Five For Howling

WCF: Phoenix Coyotes @ Los Angeles Kings Game 3: Road Warriors?

2012-05-17T04:21:15Z

Tomorrow night the Phoenix Coyotes will be playing on the road against the Los Angeles Kings. So far the Yotes have not been able to get anything going against the Kings, and though the series is not yet over if they do not do something to correct the course then the series will slip out of their hands. Luckily the Coyotes have been very good on the road lately, and they are going to be playing with a desperation that they have not yet had, which could work to their advantage. The Coyotes will be playing without their top center Martin Hanzal who was suspended for one game for a boarding penalty against the Kings' captain, Dustin Brown, which is a significant loss in both skill and physical presence. This could possibly be another advantage for the Yotes though, we all know that when faced with a significant loss in their roster they will occasionally rally and win the game. Adrian Aucoin may be returning this game, he has been out since Game 5 of the Nashville series but he has been skating and practicing with the team and may bring something to the game.

Five For Winning

1. ~~Stay~~ get disciplined. The Kings are in the Coyotes heads for various reasons including their lead in the series. The Yotes need to stay disciplined and not do anything else stupid.

2. Win the faceoffs. This was a point of pride for the first two series but not something that the Yotes were able to carry into the Conference Finals. They need to not only win the faceoffs this game but control the puck for an extended period after that.

3. Clear the zone. The Kings forecheck is one of their points of pride, a well deserved point of pride, but the Coyotes need to do something to limit that forecheck and one of the best ways to do that is keep them from having extended time in the Yote's zone.

4. Score first. This one doesn't really need explanation.

5. Play off the Kings' crowds energy. The Desert Dogs were able to do this in Chicago and Nashville, they feed all the negativity of their opponents crowd and they use it to do better. Since this is the first game we are going to learn if they can do this again.

Players To Watch

Mikkel Boedker

#89 / Left Wing / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 5-11

Weight: 195

Born: Dec 16, 1989

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2011 - Mikkel Boedker	11	13	24	-2	12

Mikkel Boedker has been a playoff hero before, lets see if he can be one again.

Dustin Brown

#23 / Right Wing / Los Angeles Kings

Height: 6-0

Weight: 204

Born: Nov 04, 1984

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2011 - Dustin Brown	22	32	54	18	53

Brown leads his team the way Doan leads the Coyotes, by example. The Yotes need to find a way to shut him down cleanly.

Starting Goalies

Mike Smith

#41 / Goalie / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Born: Mar 22, 1982

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2011 - Mike Smith	67	3903	38	18		144	2.21	2066	1922	.930	8

Mike Smith hasn't played badly against LA, he just isn't getting the help he needs in front of him. This would be a good time for him to be a wall though.

Jonathan Quick

#32 / Goalie / Los Angeles Kings

Height: 6-1

Weight: 212

Born: Jan 21, 1986

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2011 - Jonathan Quick	69	4099	35	21		133	1.95	1863	1730	.929	10

Jonathan Quick is a great player although the Yotes have found weaknesses in his game before they just need to keep hammering away at him and hope a few get in.

Injuries

Phoenix Coyotes Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Adrian Aucoin	undisclosed	05/16/2012

Los Angeles Kings Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Colin Fraser	other-excused	05/16/2012

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Scott Parse	hip	11/09/2011
Simon Gagne	concussion	12/27/2011

Martin Hanzal Suspended: Coyotes Forward To Miss Game 3 After Boarding Dustin Brown

2012-05-17T00:08:29Z

(SB Nation) - Already trailing two games to none in best-of-seven Western Conference Final, the Phoenix Coyotes will now have to play Game 3 without Martin Hanzal who was suspended for one game Wednesday.

The NHL suspended Hanzal for Game 3 of the series as a result of a boarding penalty he was assessed late in Game 2. With the Coyotes trailing 3-0 in the third period of Game 2, Hanzal received a major penalty and a game misconduct for boarding Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Brown.

Brown stayed down on the ice for a few seconds, but returned to the game following the incident. Game 3 of the series is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday and will be played in Los Angeles.

For more on the suspension, check in with SB Nation Arizona and analysis from SB Nation's NHL hub. For more on the Kings, check in with Jewels From The Crown and SB Nation Los Angeles.

Shane Doan Escapes Suspension For Hit On Trevor Lewis

2012-05-16T19:23:12Z

(SB Nation) - Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes has avoided supplemental discipline for his hit onTrevor Lewis in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night. The decision not to suspend the Coyotes captain for Game 3 was made by Brendan Shanahan, the head of the NHL's Department of Player Safety, on Wednesday afternoon via Twitter.

Shanahan explained that Lewis turned his body away from the oncoming Doan just prior to the check, even going as far as to include a very low-quality screen capture of the incident to prove his position. The decision is in accordance with NHL Rule 41 regarding boarding, which states that while the onus is on the player delivering the hit to avoid dangerous contact, it should be taken into consideration whether or not the receiving player put himself in a vulnerable position prior or during the hit. It's clear that's what happened on this hit.

