The Phoenix Coyotes received a taste of what the rest of the NHL has been recently force-fed by the Vancouver Canucks.
The ability of the Canucks to control the neutral zone has resulted in frustration and ineptitude for recent opponents. In most cases, the result is also a plethora of zeros.
In their latest effort, the Canucks limited Phoenix to 22 shots, and Cory Schneider extended his shutout minutes to 136:28 to record his second straight whitewash in a 5-0 victory over the Coyotes before 14,569 in Jobing.com Arena.
The Canucks’ trap between the blue lines was so suffocating that Phoenix managed just 4 first-period shots and six through the first two periods. In the meantime, Sami Salo, Ryan Kesler and David Booth all scored within 2:12 of the second period to put this one away.
According to Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault, “Schneider made the saves he had to make and overall, we played a complete game.”
If the Coyotes are to compete with stronger teams, they need to accelerate the ability to cut down on turnovers and beat opponents to loose pucks.
Neither was accomplished against the Canu ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Mark Brown
Canucks vs. Coyotes: Phoenix Can’t Solve Vancouver Trap; Turris Back on the Ice
November 25th, 2011 by Mark Brown Leave a reply »
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