Busy Coyotes open homestand vs. Ducks
Nov 23, 2011, 10:16 PM | Updated: 10:46 pm
After a tough five-game road trip, the Phoenix Coyotes
return to the friendly confines of Jobing.com Arena for a
three-game homestand that begins Wednesday with a visit
from the Anaheim Ducks.
The Coyotes, with wins in San Jose, Toronto and Buffalo,
earned six points on the trip and return to the Valley
tied for 8th place in the tightly-bunched Western
Conference with 23 points. Only 6 points separate the top
eleven teams in the West.
The road trip was deemed a success, at least by forward
Radim Vrbata, who had 3 goals in the five games. “It’s
not an easy road trip,” he said. “And those games we
lost, we were in them until the end.”
The Ducks limp into the Valley with a 2-9-4 record in
their last 15 contests. Their 16 points have them in 14th
place in the Western Conference.
Despite Anaheim’s recent struggles, the Coyotes are wary
of the Ducks, according to captain Shane Doan. “You can’t
say it enough, the first game back after a road trip is
important to kind of get your feet back going at home,”
Doan said. “We talk about this game against a team that
hasn’t played as well as they’ve wanted, and yet they’ve
got such incredible players, it’s just a matter of time.
“We’ve got to make sure that we play our game the way we
have to and we can’t get caught up with what’s going on
with them.”
It’ll be a busy holiday weekend for the Coyotes with the
Anaheim game Wednesday, Thanksgiving on Thursday, and then
back-to-back games with Vancouver and Dallas on Friday and
Saturday.
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