Fresh off an incredible comeback victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 27, the Arizona Coyotes looked for their Mullett magic to propel them over the defending Eastern Conference champions: the Florida Panthers. Instead, the magic wasn’t in their favor, as the Panthers won 4-1, ending a two-game win streak. Here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s game.
Discipline Killed the Coyotes
The Coyotes had some great moments in the game, and it looked like they would squeak out a win. Then, they took a penalty that ruined any momentum they had. It was a common theme throughout the game, which ultimately stopped any chance the Coyotes had of winning.
Both Jason Zucker and Liam O’Brien were kicked out of the game. Zucker had a bone-crushing hit on Nick Cousins, while O’Brien, with his team down 3-1, decided to shove his stick into Anton Lundell’s face. The Coyotes know they can’t take emotional penalties to win against a top team like the Panthers.
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“I think some of them were unfortunate plays,” Kerfoot said. “Some of them, we don’t need to take. They’re a good team. They force you to make plays. They force you to defend when you’re out of position. You’re going to take some penalties, but there were some that we could have avoided.”
The Coyotes ended the game with 40 penalty minutes (PIM), almost doubling the Panthers’ 23 PIM. It resulted in Sam Reinhart scoring the game-winning goal on the power play, and the Panthers never looked back.
It didn’t help that the Coyotes somewhat struggled on the power play. The team failed to generate good scoring chances and didn’t put any pressure on the Panthers. Matias Maccelli didn’t fit on the top power-play unit, and the Coyotes found themselves spending more time chasing the puck into the neutral zone than shooting on Sergei Bobrovsky to try to get a goal.
One of the bright spots of the game was Kerfoot scoring his fifth goal of the season to tie the game in the third. After being placed on the top line with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, the 29-year-old has taken off offensively. He has 17 points in the past 16 games and is fifth in team scoring.
Kerfoot’s play on the top line has often been noted, but he’s looked great in every situation head coach Andre Tourigny has put him in. This includes a line change with Lawson Crouse feeding him the puck for the goal.
Kerfoot was signed to a two-year, $7,000,00 deal during the offseason. Many critiqued the move, saying it was too much money for the forward. However, Kerfoot now leads all Coyotes offseason acquisitions in points with 22, ahead of players like Sean Durzi and Logan Cooley. If he can continue his torrid play, the Coyotes’ decision to sign him will look better and better each game.
Panthers Game a Learning Experience
Not every game can be won. After the Panthers struck twice in under a minute, which ended the Coyotes’ chance of a win, many fans weren’t pleased. The locker room was also dead silent after the game with disappointment hovering over it. While the loss showed that the Coyotes are still a growing team, it also showcased some positives and some lessons for the young squad.
“Looking at that game, there’s a lot of positives,” Tourigny said. “There’s lots of stuff we can learn. They’re a different team. They’re a different breed than a lot of teams. They play with a lot of pace. They forecheck a lot. They create a lot of turnovers, and you need to think extremely quick to play against them. I think we’ll put that in the experiences we need to learn from.”
Related: Coyotes: 3 Burning Questions Heading Into 2024
Looking at the playoff picture, the Coyotes currently occupy the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 40 points in 36 games. They are three points behind the Nashville Predators for the first wild-card spot. However, the Predators have played two more games than the Coyotes.
Behind the Coyotes are the Edmonton Oilers with 39 points. They have a game in hand and have been on a hot streak as of late. There is some competition within the two wild-card spots, which have been mainly occupied by the Predators and Coyotes. However, the season is just around the halfway point. There’s no need to panic. They are still in a great spot to make the playoffs. They are still a young team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020. What Tourigny and the team have done so far is remarkable, considering the Coyotes weren’t doing so hot at this time last season.
The Coyotes will continue their long homestand to begin 2024 on Thursday against the New York Islanders, another team in a playoff spot. While the team will play dominant teams during this homestand, like the Islanders and Boston Bruins, it will be a good test that they haven’t really seen yet this season. This should help the young team learn how to compete with the best in the league as they enter their playoff contention window.
