The Coyotes are 0-10-1 to start the season after their loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. They fell to the Devils on 4-3 in a closely fought contest. It was a heartbreaking loss for the fans. It was equally heartbreaking for the Coyotes, who keep fighting for their first win of the season. As the Coyotes tied the 1943-44 New York Rangers for worst start ever, the team showed its resilience in comments to Arizona Sports forward Brendan Perlini said, “You have to work even harder and get even better”.
The Arizona Coyotes Tie NHL Record For Worst Start Ever
Goalie Loius Domingue has borne the brunt of most of the losses. His save percentage this season of .846% is far lower than the average of NHL goalies. Domingue’s performance has been the scapegoat for the Coyotes play. The Coyotes have been making mistakes in all three zones, so to single out the goalie is missing the big picture. Unfortunately for Domingue, the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better. During their east coast swing, the Coyotes picked up Devils prospect Scott Wedgewood in a trade and placed the beleaguered Domingue on waivers.
The Coyotes woes are likely to continue, regardless of who is in net for this team. Arizona has the talent to win games and can be dangerous with the puck. This was evident in the game against the Devils. They headed into the third period after scoring two spectacular goals, holding onto a two-goal lead. The first of those goals came off of a Perlini wrist shot a mere 48 seconds after a Taylor Hall one-timer beat Domingue. The second goal came at 15:38 in the second period. Clayton Keller made a spectacular play along the boards in the Devils end. Keller, in the matter of a few seconds, converted that turnover into a point and the Coyotes went to the break feeling good.
We’ll keep it simple for you:
Clayton Keller is un?real?. pic.twitter.com/GAwCb2YxJD
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) October 29, 2017
The Coyotes have been improving and looked to be the better team against the Devils. They controlled puck and possession for most of the game. However, they lost this game due to a couple of costly third-period penalties that led to two Devils power play goals. Furthermore, these are familiar themes for the Coyotes in this young season. The Coyotes next square off against the Philadelphia Flyers, in the quest for their first win.
