Five Questions: Can the Coyotes Finish the Race?

Jim Neveau, Icy Coyotes Guest Contributor

1. What Will It Take for Phoenix To Make the Playoffs?

According to Globe and Mail columnist James Mirtle, the amount of points it will take to get into the playoffs in the Western Conference this season will be at or around 94 points.

As it stands right now, to get to this number, the Phoenix Coyotes would have to go 7-11-1 over their last 19 games in order to get into the postseason.

Looking at their remaining games (11 on the road, 8 at home), this seems doable for the Coyotes. They still have games remaining against the likes of the Edmonton Oilers, the Carolina Hurricanes, and Florida Panthers, which seem like fairly automatic wins.

Outside of those games, they still play four other games against non-playoff teams (STL, ANA, ATL, DAL), and that would equate to seven wins by themselves if they could take care of all of those contests.

Even if they weren’t able to win all of those, they still have enough home games remaining to make a dent in that seven win goal. With a 22-9-2 record at Jobing.com Arena, the Coyotes can certainly figure out how to snatch a couple more wins. Games against Colorado, Nashville, and Chicago will provide stiff home competition for the Coyotes.

On their remaining road slate, the Coyotes have an interesting schedule that sees them play five straight non-playoff teams, then wrapping up with six straight games against playoff teams. Their final two games away from home see them play divisional foes the Kings and Sharks. Could those decide Phoenix’s fate? It’s certainly possible.

2. What First Round Opponent Would Suit the Coyotes’ Best?

Ironically, one of the team’s the Coyotes would want to face in the first round may be the Chicago Blackhawks.

They have won both games against Chicago this season, with the Hawks only scoring two goals against Phoenix. They still have to play two more times this year, but if their previous meetings are any indication, the Coyotes could make things difficult for one of the Cup favorites this season.

Another team the Coyotes play extremely tough is the Los Angeles Kings. Even though their record isn’t outstanding against the Kings, the ‘Yotes still play very well against their Pacific Division foe, and they would have a great chance of moving on against the Hollywood denizens.

3. Is Ilya Bryzgalov Up to the Pressure of the Playoff Hunt?

With a 32-17 mark so far on the season, a GAA against of 2.30, and a sparkling save percentage of .920%, Ilya Bryzgalov is having a career year at exactly the right time for the Coyotes.

With his six shutouts, he is amongst the league leaders in that category as well. If he can wrap up the season with the same level of skill that he has played with thus far, he could be in the running for a Vezina Trophy.

The question, ultimately, becomes this: is Bryzgalov a goalie that can win in the postseason for the Coyotes?

Yes, he did win a Stanley Cup while with the Anaheim Ducks, but he did so while backing up JS Giguere. He does have a career record of 9-5 in playoff games, with a fantastic GAA of 1.68 and a save percentage of .937%.

Needless to say, even in a sample size of only 16 games, Bryzgalov is more than capable of holding his own come playoff time. The real question will be whether his offense, tied for 22nd in the league with 2.54 goals per game, can support him enough to get victories.

4. Can the Coyotes Make a Deadline Move?

With a payroll that is $16 million underneath the salary cap, it would seem like the Coyotes could fairly easily raise it to get a new scoring threat into their corner before the trade deadline, but it may not be as easy as saying “sure” to more money.

With the current financial state of the team, any request for new money is pretty much going to be shot down. The best bet for the Coyotes management staff would be to try to make an argument to the NHL that they need to add a competitive piece in order to draw some more fans out for the final regular season games at Jobing.com.

Tickets are still readily available for below face on stubhub.com and other ticket websites, which indicates a dearth of demand, as well as an availability of tickets from the Coyotes themselves. A piece added to the puzzle could increase buzz amongst the fanbase, while at the same time giving them a competitive boost after an injury to Scottie Upshall took a chunk out of their scoring punch.

5. After Last Year’s Collapse, What Are Some Pitfalls Phoenix Needs to Avoid?

Last year’s Coyotes team was victimized by a media swirl about the financial state of the team, and the dealing of players like Derek Morris and Olli Jokinen didn’t help matters any.

With the season winding down and the Coyotes holding steady in the 4th spot in the Western Conference, the threat of massive lay-offs of players isn’t really a pressing threat. The real risk the Coyotes run this season is simply that of becoming complacent because of their playoff positioning.

An asset they have in that fight against becoming content with subpar effort is their coach Dave Tippett. Wayne Gretzky was never the disciplinarian type, and he always seemed to be a bit too much of a prima donna to be an effective hockey coach.

Tippett, on the other hand, seems like he can rule with an iron fist when needed. If he were to sense that the Coyotes were getting out of their game and playing lazy, he would be the first to round up the troops for a 9am practice and show them a thing or two about effort.

It’s this kind of intensity that a relatively young team like the Phoenix Coyotes needs, and it may be just what the doctor ordered to get them to make some noise come playoff time.

Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, Ilya Bryzgalov, Jason LaBarbera, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Vancovuer Canucks