Doan was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct on the play, which took place in the second period of Game 2.

Martin Hanzal To Face Suspension Hearing For Dustin Brown Hit

2012-05-16T17:18:23Z

(SB Nation) - In Tuesday night's Game 2 of the Western Conference Final between the Los Angeles Kings and the host Phoenix Coyotes, there was plenty of aggressive play. At times, that aggressive play turned vicious.

In the third period last night, with Phoenix trailing, 3-0, Dustin Brown was chasing a puck and held up near the boards behind the Coyotes' net. Martin Hanzal was in hot pursuit and shoved Brown hard into the boards, face-first. Luckily, Brown was not injured on the play, but Hanzal received a major penalty and was ejected.

With the NHL's new, stricter stance on hits, Hanzal may well be facing a suspension. The league has shown that it is more than willing to dole out postseason suspensions, as the Coyotes discovered all too well in the opening round of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Phoenix winger Raffi Torres was suspended for a hit and will miss the remainder of the playoffs as a result.

More: Shane Doan could face the same | Analysis of the hits

Phoenix Coyotes Lose Focus, Poise, Game 4-0 to LA Kings.

2012-05-16T07:11:38Z

What do you even say after that game? The Coyotes seemed like they would play a decent game even after going down 1 after the first but then absolutely lost their collective minds. Sure, 26 other teams would be grateful to be playing in this game(h/t @felixpotvin), but holy cow make something of it guys. Everything went down hill after that with Shane Doan, Antoinne Vermette, and Martin Hanzal all getting Game Misconducts, Hanzal looking at a possible suspension and possibly Doan too with how random the justice system in this league is.

/Travis was just fined for his comments about the suspension system and has been sacked.

Sure, the Kings played a good game too with Jeff Carter getting a hat trick and Quick was good in the limited times he was tested, but this was a lot of the Coyotes losing it. And the refs too. Man were they calling a crap game. The Coyotes were doing enough on their own, but really? No icing on the 2nd goal, the Doan penalty, you just couldn't get anything right!

/The writer who had taken over for Travis has also been fined and sacked.

Before we lose any more writers here's a video or two and a selection of user submitted Hiaku.

Dave Tippett Post Game

Real Dave Tippett Post Game

Postgame Haiku

Hey Yotes, what the Fuck? You played like garbage tonight, Wake the hell up, now. @Five4Howling
— Ben Shroyer (@BenShroyer) May 16, 2012

@Five4Howling The team lacked the drive / to defeat Los Angeles / After Doan was gone
— Mike Radack (@incompl) May 16, 2012

@Five4Howling Don't like Dustin Brown/ At least our twitter isn't/ A total asshole
— Grainne D (@wholegrainne) May 16, 2012

@Five4Howling Stupid penalties /// Suspensions and no offense /// Do 'Yotes have HOWLs left?
— Ryan Sparks (@The_Real_Sparky) May 16, 2012

@Five4Howling Jeff Carter scored thrice; Doan and Hanzal were not nice; Howlers on thin ice
— Jim Neveau (@JimNeveau) May 16, 2012

@Five4Howling Coyotes met KingsKings forechecked and scored four goalsCoyotes got mad
— Tory LaPrath (@ToryLaPrath) May 16, 2012

@Five4Howling Hockey the hard way sucks Next year we need a new motto Like win by twelve goals
— AJTYG (@Yotesgurl) May 16, 2012

But that wasn't really a Haiku, so I had to fix it.

@Yotesgurl Hockey the hard way?/ Next year we need new motto/ Like, "Win by twelve goals."
— Five for Howling (@Five4Howling) May 16, 2012

Kings @ Coyotes - WCF Game 2 Gamethread - Pushing Back

2012-05-16T00:00:08Z

Next Game

Los Angeles Kings
@ Phoenix Coyotes

Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 6:00 PM MST
Jobing.com Arena

TV: NBC Sports Network

Radio: Xtra Sports 910

Foe Sites: Jewels From The Crown and Battle Of California

You can also chat with folks at SBNation.com. Travis Hughes promises Penner Pancakes gifs tonight.

Complete Coverage >

LETS GO COYOTES!!!

Tonight's Musical Selection: Uprising - Muse

WCF: Phoenix Coyotes vs Los Angeles Kings: Game 2 Preview

2012-05-15T19:33:00Z

In Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, the LA Kings dominated the Phoenix Coyotes in almost every aspect. The Kings looked to be an unstoppable force, while most of the Coyotes looked like traffic cones. With all that being said, Phoenix was still in the game up until Dwight King scored his empty net goal with 48 seconds left in the 3rd period. With a little more energy and smarter play from their skaters Phoenix can even up the series tonight in Glendale.

