In truth, we probably should have seen this coming. The Phoenix Coyotes took a 1-0 series lead over the Nashville Predators by winning 4-3. In overtime. After surrendering a third-period lead. It’s hockey, the Coyotes’ way. “We do everything the hard way,” game-winning goal scorer Ray Whitney joked after the game. “There’s certainly nothing easy […]
The Phoenix Coyotes find themselves in very unfamiliar territory – preparing for a Game 1 of a conference semifinal series. The Nashville Predators aren’e exactly grizzled playoff vets, either with exactly two playoff series wins in franchise history. Yet, this best-of-seven series is shaping up to be a hard- hitting, tightly-contested, low-scoring affair headlined by […]
The Phoenix Coyotes and Nashville Predators faceoff Friday night in their opening game of Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s another winnable series, but the Coyotes will have to be even more disciplined than they were against the Blackhawks. The Preds are very, very similar to the Coyotes. Both teams focus on defense-first […]
The Phoenix Coyotes are battling the Nashville Predators for the right to go to the Western Conference Finals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Most expect it to be a hotly-contested series, as the teams play similar styles and are both playing well of late. At least, that’s what we think here in the Valley. But […]
Now that the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs has finally come to an end, the National Hockey League and NBC have announced the full schedule for the conference semifinal series. Here’s what the schedule looks like for the Phoenix- Nashville Western Conference semifinals: Game 1 – Friday April 27 at Jobing.com Arena in […]
GLENDALE – On the eve of Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Coyotes and the Nashville Predators, here are five things to keep an eye on as this series unfolds: 1. DUELING GOALIES: This series features two of the NHL’s top goalies in Mike Smith and Pekka Rinne. Both ranked in the […]
The Phoenix Coyotes are not a team geared to run up the score, instead preferring to rely on discipline and tight hockey to win the game. Having an excellent goalie in Mike Smith never hurts either. But in the next round of the playoffs, the Coyotes will run head-on into a team that plays a […]
When the horn sounded and the Phoenix Coyotes officially beat the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs, some people thought the impending series with the Nashville Predators would be an easier series than Chicago, a stepping stone on to the next round. But as the Coyotes know, the Predators are not an […]
The Phoenix Coyotes will open their Western Conference semifinal series with the Nashville Predators on Friday at 6 p.m. at Jobing.com Arena. The Coyotes and Predators will play Game 2 on Sunday at 5 p.m. in Glendale. The series will then head to Nashville for Games 3 and 4, which will be Wednesday the 2nd […]
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the top goaltender in the NHL as determined by a vote of the 30 league general managers. And while he had an excellent season, Coyotes netminder Mike Smith is not among the three finalists. Smith, who set career-best marks with 38 wins, a .930 save percentage and 2.21 […]
Aren’t the personal, one-on-one battles of the playoffs great? Going into the opening round of the playoffs against the mighty and storied Chicago Blackhawks, most analysts were giving the ‘Hawks skilled lines an edge over the Phoenix Coyotes gritty style of defense-first hockey. I admit, though I favored the Coyotes with my choice, I thought […]
Shane Doan had waited his entire career for this. The Phoenix Coyotes are heading to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. “It’s something that had been a very long time,” Doan said Tuesday at Sky Harbor Airport after he and the team returned from Chicago. “You’re excited, as a player, to have a […]
April 16, 1987 is not a day that lives in infamy — not for most people, anyway. Sure, it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 40th birthday, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer went out and scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds that night for the Lakers in a win over the Utah Jazz. Former Arizona Senator […]
GLENDALE – The Coyotes and Blackhawks certainly are spoiling fans of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with “free hockey” as all five of the first five games of their Western Conference Quarterfinal series required an overtime period to decide the outcome. On Saturday, the teams again needed extra time to decide the winner of Game 5 […]
I laughed when I first heard the news about Raffi Torres’ 25-game suspension. I honestly did. You can call me a homer all you’d like, but hear me out before you do so. Not only is it the longest suspension of Brendan Shanhan’s brief tenure, the NHL has seen worse — especially as of late […]
It would have been easy for the Phoenix Coyotes to quit at many points during their first round series against the Chicago Blackhawks. Between losing key players to injuries, giving up late goals and generally being a less-talented team than the one they are playing, there are plenty of reasons to just lay down and […]
If the Coyotes’ first round series with the Chicago Blackhawks was a best-of-five, they’d have already won and advanced to the second round. Unfortunately, it’s a best-of-seven series. The Coyotes, who hold a 3-1 series lead, will have a chance to finish the Blackhawks off Saturday at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale. They know it won’t […]
Coyotes forward Raffi Torres has been suspended indefenitely by the NHL after his hit on Chicago’s Marrion Hossa caused the player to leave the ice on a stretcher. The decision on how much longer Torres will be come soon. According to Arizona Republic Coyotes beat writer Sarah McClellan, the league will make its ruling this […]
Paulie Puck prefers to keep it simple. (Is that because we’re a card carrying simpleton? Uh, we refuse to dignify those questions…) Instead, let’s get a show of hands here regarding another simple question: Who’s willing to play dirty? You know, as in “Hockey the Hard, err…Dirty Way.” Specifically, who’s willing to withstand headlines across […]
The Valley and the rest of the NHL nation are still discussing the hit Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres laid on Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa. While the discussions on the legality and possible suspension time will continue on long after the probable sentence is handed down, Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan said a lot […]
Raffi Torres of the Phoenix Coyotes had a reputation as a physical, sometimes dirty player before Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday night. After his hellacious hit on Chicago star Marian Hossa in the first period Tuesday, that reputation has become more negative, at least according to Mark Spector […]
Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres, according various reports, has been suspended indefinitely by the National Hockey League pending an in-person visit with league officials Friday. Torres laid a brutal hit on Chicago’s Marian Hossa in the first period of the Coyotes’ 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals Tuesday night. No […]
I’m not here to argue the Andrew Shaw suspension. He made contact with Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith’s head. He took a dangerous line on a protected player. He had both time and space to alter his course or slow down to make a play on the puck; he did neither. Shaw deserved his three-game […]
It took a while to get a ruling on, but NHL senior vice president of player safety and hockey operations Brendan Shanahan announced Tuesday that Chicago Blackhawks rookie Andrew Shaw has been suspended for three games. The suspension comes as a result of Shaw’s shoulder-to- head contact with Phoenix Coyotes’ goalie Mike Smith during Chicago’s […]
