“The Silver Shield” is a column by Kasey Kazliner about the National Hockey League.
4,600 seats and a dream
The Arizona Coyotes are defying all odds and climbing up the Central Division ladder. On Monday night, the Desert Dogs became the first team in NHL history to beat the previous five Stanley Cup champions in a row. In an extremely close division, Arizona is winning at just the right time and sits just six points out of first place.
In my personal opinion, the most impressive part of the win streak from the Yotes is the fact that four of the five wins came at home. While home ice usually is an advantage for teams, the Coyotes are in a unique situation. In 2022, the team announced that it would be temporarily moving into Arizona State’s 4,600-seat Mullett Arena until new arena plans were announced. The city of Glendale evicted the Coyotes in 2021 from their arena, as the team was far behind on payments, and the team has yet to find a true home.
Despite financial turmoil and constant jokes about Arizona’s legitimacy as an NHL market, the Coyotes are blocking out all of the noise. Arizona lost three straight games heading into its Saturday date with the defending champions, the Vegas Golden Knights. However, the Yotes didn’t let the recent woes take a toll on its upcoming slate. Arizona went on to shut out the dynamic Vegas offense and take a 2-0 statement win thanks to goals from Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse. Goaltender Connor Ingram made 34 saves in his perfect outing.
Keller has been Arizona’s best player thus far. The winger has been an assist machine, averaging one point per game through 24 contests. His backhand goal against the Golden Knights in the third period gave the Coyotes the momentum they needed to go on and win.
The Coyotes continued their winning ways against the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Wing Michael Carcone, Arizona’s leader in goals this season, lit the lamp twice and helped the Coyotes win 3-1. Ingram was stout once again in net, saving 30 of 31 shots. The 26-year-old’s remarkable 11-3-0 record can be attributed to his outstanding .930 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average.
Arizona’s next three wins were offensive masterpieces. The Avalanche, champions in 2022, fell victim to a Nick Bjugstad game-winning goal in overtime to snap Colorado’s four-game win streak. Following the 4-3 win, the Yotes would next rout the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning Blues 4-1. St. Louis was the same team that defeated Arizona right before the streak began.
Monday night’s 6-0 win against the 2018 champion Washington Capitals could quite possibly be one of Arizona’s best wins in franchise history. For the first time since 1986, The Yotes led 5-0 in the first period. For context, in 1986, the Coyotes played in Winnipeg and were called the Jets. Ingram was perfect between the pipes once again, and Keller kept up his goal-generating ways, notching three assists. Center Nick Schmaltz scored twice and 11 different Coyotes tallied points.
The Coyotes are rolling despite having a tough schedule against recent champions. The Desert Dogs are the epitome of the “us versus the world” mentality, and they are here to prove that narratives surrounding rink issues and annual losing can be combated with finding diamonds in the rough, such as Ingram.
The Coyotes will look to win their sixth straight when they take on the Flyers tonight at 6 p.m.
“Cruel is the strife of brothers.” - Aristotle
For just the ninth time in NHL history, three brothers were on the ice at the same time. In a thrilling 6-5 win for the New Jersey Devils over the Vancouver Canucks, Luke and Jack Hughes celebrated while their brother, Quinn, endured the agony of defeat.
On top of this unforgettable experience, all three brothers played well in the game. Jack picked up three points, with two assists and a score. His sweet goal toward the end of the first period showed his precise placement on the ice, as he was able to beat Canucks’ goaltender Thatcher Demko on a backhand chance.
Luke, the youngest of the trio, also scored for New Jersey. The former-No. 4 overall pick is looking to break out for the Devils alongside his older brother. Right off a faceoff on a second period power play, Luke received a pass from Jack and sent the puck to the top right corner of the net to extend the Devils’ lead.
Last but not least, Quinn picked up three assists and helped his team overcome a 5-2 deficit. Vancouver knotted up the game at five late in the third period but couldn’t finish with the win. Quinn’s 27 total assists are the most in the NHL.
The Hughes brothers are extremely talented and will certainly be must-watch players for years to come. While Quinn and Jack have already proven their value for years now, Luke is on the come-up and has extremely high expectations.
Sharks up, Blackhawks down
To pretty much everyone’s surprise, the San Jose Sharks are no longer the worst team in the NHL. Following the Sharks’ 5-4 win over the Islanders on Tuesday, San Jose passed the torch to the Chicago Blackhawks, who only have 15 points through 24 games.
Although center Connor Bedard has been a force in his rookie season, his team hasn’t been able to back him up. Chicago is toward the bottom of the league for goals scored and allowed, and it looks to be contending for the first pick for the second consecutive season.
In the Blackhawks’ defense, the season is still early, and there’s plenty of time left to turn things around. But, the addition of Bedard raised expectations for the team, and it simply is not performing at a winning level.
Make sure to keep up with the No. 1 pick sweepstakes as the season progresses.
“The Silver Shield” runs every Thursday.