Five For Winning

1. Ratchet Up The Intensity. Minus Antoine Vermette's line the team looked listless for much of Game 1. Hard to beat any NHL club when you've got no energy much less an aggressive, physical team like the Kings. While the Yotes need more energy they need to make sure its controlled so as to not take dumb penalties which is easy to do against LA.

2.Faceoffs. Losing in the dot by a margin up 14% again won't cut it. The Kings have big centers who aren't easy to get clean wins from. Hopefully the linesmen will help by not waiting an eternity to drop the puck like they did on Sunday. Guys got tossed a bunch partly due to the interminable waits for the puck to leave the zebras hands.

3. Puck Possession - The Coyotes aren't a great puck possession team, but even for them Game 1 was ridiculous. The Kings spent the vast majority of the game peppering Mike Smith. Part of the problem was the Desert Dogs having trouble getting the puck out of their own zone and through the neutral zone. The passing decisions made by the team's defensemen left much to be desired. LA's aggressive forecheck was a big part of this. The Yotes need to be smarter on who and how they pass. A team as aggressive as the Kings leaves themselves vulnerable on the back end which Phoenix can exploit with good outlet passes.

4. Shot Disparity. Related to #3.The Coyotes get routinely outshot, however the difference on Sunday was unacceptable. While puck possession was a large part of the issue, so was Phoenix players looking for the perfect shot instead of getting shots on net that could create rebound opportunities. If a Yotes player gets an open shooting lane against LA they need to fire the puck.

5. Crash The Net. When the Coyotes did actually have the puck they were inconsistent when it came to getting players in front of the crease. When the blueliners are putting rubber on the net the forwards need to be in position to screen Quick and be ready to knock in rebound opportunities.

Players to Watch

Martin Hanzal

#11 / Center / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 6-6

Weight: 236

Born: Feb 20, 1987

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2011 - Martin Hanzal	64	8	26	34	12	63	3	0	2		145

Hanzal won only 5 of 13 faceoffs in Game One. He was a non-factor in most other areas as well. The Prime Line played fairly well against LA during the regular season. Hanzal is the engine on the line and without him playing well the chances of Whitney, and especially Vrbata, getting scoring opportunities are diminished. The Coyotes can't win this series without the Czech center playing well at both ends and inside the dots.

Dustin Brown

#23 / Right Wing / Los Angeles Kings

Height: 6-0

Weight: 204

Born: Nov 04, 1984

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2011 - Dustin Brown	82	22	32	54	18	53	9	1	6		214

He's been the best skater in the entire playoffs. Phoenix did nothing to slow him down on Sunday. Coach Tippett is going to have to find a way to corral Brown and his linemates Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. If the Coyotes don't find a way to slow him down they could be watching him accept the Conn Smythe trophy from their couches next month.

Starting Goaltenders

Mike Smith

#41 / Goalie / Phoenix Coyotes

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Born: Mar 22, 1982

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2011 - Mike Smith	67	3903	38	18		144	2.21	2066	1922	.930	8

Unlike most of his teammates in game one, Smith played well, especially given that he was under constant attack. If you are looking for areas where Phoenix needs to improve this isn't one of them.

Jonathan Quick

#32 / Goalie / Los Angeles Kings

Height: 6-1

Weight: 212

Born: Jan 21, 1986

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2011 - Jonathan Quick	69	4099	35	21		133	1.95	1863	1730	.929	10

Quick isn't likely to give up another goal like the one he gave to Derek Morris on Sunday night. Similar to Smith, if you are waiting for him to have a bad game you may be waiting awhile.

Injuries

Phoenix Coyotes Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Adrian Aucoin	undisclosed	05/14/2012

Los Angeles Kings Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Scott Parse	hip	11/09/2011
Simon Gagne	concussion	12/27/2011

Aucoin practiced on Monday and is likely to be a game time decision. The Coyotes could really use his physical presence in the lineup.

For news from the Kings perspective head over to Jewels From The Crown and Battle of California.

Kings Vs. Coyotes, Game 2: Adrian Aucoin Listed As Game-Time Decision

2012-05-15T19:31:38Z

(SB Nation) - Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Adrian Aucoin missed Game 1 of the Western Conference Final and he's a game-time decision for Game 2, according to a report from NHL.com.

Aucoin hasn't played since Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals against the Nashville Predators back on May 7. He left that game in the first period, but returned to practice for the first time on Monday.

Should Aucoin return to the lineup, he'll likely replace David Schlemko on defense. Schlemko played just under 11 minutes in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, the fewest on the team, and was on the ice for one goal-against. Aucoin's presence on the blue line could be a partial answer to the challenge of stopping Los Angeles' top line of Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams, a trio that dominated puck possession in Game 1.

The 38-year-old has played more Stanley Cup Playoff games than any other Coyotes player not named Ray Whitney.