Last Night Hurt
There aren’t any moral victories anymore for the Phoenix Coyotes and that’s a good thing. For the last few years if the Coyotes had come into San Jose and kept things close and improved on their previous game we would have said that’s all part of the process.
But not anymore. Expectations are higher and so are the stakes. A couple of points separate most of the Western Conference from the post season. So, last night hurt. And so did the news that Steve Reinprecht might be out for an extended period of time with a shoulder injury. Add that to the loss of Peter Mueller and you could easily see how the Coyotes failed to cash in on their power play chances. They just didn’t have the play making ability.
It was a shame, too. San Jose wasn’t that sharp, and Joe Thornton was rendered almost useless by Martin Hanzal. It was a physical, intense game that regrettably seemed cluttered by an odd assortment of penalties and stoppages. But still, the Coyotes had a 6 on 4 in a one goal game!
Listen for more from Coach Gretzky after the game:
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The next three games…..Buffalo at home on Saturday, then to Nashville and Detroit on Tuesday and Wednesday will be quite a challenge. Let’s see where this team is one week from today, shall we? But for now, first things first.
See you on AZ TV Saturday night at Jobing.com.
- Todd
Tags: phoenix coyotes, san jose sharks, Todd Walsh, wayne gretzky