By the numbers: Arizona Coyotes at the All-Star break
Through 45 games, it has been tough sledding for the Arizona Coyotes, who are currently in last place in the Central Division with 26 points.
Lawson Crouse #67 of the Arizona Coyotes celebrates a goal against the Colorado Avalanche with his bench at Ball Arena on February 01, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. The Coyotes defeated the Avalanche 3-2 in a shootout. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
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With the National Hockey League having its All-Star Weekend festivities in Las Vegas, it marks the unofficial halfway point for teams on the 2021-22 season.
Through 45 games, it has been tough sledding for the Arizona Coyotes, who are currently in last place in the Central Division with an 11-30-4 record (26 points).
Only one team in the league has a worse record and point total than the Coyotes: the Montreal Canadiens (8-29-7, 23 points).
What’s been going wrong for the Coyotes? Let’s look by the numbers:
-70
It’s never good to start with a negative, but the Coyotes goal differential this season is a rough -70.
That number is a result of the Coyotes struggling on both ends of the ice, but highlights the team’s woes offensively.
Arizona has only lit the red lamp 99 times this season, which is the second worst total of any team in the league with just five more goals than the New York Islanders (93).
The Coyotes are significantly below the league’s average for both goals for and against with 99 scored and 165 allowed, the later of which is the second most in the league.
12.6%
First a negative number, now a percentage? Yep, that 12.6% is the Coyotes success rate on the powerplay, which ranks dead last in the league.
The man-advantage in hockey is one you don’t see in many other sports and as a result, teams usually take advantage. The league average on the powerplay is 20.6%, as other teams in the league have certainly taken advantage of opponents’ time in the sin bin.
However, that hasn’t been the case for Arizona with just 15 powerplay goals in 119 opportunities.
1,162
A big number, that must be good right? Unfortunately, not in this case for the Coyotes.
That 1,162 number is the amount of shots the Coyotes have on opposing teams. It does seem like a lot, but it’s significantly lower than the league’s average and maybe helps explain the team’s woes on offense and the powerplay.
The league average for shots is 1,399, where the Coyotes are well under that. As for shots against, Arizona isn’t where they want to be in that department either, allowing 1,547 shots on net this season.
43
This number isn’t a statistic, but more so one the Coyotes could be looking forward to. The NHL’s trade deadline is 43 days away on March 21.
Given the Coyotes struggles, general manager Bill Armstrong could be a seller at the deadline as Arizona could look to continue to build capital for the 2022 NHL Draft. Currently, the Coyotes have eight picks in the first two rounds of the draft, three of them being in the first round.
Contenders in the league could come calling Armstrong inquiring about the services of forwards Clayton Keller and Phil Kessel, as well as defensemen Jakob Chychrun and Shayne Gostisbehere.
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