The Arizona Coyotes started their seven-game homestand against the Seattle Kraken, who came into the match losing six of their past games. While hoping to get their fans excited early and try to regain momentum after an ugly game against the Dallas Stars, it took the team until the final two minutes in the third period to score. Despite the lengthy time without a goal, the Coyotes managed to pull together a win to start their long stretch at Mullett Arena on a high note. Here are some takeaways from Friday’s 2-1 victory.
Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley Are the Future
Dylan Guenther wasn’t supposed to be here. When former forward Jason Zucker got suspended at the beginning of the year, general manager Bill Armstrong rewarded Guenther with a call-up to the NHL but with a warning that it’s only temporary. However, the forward made sure that Armstrong would take back his words by scoring in the first two games he played in. He was eventually placed on a line with Logan Cooley, and they formed an instant connection.
Fast-forward to the last month of the season, and the two are winning games for the Coyotes. They were remarkable out on the ice together and have been the best players for the team for a while now. It was their strong connection that got Guenther on a breakaway to win the game in overtime for the Coyotes.
“We sit together (in the locker room), we sit on the plane together, we spend a lot of time together so that helps,” Guenther said. “I think when you are friends with someone off the ice, it helps your on-ice chemistry. Our skill sets and games complement each other well, so I think it’s just gonna keep going up from here.”
Cooley has had a mixed season during his first year in the NHL. However, ever since Guenther was added to his line, he’s elevated his game and has looked like the strong rookie everyone was excited for to begin the season. It is similar to his Minnesota days when he had a special bond with Jimmy Snuggerud.
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It’s good to see the youth meshing well with each other so early in the Coyotes’ stage of getting out of their rebuild. Guenther seems to have chemistry everywhere he goes in the organization, like down in Tucson with Josh Doan. He’ll be a player head coach Andre Tourigny will be able to put anywhere in the lineup once the team starts getting more competitive, which is great for the coach, the team, and the player.
Cooley can’t help but be happy that he plays on the same line as Guenther. Their play styles complement each other and with Lawson Crouse playing with them, it helps balance out the rookie side of things with someone to help mentor them.
“It’s been awesome,” Cooley said. “Gunners a guy that fits with me really well. I like having a shooter on my line and a guy that has good speed too. We read off each other really well. It’s been unbelievable playing with him. He’s been great ever since he got called up, and it’s helped my game too. Crouse has been a good mentor for us. He’s a good two-way player, and he plays both sides of the puck and can get to the dirty areas, so it’s been good.”
The two will likely play on the same line together for the foreseeable future. With their strong play, it will be interesting to see if Cooley can get his name back in the Calder race or at least enough support to be a finalist against rookie phenomenon and Calder favorite Connor Bedard.
Karel Vejmelka Standing Strong
Karel Vejmelka has struggled throughout this season with the Coyotes. Recently, the goalie didn’t win a single game in January and February. It’s a massive blow to your confidence when you’re not doing well and your team isn’t doing well. It’s a bigger blow when it happens for two straight months. However, March has been a good one for Vejmelka, as he’s won four games, including the past two he’s started against the New Jersey Devils and the Kraken.
Confidence has been wavering, which is huge for goaltenders, but Vejmelka seems to finally have gotten it down thanks to his pair of wins in the past couple of weeks. Friday’s game felt like a big one to him, and the win only made him feel better about the games to come.
“I felt great,” Vejmelka said. “I tried to be focused for every minute. They worked hard, but the boys in front of me did a great job. They blocked a lot of shots, so it was like a playoff game. We did a great job.”
Tourigny announced before the game on Friday that the team will rotate goaltenders for the foreseeable future. Connor Ingram will most likely get the start on Sunday against the Stars. However, Vejmelka has shown in two straight games that he has gotten his game back together, and it’s good news for the Coyotes as they enter their rebuild of competing.
Homestand Off to a Good Start
The win against the Kraken begins a seven-game home stretch for the Coyotes. This is an important one for the team, considering that the season is nearing its end, and they will most likely want to show their fans that they are taking steps in the right direction. It won’t be easy for the Coyotes, as they’ll play five of those games against playoff-bound teams. Many of those teams are also hungry for points, with the Vegas Golden Knights fighting even to clinch a playoff spot, the Stars and New York Rangers trying to clinch their respective divisions, and the Nashville Predators vying for a better playoff spot.
While the Coyotes will likely miss out on the playoffs for the fourth straight season, Tourigny wants to see his team fight like they still have a chance. On Friday, they did exactly that and the coach was proud that his team stayed resilient and focused on the win.
“We want to work on being able to play those types of games while being resilient,” Tourigny said. “I think coming back from behind and getting the two points, I think there’s a lot of positives in that game. I think we saw more block shots. There are a lot of positives. If you want to look for negative, you will find some, there’s never a perfect game. I like the fight in our team.”
The late goal shows the fight Tourigny wants to see from his team. Despite not playing for much at this point, playing like you’re playing for something will boost the locker room morale and help the team take steps in the right direction as they continue growing.
There’s no better way to start the seven-game stretch at Mullett Arena than with a win, especially one that shows off the team’s passion and work ethic to its fans. They’ll have to play even better, though, against the teams coming up on the schedule.
The Coyotes will next welcome the Stars to Mullett on Sunday, March 24. The Stars are currently 43-19-9 and are second in the Central Division.
