Coyotes offense still stone cold in loss to Sabres
Jan 18, 2016, 10:51 PM
Arizona Coyotes right wing Shane Doan (19) is held back from going after Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen after losing 2-1 during an NHL hockey game, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Maybe the Coyotes should take a page from the Arizona Cardinals’ and Buffalo Sabres’ books. If you can’t score on your own, bank it off your opponent. It still works and it looks a whole lot better than what Arizona has going right now.
Buffalo scored a pair of power play goals in the second period and that’s all it needed to slip past the suddenly anemic Coyotes in a 2-1 win on Saturday at Gila River Arena.
Arizona had played 131:22 of scoreless hockey before center Antoine Vermette beat Sabres goalie Chad Johnson from a bad angle midway through the third period to break the drought, but the Coyotes have managed just one goal in their last seven periods plus part of an overtime — a drought that stretches back to a 3-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
Not surprisingly, Arizona is 0-2-1 in its past three games and has been swept by five Eastern Conference teams this season (Buffalo, New Jersey, Columbus, Boston and the New York Rangers).
“We’re just a little bit off on our shooting and lots of shots are getting blocked,” coach Dave Tippett said. “They’re tight games. The second half (of the season), it gets tighter. People are scrambling for points and we’re no different.”
The tight games are putting a microscope on the Coyotes’ special teams, which haven’t produced results the last two games despite plenty of chances on the power play against New Jersey and Buffalo and two bad breaks on the penalty kill against the Sabres.
With the Sabres on a 5-on-3 power play, center Boyd Gordon — the only forward on the ice for the Coyotes — was tossed from the faceoff circle, forcing defenseman Michael Stone to take the draw.
“That’s the first faceoff I’ve taken in probably 15 years,” Stone said.
Stone lost the draw and Buffalo worked the puck over to Jack Eichel (two points) for a one-timer as the first penalty expired.
“The linesman, he’s a good veteran guy,” Tippett added. “That’s a common sense one. When you’ve got one forward on the ice and you throw both guys out that’s a tough one.”
The Sabres’ second break came when forward Jamie McGinn tried to center pass on his backhand and the puck banked off Stone and into the net.
“I’m taking the backdoor pass away and the puck doesn’t get backdoor,” Stone said. “It just hits me and goes in the net.”
Couple that with a second straight 0-for-5 power play performance and that tells the story in this three-game losing streak. Arizona outshot New Jersey 38-16 and lost 2-0 despite 96 shot attempts — their most since the 2012 season.
With only one point in their last three games, the Coyotes have allowed the rest of the Pacific Division to creep back within range. Following Edmonton’s win on Monday in Florida, six points once again separate second place from seventh in the division.
Arizona is 2-2-1 on this seven-game homestand.
“We’ve got two big games coming up,” said goalie Louis Domingue, who had 26 saves in his first regulation loss in 11 starts this season. “It’s going to be huge to turn it around and take that frustration we have tonight and take it into the next two games.”
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