The Arizona Coyotes’ first three games are over, and the Desert Dogs have a record of 1-2-0. It’s far from ideal, but considering the team is starting on the road against teams that made the playoffs last season and where they were last year, the results are pretty good. It isn’t the best-case scenario, but it is far from the worst.
But to try to put this season’s start in context, we will look at this season’s start compared to last. The Coyotes’ record is the same, 1-2-0 after three games, but there are a few key differences compared to the previous season.
The Coyotes power play has been worse to start!
Last season, the Coyotes had one of the worst power plays in the league. It ranked 23rd in the NHL, converting only 19.0% percent of the time, and General Manager Bill Armstrong took major steps to improve it this past offseason.
Given how disappointing the Coyotes’ power play was last season, it is surprising to note that it started off pretty well. The Coyotes’ power play went 5 for 13 through the first three games of last season, with two power play goals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, two against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and one against the Boston Bruins.
This season, the Coyotes have gone 3 for 15 with the man advantage, with two goals against the New Jersey Devils, one against the New York Rangers, and none against the New York Islanders. Notably, the lack of success on the power play is having a more significant impact this season, as you will see below.
The fact that the Coyotes have so many additions could contribute to this. Sean Durzi and Logan Cooley are second and fifth in power play time on ice, respectively, and neither was on the team last season. Same with Jason Zucker, who is ninth in power play time on ice. It will take time for Durzi, Cooley, and Zucker to build chemistry with their teammates, and hopefully, as they do, we will see the power play start to click more.
The Coyotes have kept things tighter but scored fewer goals!
In their first three games last season, the Coyotes were outscored 14-9, with the Penguins and Bruins both scoring six goals. Their offense steadily improved over the games, scoring two goals in their first matchup, three in their second, and four in their third matchup. Outside of their 4-2 win over the Leafs, they were clearly getting outplayed.
This season, the Coyotes have had less success in the offensive zone, but they are also keeping things tighter. They had three goals in the shootout win against the Devils to start the season, a lone goal against the Rangers on Monday, and were shut out against the Islanders. All three games were won by a single goal, meaning a slight improvement of the Coyotes’ power play would make a world of difference.
One of the reasons for the lack of offense could be that their opponents are taking the Coyotes more seriously than they did last season. Last season, the Penguins started Tristan Jarry, but Boston went with Jeremy Swayman and the Maple Leafs elected to start Erik Kallgren. Compare that to the Rangers starting Igor Shesterkin a year removed from winning the Vezina or the Islanders starting former All-Star Ilya Sorokin. The Coyotes overperformed last season, and after a good offseason, other teams are clearly taking notice.
Arizona’s faceoff numbers are way up!
In the first three games last season, the Coyotes’ best game in the circle saw them win 44.6% of their draws against the Bruins. In that game, Barrett Hayton and Nick Bjugstad won 50% of their draws, while Travis Boyd and Jack McBain won just 41.67%. At the time, Boyd was playing top-line minutes and played 18 minutes and 56 seconds compared to Hayton’s 15 minutes and 31 seconds.
The Coyotes won 40.8% of their faceoffs against the Maple Leafs (McBain led the way with 50% of his wins) and 41.5% against the Penguins (McBain won 61.54% of his draws and Bjugstad won 57.14% of his).
This season, the Desert Dogs were above 50% for two of their first three games. They won 50.8% of their draws against the Devils, 54.2% against the Rangers, and 34.0% against the Islanders.
Nick Bjugstad, Barrett Hayton, and Logan Cooley lead the Coyotes in faceoff draws so far, and all three are above 50%. Bjugstad and Hayton are at 51.1% (24 and 23 wins, respectively), while Cooley has an impressive 51.9% (14 faceoff wins). Cooley’s prowess in the faceoff circle has been an overlooked feature of his game, and if you combine that with Hayton getting an expanded role, the Coyotes’ youth is leading the way in a key aspect of the game.
While the Coyotes have the same record after three games as last season, they are doing much better this year. They are winning more faceoffs and playing tight games against tougher competition. The power play needs to improve, and it has the potential to, but this still looks like a big upgrade over last season. It’s a good start for a team that seems to have taken a big step forward this offseason.