Bull Run: Coyotes Host Sabres

The Coyotes are returning home from San Jose and will take on an Eastern Conference foe today in the Buffalo Sabres. They are one of the three Eastern teams that they will face twice this season.

Phoenix is coming off a tough 2-0 loss to the Sharks, a game which they could have won if it wasn’t for their power play being unable to score and running into a very hot Evgeni Nabokov. However, they must take the positives out of that game and apply them to this game where they are facing a team they are very evenly matched with.

Obviously the focus will be on Sabres’ forward Thomas Vanek who has 29 goals this season and can do wonders with the puck, helping Buffalo to wins in 4 of their last 6 games. There is no doubt that the Sabres can produce offense, evident from their 10-2 thrashing of the Edmonton Oilers a few nights ago.

For Phoenix they need to win. After dropping the first two games post All-Star break, Phoenix needs to get a win and stop a potential slide that could leave them outside the playoff picture. They are currently in a four way tie for 5th in the Western Conference with two other teams just two points behind. Some help would be good from other teams but the Coyotes can’t rely on others to get the job done. They need to have a big bounce back win at home and get themselves out of a potential tailspin.

However with injuries beginning to mount, the Coyotes will need production from unexpected sources. Steven Reinprecht, Peter Mueller, Viktor Tikhonov, and Kurt Sauer are all out for the Coyotes. They called up forwards Joel Perreault and Alexander Nikulin to fill in the holes.

With these players out those who do not usually score much will have to step up their game. They need Mikkel Boedker, Kyle Turris, Enver Lisin, Joakim Lindstrom, and even someone like Daniel Carcillo to help produce along with the usual suspects like Shane Doan and Olli Jokinen. The defense will need to be solid as they were on Thursday night. If they can play like that and help Ilya Bryzgalov, who will be getting his 10th start in a row, the Coyotes will have a shot at winning the game.

But they need to get the special teams going. The power play has been awful, 29th in the league at 13.6%. That must be better despite the fact the Coyotes are facing the 5th best penalty kill in the NHL.

Can the Coyotes right the ship? They will have to do it tonight where every team they are in a deadlock with playing tonight. The Coyotes can’t fall behind.