MIA. I just read that Ahnelov will start the season on IR with a hand injury. Since him and Mueller were missing from practice and Mueller didn’t play the last preseason game, I am wondering if he might have a slight injury. Just speculating here.
They did an interesting drill that I haven’t seen before. Three forwards and 2 dmen had their sticks the correct way and were trying to score but the other 2 dmen and 3 forwards had their sticks the wrong way. They had to use the other end to try and stop the puck. It was quite fun to watch.
Also, Fridge totally took Jovo out like 3 times in the drill. It was hard to tell but Jovo looked about ready to kill him.
The skating coach worked a little more with Hanzal and McGrattan. Hanzal doesn’t look to be in as much pain as he was a week or so ago.

Coyotes 5, Kings 2

Last night the Coyotes beat the Kings 5-2.

We took our BEAT LA signs (compliments of the Dbacks game) and went down to the king’s end and started our taunting. We got the players and the cameraman’s attention. I have never been on the jumbotron in my life as much as I have these past two home games. While we were down there, I made sure to tell Jack Johnson he sucks. I also told Simmonds that Juvy wanted him back. I told a lot of players that they sucked. We laughed at the goalie. We got a few pucks shot at us. Like that would scare us. Oh yah, we also called them a bunch of Queens. Their jerseys have sparkly thread on them.

I sat in section 104. It’s a pretty good view of them game. We saw Rhino’s two goals on our end. I was so hoping he would have gotten the natural hat trick. The line Lisin-Rhino-Porter was looking good. Porter got a goal also. I am still not sure who is going to make the team but Porter made a pretty good case for himself last night.

Winnik works so hard out there. We all wanted him to get a goal. Even if he never gets a goal, he adds so much to the team. He works hard. He digs in the corners. He does everything he needs to do. He creates plays for his teammates.

Tiki had better make the team. That boy is all over the place. He does a lot of the same that Winnik does. He also got a goal last night.

Bryz did not let in one goal, which is rare for him. The one thing I don’t like about pre-season is they will replace a goalie after two periods, even if the goalie is doing awesome. So Telly comes in for the third and lets two goals in. I felt bad for Telly. It’s got to be hard to come in for the third.

Doan had a huge hit on Simmonds. The boy had to go back the bench and rest for a bit. Doan definitely rang that boy’s bell. Simmonds was PWND. There is a nice pic on the coyotes website of Simmonds on the ice, looking all confused.

Hanzal took a hit at one point and he looked like he was in pain. He was doubled over and took him awhile to get to the bench. There were a couple of times where it looked like Hanzal was grimacing in pain. I hope he didn’t try to come back too soon. I don’t want him to hurt his back any more than it already is.

Oh, I forgot to mention the look Carcillo gave Frodo. It was a death look. If it wasn't preseason and if Frodo had been more of a menace, I think Carcillo would have taken him out.

Well, that’s about all I got. I didn’t take notes.

Monday I am planning to hit up practice. This afternoon I am going to go skating. Haha

There isn’t another game until next Saturday. This will be our home opener against Columbus. I won’t have a blog after that game because on Sunday I will be leaving bright and early to go to Anaheim. Yup, we are going to go to Anaheim’s home opener against the Coyotes.

Coyotes Update

Monday’s game: Coyotes 5, San Jose 1

Of course Bryz let in an early, soft goal. He really needs to work on that. After that though, he was awesome. Telly replaced him at the start of the third and showed us why we love him. At one point he had a bunch of sharkies abusing him and it looked like he was injured (no one is still really sure what happened) but play continued so Telly continued to keep the puck out of the net. He played phenomenal after that even though he was definitely hurting and the Sharks just kept beating on him. Finally, Carcillo did something about it. He made sure the shark got out of the crease. He may have gotten a penalty for it, but it needed to be done. We need to let those sharks know they cannot be in our goalies business.

Mueller was on fire. He got the hat trick. With the small crowd, there was about all of 5 hats on the ice. I was wearing a hat, but did not feel like running down, throwing it, having hat head, and it is my favorite coyotes hat. J

Boedker should have had the hat trick. He had two goals. He also had one that if the refs weren’t retarded, the puck would have been in. The refs believed that the goalie had it (he pretended like he did) but the puck was on Bods stick and going in the net. Stupid cheating goalie.

Let’s see… it’s been awhile so my brain is not fresh on what happened on Monday. Oh yah, we made it on the jumbo quite a few times. I hate being on the jumbo tron. We cheered like crazy over in 104. We were probably the loudest people in the arena. We like to think the boys were feeding off our energy. It was just nice to see a win.

Well, all I know is we iced the team that will most likey start the season (give or take a few guys) and beat the sharks “b” team 5-1. When we played them in San Jose this week, their “a” team had to go to OT to beat our “b” team. Jokinen finally seemed to get his groove on in San Jose. I didn’t listen to the game so I don’t know much how each player did.

Ziggy and Lannon were placed on waivers. I think Lannon had to be in order to go to SA. I hope another team doesn’t pick him up. He is my new favorite D (another one for you to check on MsConduct – and omg is he flexible, watch him stretch in warm-ups). Ziggy I could care less if he’s on the team or not. He’s a good player but he doesn’t really have a place in the coyotes system. It might actually be better for him to get picked up by another team who could play him in the NHL.

Montoya was sent down to SA today. I am guessing he gets the starting job there or splits with G. Sorry Tordjy, you just didn’t cut it this year. I hope you get back on your game.

Next up: @ Anaheim on Friday and home Saturday against the Kings. I just read today that Kings prospect Rich Clune broke a bone in his chest and will be out for quite sometime. I was hoping to see him Saturday. He made quite the impression during the rookie games and the first preseason game against us. I thought he had a good chance of making the Kings, and if not, he’d be certain to get a call up.