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HEAD COACH
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Jim Schoenfeld
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ROSTER
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C - Jeremy Roenick, Bob Corkum, Mike Stapleton, Juha Ylonen,
Daniel Briere. LW - Keith Tkachuk, Greg Adams, Jim Cummins, Mike
Sullivan. RW - Rick Tocchet, Dallas Drake, Brad Isbister, Shane Doan.
D - Keith Carney, Gerald Diduck, Jyrki Lumme, Teppo Numminen, Oleg
Tverdovsky, Deron Quint, Bryan Helmer. G - Nikolai Khabibulin, Jimmy
Waite.
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INJURIES
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None.
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TRANSACTIONS
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11/26 - Recalled defenseman Bryan Helmer from Las
Vegas (IHL), first-round draft pick Patrick Des Rochers was traded
from Sarnia to Kingston (OHL). The trade does not effect his status
as the Coyotes top pick; 12/02 - Jason Doig, d, was re-activated
from non-roster status and sent to Springfield (AHL) for
conditioning; 12/03 signed veteran right wing Steve Leach and
assigned him to Springfield.
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GAME RESULTS
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11/21 Chicago W 3-2
11/26 New Jersey W 3-2
11/28 at Los Angeles W 4-0
12/02 at Edmonton L 4-3
12/05 at Calgary W 3-2
12/06 at Vancouver T 3-3
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STANDINGS
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Pacific Division GP W L T PTS GF GA
Phoenix 21 15 3 3 33 62 35
Dallas 23 15 5 3 33 66 47
Anaheim 25 9 11 5 23 57 62
San Jose 24 5 13 6 16 51 62
Los Angeles 26 6 17 3 15 55 76
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TEAM NEWS
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by Bob Chebat, Phoenix Correspondents
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Phoenix had its franchise record string of 14 games without a loss
snapped after 42 days against the Edmonton Oilers on December 2.
During the stretch, the Coyotes went 12-0-2, and added their name
to the history book in several locations. They now rank sixth
all-time in best winning percentage after 18 games in NHL history.
Add to that, a 17-game streak of allowing two goals or less, and
one of only five teams to go undefeated for the month of November
(10-0-1). The loss in Edmonton was not one the Coyotes needed to
hang their heads about though. Oiler goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov
stopped 45 of 48 shots as they continue to dominate Phoenix at
home.
Several players for the Coyotes have also stepped it up a notch to
help carry this team to a league-leading start. With what was
thought to be a fairly weak goaltending combination at the start of
the season, Jimmy Waite and Nikolai Khabibulin have combined to
become the top duo in the NHL, and rank first and second
respectively in goals against average and save percentage. In six
games, Waite has posted a 5-0-1 record along with a 1.15 GAA and
.956 save percentage to lead the league, and was named NHL Player
of the Week for November 9-15.
The plus/minus standings are overwhelmed with Coyotes as well.
Phoenix leads the league with seven players in the top 20. Team
captain Keith Tkachuk heads the pack with a +14, while Rick Tocchet
(+12), Jyrki Lumme (+11), Jeremy Roenick (+11), Juha Ylonen (+11),
Oleg Tverdovsky (+11) and Dallas Drake (+10) all follow closely.
The power play has finally found some life over the last few games,
but the Coyotes still rank 22nd in the league at 12 percent, thanks
mainly to a stretch of 0-27 in November. On the flip side, Phoenix
carries the number one penalty kill in the league at 92 percent,
and are currently ahead of the 1997-98 Washington Capitals who
closed the season at 89.2 percent.
December will prove to be the biggest challenge the Coyotes have
faced so far this season with 14 games, 10 of which are on the
road. The first seven games of the month are all against Canadian
foes, including a rematch against the Ottawa Senators, who handed
the Coyotes their worst loss of the season on opening night at
home, 4-1. The schedule also includes the only meeting of the
season between Phoenix and Toronto on the 16th. The Coyotes have
owned the Maple Leafs the past two seasons, but thanks to re-
alignment, the two teams will meet only once this year. Other key
matches include a trip to St. Louis on the 17th and Detroit on the
22nd.
If the Coyotes are in fact for real this season, December will be
the month to prove it. It will be a good stretch of road games,
some tough opponents in Ottawa, Detroit and St. Louis, plus other
teams a winning organization should be able to capitalize on like
Chicago, Montreal and Los Angeles.
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