Phoenix continues to turn heads around the NHL as they stretched
their unbeaten streak to 11 games with a pair of overtime wins on
back-to-back nights. Dallas Drake returned from a minor concussion
and delivered the game-winner against San Jose. It was Drake's
second goal of the season.
The goaltending duo of Nikolai Khabibulin and Jimmy Waite is
currently tops in the league as well. Khabibulin suffered a hand
injury two weeks ago and forced Waite into the starting role. Waite
faced Colorado, Dallas, Tampa Bay and Vancouver during Nik's
absence, and posted a 3-0-1 record and a goals- against average of
1.00, shut out the Dallas Stars, and was named NHL Player of the
Week for November 9-15. Not bad for a 'backup' goalie. Khabibulin
returned to the lineup on the 20th and was a key component in the
win over San Jose.
When a team goes 11 games without a loss, it is hard to imagine that
any aspect of its game could need improvement, but the power play has
been dismal for Phoenix. The power play is currently ranked 24th
overall with just six goals in 62 chances. On the flip side of that,
Phoenix is number one on the penalty kill overall, allowing only six
goals in 64 chances.
Another streak the Coyotes are keeping alive is consecutive games in
which a team has allowed two goals or less. Saturday's win against
Edmonton brought the record to 14, and sets the modern-day, post-
expansion mark.
The Coyotes are playing some very exciting hockey right now. While
the season is still very young, they have made a statement to the
rest of the NHL that they can indeed play with the big boys. The
first 15 games have included two against Dallas, three against
Colorado and one against Detroit. They have compiled a record of
4-1-1 in those six games, and have found themselves at the top of
many NHL power rankings throughout the press.
It's great being a Coyotes fan right now.
