As teams head into the second half and start thinking "postseason," the Phoenix Coyotes can look back on its opening three months and learn a few things.
In describing the first half, perhaps the noted word is "uneven."
The scoring was spotty and so were the wins. The Coyotes were hardly .500 as they went 17-13-8, 42 points in their first 38 games.
While coach Dave Tippett talks of "consistency," the task to strive for that variable appears elusive.
In its first 38 games, Phoenix put together one significant winning period—that was a seven-game winning streak between Nov. 10 and Nov. 27. This started with a 3-1 win over the defending Stanley Cup Blackhawks in Chicago and the streak ended when the Coyotes dropped a 6-4 decision to Anaheim at home.
Since, the team has not managed to put consecutive wins together and before Tuesday night's 4-2 win over Columbus before 8,222 at Jobing.com Arena, the Coyotes had dropped four of last seven games, including an overtime loss at Minnesota Jan. 2.
The Columbus game represented a microcosm of the season.
Following goals from ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Mark Brown
Phoenix Coyotes Drive Toward Consistency, Eye Conference Position
January 4th, 2011 by Mark Brown Leave a reply »
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