DDB: Practices Have Sparked Winning Streak

GLENDALE – The beginning of this blog is about
practice. Not a game. Practice. How silly is that?

With apologies to Allen Iverson, it’s not silly at all.

The Coyotes had three practices in a row at Jobing.com
Arena last week in between games. Since those workouts,
the team has posted a 3-0-0 record and has outscored
opponents 12-5.

The consensus around the team is that those three
practices – and playing just one game in a span of nine
days right after playing 26 in 52 days all across North
America – may have saved the season.

“We had three pretty tough practices where we pushed
pretty hard physically and really challenged each other…
and just got back into that ‘Coyotes Hockey’ frame of
mind,” forward Taylor Pyatt told me. “It’s helped us.”

The practices began the day after the Coyotes lost to
Anaheim, 4-1, in the first game after the All-Star break
on Jan. 31.

I attended that first practice on Feb. 1 at Jobing.com
Arena and remember thinking it was the most intense
practice I’d seen in a long time. Teammates were competing
hard against each other and the body checks were game-
like, not practice-like. I remember saying to a colleague
– “These guys brought their lunch pails today.”

Head Coach Dave Tippett echoed that sentiment after
practice when he described the practice as very “business-
like.” Similar workouts followed on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3.

“We had to refocus (after the Anaheim loss) and we worked
very hard and focused on little details,” center Gilbert
Brule told me. “I think that was the biggest thing.”

Forward Mikkel Boedker agreed: “I think (the three
practices) got our minds in the right place, and we’ve
shown that on the ice in the last three games.”

The key will be continuing to show it over the last 28
games.

• Only a handful of players skated at Wednesday’s optional
practice in Scottsdale and defenseman Keith Yandle, who
left Tuesday’s game at Dallas in the middle of third
period after getting hit in the leg by a shot, was not one
of them.

Fear not, Coyotes fans. Tippett told reporters after
practice that Yandle was fine and that he would definitely
play on Thursday vs. Calgary.

• I spoke to Coyotes Video Coach Steve Peters today about
the challenge he faces tonight because the Calgary Flames,
the Coyotes’ next opponent on Thursday, are playing at San
Jose.

“For a video coach, these nights are the tough ones,”
Peters told me. “That game doesn’t start until later
because it’s in the Pacific Time zone so it’s going to be
a real late night. But we’ll break it down and turn it
around quickly, and we’ll get here early in the morning to
go over it with all of the coaches because it’s imperative
that we see what they do in their most recent game.”

• FYI, the Coyotes vs. the Chicago Blackhawks game on
Saturday is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. (Arizona time)
instead of the normal 6 p.m. start time. The game likely
won’t begin until closer to 7 p.m. because of the pre-game
Ring of Honor induction ceremony for Jeremy Roenick, which
will start at 6:30 p.m.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Contact Dave Vest at thedeser
td
ogblog@phoenixcoyotes.com and follow him on Twitter
@davest4yotes.
For information on upcoming Phoenix Coyotes games, please
visit http://coyotes.nhl.com

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