Rieder a consistent bright spot for Coyotes this season
Dec 2, 2016, 6:11 PM | Updated: Dec 3, 2016, 10:06 am
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
GLENDALE, Ariz. — If there are any lingering issues over Tobias Rieder’s contract squabble this summer with the Coyotes, they are not audible in his speech and they are not visible in his play.
“I see a top-notch, excellent, 200-foot player,” coach Dave Tippett said after Thursday’s 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in which Rieder had a goal, two other Grade-A chances and five shots on goal.
Once he signed a two-year, $4.45 million deal this summer, Rieder insisted the impasse was behind him, but he also had the added benefit of playing for Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey to focus his mind on hockey and get a jump start on the NHL season.
“There were lots of games at the World Cup at the highest speed you can imagine,” he said. “That tournament was better than any exhibition game. You kind of get used to playing for something right away. In preseason, you obviously play for a roster spot but there’s not a whole lot going on other than that.
“Playing in the World Cup, making it to the finals and playing in such a big event where every shift counts, it was the best preseason you can get.”
Rieder hit the ground running this season. He has six goals and 10 points to rank second and fifth in those respective categories on the team, and he is fourth among forwards in average ice time at 16:42 per game. Rieder earned Tippett’s trust two seasons ago during a stellar training camp in which he proved to be a responsible player in all three zones. That hasn’t changed, but the asset that has jumped out the most in Rieder’s all-around game this season is the speed at which he is playing the game.
Friday’s game was the perfect example. He had two partial breakaways — one on which fleet-footed L.A. defenseman Drew Doughty had to hold him because he couldn’t keep up with him — before Arizona defenseman Alex Goligoski sprung him on a breakaway late in the third period to temporarily tie the game.
“There are some games where you don’t get the bounces but I kind of know where I have to be on the ice and when I see there is a bobbled puck and I see there is a chance for a footrace I will obviously go for it,” Rieder said. “It’s all just about reading the game. If there is a defenseman struggling or a defenseman falling down or the puck is bobbling, that’s where you can get a quick poke-check and it’s off to the races.
“I like my chances in a footrace.”
Rieder has no idea which Coyote possesses the best speed and he said it’s never really been measured.
“Duke [Anthony Duclair) and Domes [Max Domi) are both really fast and I think Marty [Jordan Martinook) is undercover fast,” Rieder said. “There’s a few guys. I guess it’s just how you use it.”
To date, Rieder has been using his speed and all of his other tools well. It’s a package Tippett would like to see others on his 8-11-3 team emulate, especially after Thursday’s turnover-plagued game in which Tippett lamented, “we bring so much trouble on ourselves it’s frustrating.”
Rieder is one player who rarely frustrates his coach.
“He’s a dangerous player,” Tippett said. “The NHL’s a fast league right now and he’s a fast player. We’ve got some guys that should watch him play.”
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Blue Jackets at Coyotes
When: 6 p.m., Saturday
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale
TV: FOX Sports Arizona Plus
Radio: KTAR News 92.3 FM
Records: Coyotes 8-11-3. Jackets 13-5-4.
Injury report: Coyotes — C Brad Richardson (broken right tibia and fibula) is out indefinitely. Jackets — F David Clarkson (back) is on IR with a potentially career-threatening injury. F Matt Calvert (head) was activated from IR on Friday.
Scouting the Jackets: Columbus is one of the biggest surprises of the early season. As of Friday morning, the Blue Jackets were tied for the sixth-most points in the league (30), tied for second in goals per game (3.18) and fifth in goals allowed per game (2.23). … F Cam Atkinson leads the team with 21 points in 22 games and F Nick Foligno is tops in goals with nine. Columbus has eight players with five or more goals.… G Sergei Bobrovsky is tied for 13th in the NHL in save percentage (.929) and 11th in GAA at 2.08. … Columbus has the NHL’s top-ranked power-play unit at 25.9 percent. The Jackets are 10 for 30 (33.3 percent) on the road.