What was looking like a heavy defensive game that would end up resulting in a similar score as Saturday’s (Dec. 16) 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres quickly turned into a dominant game for the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes began their two-game road trip on a high note taking down the San Jose Sharks and adding to their now four-game win streak. Here are some takeaways from the 5-2 win on Thursday (Dec. 21).
The Top Line Played its Best Game
Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and Alex Kerfoot played their best game of the season on Thursday. There’s no debate. The trio tallied eight points combined with all three recording goals as well. They connected perfectly at even strength and somehow even better on the power play which has been a struggle as of late.
“I think lately in the last week, they’ve been able to see each other,” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “They make plays and they’re successful. What they’ve done better than a week ago for me is the attack. I think previously they were looking for possession a lot. Now they put more pucks in the net. I did not like the way we started the game in that sense as a team, including that line. We were trying to process the puck more than we were trying to attack. When we adjusted and got the right mindset, we got pucks more in the slot or at the net early in our attack. Then it opened up things and then we could possess the puck. So I think there we got better during the game in that.”
Kerfoot was added to the top line after trial runs with Logan Cooley and Jason Zucker didn’t do well. Since then, all three players have really exploded offensively as of late, similar to how they normally are with Barrett Hayton healthy and centering Keller and Schmaltz. Kerfoot now has five points in his past three games. He’s been able to form an instant connection with his new linemates who have enjoyed playing with the 29-year-old forward.
“He’s been great,” Schmaltz said. “Me and Kells (Keller) have played with Barrett Hayton for a long time. He’s been out so it’s tough. You gotta get that chemistry going again. But Kerfoot, he’s a hard-working player. He goes to the net a lot and makes a lot of little plays that you might not see on the score sheet. He gives us the puck and gets us in good spots, and he works his back off. He’s a lot of fun to play with. He’s a very good player on both ends of the ice. We’re having fun.”
Schmaltz himself has been having a rough time as of late. He had been held off the scoresheet since the beginning of December against the Washington Capitals. The longtime Coyotes forward didn’t start the game off pretty either giving up the puck that allowed Anthony Duclair to score on a breakaway. After that turnover, Schmaltz really improved and helped work wonders on the power play, setting up Kerfoot who slid a perfectly placed pass over to Keller to put it in the net.
The line has blossomed as of late with Keller also having five points in the past three games. It’ll be interesting to see if Tourigny continues to keep the line together even after Hayton returns from injury. For now, the Coyotes have themselves a pretty offensively dominant top line that no one expected at the beginning of the season.
Sean Durzi Made a Triumphant Return
For the first time since the team’s game against the Boston Bruins in early December, Sean Durzi returned to the ice. It didn’t take long for him to make a big impact. The defenseman assisted on two of the first three goals. He also made a big impact on the power play that managed to put together a very impressive goal in the third. Durzi was happy to be back on the ice and very happy to be back on the power play.
“It was nice to be back out there with the boys,” Durzi said. “We knew we weren’t our sharpest on the first one. We were a little bit sloppy, they had a good kill going and we kind of looked at each other and said let’s get it done here. It’s been a strength of our team this season so far. I think our confidence to step up in those big moments to not fade away from any pressure is our strength. Chelly’s (Matias Maccelli) on that unit. He made some great plays. I kind of put him in some tough spots but he made great plays to get out of it. We’re moving the puck well and we found a way to get one there in big moments. It’s good for our confidence and it’s nice to get going again with the guys.”
The Coyotes are operating with a 22.9 percent success rate on the power play. While it’s good enough for 11th in the whole league, it had been slumping for a while until recently. Schmaltz saw the trend as well and was honest about how the team has been performing on the man advantage and how his team drew up the play that got them the power play goal.
“We’ve been struggling as of late on the power play,” Schmaltz said. “It’s been frustrating. Power plays are so big in this league. There’s not much time five-on-five where you have the puck and you can make plays. You have to take advantage of those power plays. We’ve worked on that play a lot and scored a couple of goals this year.”
Durzi was quarterbacking the power play most of the night. While there was a sense of fear that he might be injured again when he fell to the ice in pain after a Jan Rutta check, he shook it off and helped the Coyotes secure the win.
Durzi now has 15 points in 26 games in his first season as a Coyote. He’s been one of the best defensemen on the team this season and has been one of Bill Armstrong’s best off-season acquisitions this year.
Are the Road Worries Gone?
The Coyotes have struggled on the road and it’s no secret. Before Thursday, they were swept on their most recent road trip, dropping three straight games. The game against the Sharks was a must-win to show that the team can find success away from the Mullett magic back in Tempe. It’s now increased to an away record of 6-8-2, which is why the Coyotes aren’t any higher in the standings.
While Tourigny doesn’t think their issues on the road are completely solved, he’s confident it’s trending in the right direction, unlike last season where it became an issue later on.
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“It’s important that if you want to be a successful team, you need to be able to win on the road,” Tourigny said. “We talked about that last year where we had a good start on the road and then we faded down. We want to creep back and be a better team on the road. I think that it was a step in the right direction.”
While the Coyotes have some work to do with getting their road record close to their tremendously successful home record (11-5-0), the win against the Sharks absolutely puts them on track to eventually get it over .500.
The Coyotes have increased their win streak to four and now have an overall record of 17-13-2. They will play one more away game against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday (Dec. 23) before returning to Mullett Arena.
