Off the Ice: Three days to decide Coyotes playoff future

Three days.

That’s all the time the Phoenix Coyotes have to salvage their season. Their loss to St. Louis on Sunday left the team with 87 points and in seventh place in the Western Conference. Generally, that would mean no reason to panic.

But that’s not the case. Every team in the Pacific Division plays twice before the Coyotes’ next game, likely leaving them adrift of the playoffs in tenth place. It’s going to be an uphill battle from here on out and the Coyotes will need all hands on deck.

Sunday’s scratch list read like a roster: Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata, Taylor Pyatt and Adrian Aucoin were some of the Coyotes vets who were left out due to suspension or injury. These names mean effort, goals and wins for a team who desperately needs all three right now.

“These are much-needed days off for us,” said head coach Dave Tippett after the loss to St. Louis and he couldn’t be more right.

Doan is the heart and soul of this team and they know it. Without him, effort games — like St. Louis — are much tougher to win. Guys like Raffi Torres have done a good job of stepping up to fill his skates, but a team needs its captain. They’ll have him back on Thursday and I feel sorry for the first guy he hits. He’ll be ready to play.

The Coyotes are now in a must-win situation in most games. By Thursday, should they be out of the playoffs, the team will basically need to go 4-1 in its final five games, if not better. Last month, estimates put the minimum points needed to get in the playoffs at 93. That’s not necessarily the case anymore. With two teams within a point of the Coyotes — and a game in hand for each — the total now likely creeps to 95. To go 4-1, they’ll need everyone back and contributing like they were in the month of February.

Three days is not a lot of time. Odds are, a few guys may need to play with a nagging injury and reduced ice time just to shore up holes. But three days is what the team has and what they need to make the best of.

“We could use the rest,” said Lauri Korpikoski. “Get some guys back. Obviously we’re going to get Doaner back and hopefully some other guys, so we won’t mind a little rest.”

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will a Coyotes team getting ready to make the final push to the playoffs, but it’s all they have to work with.

We’ll see you in three days, guys. Good luck.

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