The wins just keep on coming for the Arizona Coyotes as they won their fourth straight game. It comes against the St. Louis Blues, who won the Stanley Cup in 2019, which means the Coyotes have gotten wins against the four most recent champions. It was a fantastic game for the home team. Here are some takeaways from the game.
The Third Line Could Be the Best Line
The line of Michael Carcone, Alex Kerfoot, and Jason Zucker has been not just great but fantastic. Carcone scored once again to take the scoring lead from Lawson Crouse. It made it the third straight game where he tallied a goal. While Zucker didn’t score, he had a great breakaway opportunity and a goal that was waved off. Kerfoot especially looked impressive. He had two assists and a goal. He looked deadly every time he was on the ice.
What a game for him (Kerfoot),” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “PK, five on five, power play. It was all really good. With Jack (McBain) and Barrett (Hayton) out, we need him. We needed our center to have a big night because it’s a lot of ice time for them.”
Last season, the story was the success of the first line as Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton, and Nick Schmaltz produced fantastic seasons. It has been scoring all around this season, but the third line has proven itself especially efficient. Especially considering that two of the three players on the line spent last season with different teams and Carcone was in the AHL, it’s even more impressive.
It’s not just a one-way line. Kerfoot and Zucker have both been very noticeable defensively as well which helped limit the Blues to one goal.
Tourigny now has multiple lines to go to for scoring, and the third line proved against the Blues that they are one of the best options for him.
Michael Kesselring Is Earning a Roster Spot
Don’t look now, but Michael Kesselring has three points in three straight games. The defenseman was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Coyotes last trade deadline in the Nick Bjugstad deal. Since then, due to injuries, the Coyotes have relied on him to help on the blueline. It’s safe to say he’s done that and beyond.
The 23-year-old has only 16 NHL games under his belt, but he looks like a seasoned veteran out there. While most think he played great against the Blues, Kesselring wants to improve himself even more, admitting that he’s still learning and growing.
“I thought today I could be maybe a little bit sharper,” Kesselring said. “I’m just trying to play physically and move the puck. Chip in offensively when I can. Obviously, I’m learning a lot right now. It’s a fast game. You have to be sharp all the time, and I think that’s what I’m learning. You can’t take your foot off the gas at all. You have to be sharp all the time. So it’s a good learning curve, and I think I’m adjusting to it pretty well.”
In just his three most recent games, Kesselring has almost certainly played his way into a permanent spot in the defense. It’s created a great issue for Tourigny to figure out when Hayton and Travis Boyd come back into the lineup. You could make the argument that Kesselring has outplayed both Matt Dumba and Josh Brown, but the question of where the young defenseman fits in will be answered eventually. For now, he has all the time in the world to keep impressing his coach.
Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Cold
Almost two weeks ago, the Coyotes lost 6-5 to the Blues. Two weeks before that, they lost to their Central Division rivals 2-1. It’s no secret that the home team had the rematch circled on their calendar. They showed that in the first period, as the Coyotes scored three straight goals and really looked like a perfect team.
“That’s our best first period of the year, and there’s no doubt about it,” Tourigny said. “I think with and without the puck, we had urgency. We had a plan, and we were focused. I really liked our first period, no doubt about it.”
While the Blues eventually made themselves comfortable in the game, it showed the Coyotes are capable of playing an all-around complete game, which is important to see, especially as the team exits their rebuild.
The players had the losses in the back of their minds as well. The competitiveness in the first showed how badly they wanted to beat their opponents, especially considering the win put them above the Blues in the standings.
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“We lost to them a couple of times to share already, so we really wanted this game,” Matias Maccelli said. “We showed that we were ready from the start.”
The Coyotes have now won four straight games against the most recent Stanley Cup champions and ride a four-game win streak. They’ve won each of those games in convincing fashion as well. It was said at the beginning of the season that the goal was to play meaningful games, and the team has certainly done so with more upcoming.
“We want to win games, we want to be in it,” Tourigny said. “We want to be in the race for the playoffs. We said at the beginning of the season we want to play meaningful games so we’re in a good spot. We cannot take anything for granted. A bad week, and you’re out of it, so now you need to live with it, and you know we have a tough week ahead.”
The Coyotes will take on another recent Stanley Cup champion on Monday, the Washington Capitals, as they head toward the tail end of their homestand.
