It’s not normal for the Arizona Coyotes to lose at home, let alone three games. Yet with the team’s 6-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, they did so, extending their losing skid. Another rough loss doesn’t look good for the Coyotes who are now outside a playoff spot. Here are some takeaways from Sunday’s game.
The Jets’ Defense Suffocated the Coyotes
Nine shots throughout the first two periods is awful but yet that was the Coyotes’ shot total at the end of period two. It’s not like the Coyotes didn’t have any chances. They were able to get into the Jets’ zone numerous times but it was there where they had issues. The Jets made sure no shot got near Connor Hellebuyck.
The Jets’ fantastic job at suffocating the Coyotes’ offense shows why they’re first in the whole league. The way they stopped anything from reaching Hellebuyck was incredible. The Coyotes however couldn’t do the same and Karel Vejmelka was forced to make some big saves.
“I think we had a tough time staying with it,” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “Like I said they’re a really good team. They’re not just a good team. They play maybe the best hockey in the NHL. They’re really stingy and they have poise with the puck. They make it really tough but I did not like the way we stayed with it. I think it was one of those games where we were out of character.”
In the end, the Coyotes only managed 17 shots while the Jets had 36. It didn’t help that they let in three goals in the third to put the game far out of reach. They’ve now let in four or more goals in their past three games which isn’t how good teams win games.
Turnovers and penalties were once again a thorn in the Coyotes’ side. A prime example of this was when they were having a good shift in the Jets’ zone. However, one bad miscue put Mark Scheifele on a breakaway where he scored. Another example was when Sean Durzi gave away the puck to Vladislav Namestnikov right in front of Vejmelka which started the scoring. It was bad play after bad play for the Coyotes and cleaning up their passing and puck control needs to be a priority in practice moving forward.
The “New” Additions Were Noticeable
Dylan Guenther and Justin Kirkland both made their season debut against the Jets. Guenther, who joins the Coyotes for a short stretch while Jason Zucker is suspended, was placed on the third line with Matias Maccelli and Jack McBain. He looked pretty decent, getting some nice shots and offensive opportunities. His big moment came in the third period where he was able to beat Hellebuyck on a wrap-around attempt.
Guenther also got some minutes on the power play. While the Coyotes didn’t score on the man advantage with his unit on the ice, he still played well and was noticeable every time he was on the ice.
“I thought I skated well, especially early,” Guenther said. “The first shift was a fairly good shift. I got in on the forecheck and I think that allowed me to get my nerves down and settle into the game. There’s a few plays that I wish I could have back and there’s stuff to clean up.”
Kirkland made his Coyotes debut on the fourth line with Michael Carcone and Liam O’Brien. Like Guenther, he was noticeable every time he touched the ice. His biggest moment came on an odd-man rush with Carcone where it looked like he was going to score his first NHL goal. Unfortunately, Hellebuyck robbed him but just appearing in this game was enough for Kirkland. Last season while playing with the Anaheim Ducks, he was in a car accident. He wouldn’t play another game in the NHL until the game against the Jets which made Sunday a very special one for him.
“It was a special day for me, my wife, and my family finding out that I was playing,” Kirkland said. “It’s been a pretty hectic calendar year with a lot of adversity. It was a very special and emotional night for me.”
Tourigny was happy with Kirkland’s performance and made sure to note his good stats in the faceoff dot that kept the Coyotes near even with the Jets in that category.
“He played well,” Tourigny said. “I think he was solid and his battle was solid. He’s a big guy and was heavy on the puck. I liked his game.”
The fourth line was arguably the best line against the Jets. If Kirkland can continue his solid play, he might find a home there with the Coyotes. In any case, it was a special night for him and his family. One they’ll probably remember for a while.
No Time for Feeling Sorry
Tourigny’s words to the locker room were not to feel sorry for themselves. It’s a phrase the coach has used before but this time, it finds the Coyotes on a three-game losing streak. It was another game where the outcome looked obvious in the third period and the team gave up. Especially in a league like the NHL, there’s little time to beat yourself up. Now the Coyotes must face another top team in the league on Tuesday: the Boston Bruins.
Related: Coyotes Building Something Special at Mullett Arena
“There’s no need to feel sorry for ourselves because there’s a really tough opponent who’s coming in two days and we need to regroup and look ourselves in the mirror and be grown men and make sure we man up,” Tourigny said. “That’s what it is. Nobody is going to feel sorry for ourselves. Everybody’s digging in for two points so we need to be much better than we are since the new year.”
The good news is that the Bruins play the night before against the Colorado Avalanche. However, the Coyotes have yet to win in 2024 and have started their first homestand of January by dropping all three games to some of the best teams in the league. If the Coyotes want to make the playoffs, they need to earn it and they do that by beating some of the better teams in the league. However, it starts with reviewing their mistakes and on Sunday, there were a lot of them.
