GFHL: Überraschende Umstellungen bringen Sieg!

25.11.2006 von Coyote.

Kurz vor dem Spiel gegen die Buffalo Sabres entschied sich das Trainergespann der Phoenix Coyotes, John Tortorella und Wayne Gretzky, das Lineup doch ein wenig mehr durcheinander zu würfeln. Und das mit Erfolg! In Buffalo feierten die Coyoten ein 5:4 - Sieg. Die Tore erzielten Derek Morris (Lehtinen), Rod Brind’Amour (Nagy, Zubov), Mike Comrie (Reinprecht, Doan), Ladislav Nagy (Brind’Amour, Lehtinen) und Ossi Vaananen (Handzus, Johnson).

Boxscore 

Die Reihen der Coyotes waren:

Nagy - Brind’Amour - Lehtinen
Reinprecht - Comrie - Doan
Handzus - Morrison - Johnson
Isbister - Zigomanis - Sjostrom

Morris - Zubov
Mara - Boynton
Vaananen - Michalek

Belfour

Morgen schon geht es weiter für die Coyoten. Gegner sind die Boston Bruins, gegen die man, wenn es denn normal läuft, zwei Punkte einplanen kann.

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NHL: Ricci und Doan die großen Fakotren - heute gegen Minnesota

24.11.2006 von Coyote.

Es scheint so als ob die Wende im Spiel der Coyotes mit der Rückkehr von Mike Ricci und Shane Doan zusammenhängt. Zumindest die Spieler scheinen dies so zu sehen - hoffen wir, dass es wirklich ab sofort besser läuft und man heute die Minnesota Wild schlagen kann.

Es gibt auch wieder einen “Game Day Thread” bei HFBoards - hier.

Der aktuelle Artikel von AZCentral.com:

Doan, Ricci’s return lifts spirits

Jim Gintonio
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 24, 2006 12:00 AM

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The return of captain Shane Doan and Mike Ricci to the lineup earlier this week did more than just give the Coyotes a much-needed ice presence. Coach Wayne Gretzky said the two popular players also helped infuse excitement into the locker room.

“When I told the guys before the game (Wednesday) that they were playing, there was definitely a feeling in the locker room and an excitement we haven’t had in a long time,” he said. “I have a good sense that they (Coyotes teammates) are happy both are back in the lineup.

“Both are very unselfish. Shane has been in and out with his injury (back). With Mike (neck surgery), nobody anticipated when he’d be able to come back, or if he’d be able to come back.”

Doan missed 10 games, and Wednesday’s game was Ricci’s (neck surgery) first of the season.

Asked how much he wanted to play in today’s game against the Wild, Doan laughed and said: “The more the better. I definitely want to play, and they know I want to play.”

He said his back is a little stiff and tight but that’s he feeling no pain.

Ricci says he feels good physically, and, “Hopefully, the adrenalin flows until the end of June.”

The chemistry on the team, Ricci said, remains high.

“I have not had problems fitting in with guys,” he said. “The last few weeks I was around a little more, getting used to being back in the room. We’ve got a good group of guys here, that’s why we’ll get better. With the guys in this room and the camaraderie we have, we can really put some wins together.”

Wing Georges Laraque said getting the pair back provides a boost, and that a team can only compensate for the loss of key players for so long.

“When they come back, it just makes our job easier,” he said. “It’s an emotional boost.”

Who’s that goalie?
Coyotes television analyst Darren Pang, who ended his three-year NHL career with Chicago after the 1988-89 season, volunteered to get in goal for Thursday’s practice because Curtis Joseph had a day off.

“You know I’m not Cujo, right?” he asked. “What gave it away, the 434 wins compared to my 27 or the 4 feet from my head to the crossbar?”

Pang said he enjoyed the experience, but he said as he got into Joseph’s gear he had to ask him for help strapping everything on.

“I felt like I was 9 years old again, with Mommy and Daddy helping me put the straps on,” he said. “We kind of forget and lose perspective on how hard they try every single day.”

Ice chip
Bumps and bruises kept Coyotes left wing Oleg Saprykin off the ice at Thursday’s practice. It’s nothing serious, and he’ll be available tonight.

Today’s game
Coyotes at Wild
When: Noon.
Where: ExcelXcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn.
TV/Radio: AZ-TV/KDUS-AM (1060).

Wild update: Minnesota dropped a 4-2 decision to Montreal in its last outing and remains tied for first with Edmonton in the Northwest Division. In the first meeting of the season between these two teams earlier this month, the Wild lost 4-3. Minnesota’s strength is its balance. Brian Rolston has 19 points, andwith three players haveat 15: Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Pavol Demitra and Mikko Koivu.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1124coyotesnb1124.html

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GFHL: Pflichtsieg gegen San Jose - Elias verletzt

24.11.2006 von Coyote.

Das Spiel gegen San Jose konnte man aus Sicht der Coyoten nur verlieren. Am Ende stand ein 4:2 Erfolg dank Toren von Doan, Nagy, Reinprecht und Morrison zu Buche - doch der Sieg wurde teuerer als gedacht: Patrik Elias musste im zweiten Drittel das Eis verlassen, fällt für die nächsten Spiele mit einer Ellbogen Verletzung aus. Das bedeutet natürlich auch wieder Umstellungen im Team. Brendan Morrison wird in Reihe 1 gezogen als Center. Ladislav Nagy rutscht dafür wieder auf den linken Flügel. Den Kader komplettieren wird diesmal jedoch nicht Erik Westrum sondern Neuzugang Mike Zigomains, der damit zu seinen ersten Spielen im Dress der Coyotes kommt.

Boxscore

Einen Minor - Trade konnte indes auch abgeschlossen werden. Mike Bishai verlässt die Coyoten in Richtung Dallas. Für ihn bekommt man Nathan Robinson, der hauptsächlich für die Sarasota Manatees auflaufen wird.

Der “Neue”: Robinson

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NHL: 3:1 Erfolg gegen New Jersey!

23.11.2006 von Coyote.

Es geht doch! Endlich mehr Tore geschossen wie der Gegner, nur ein einziges kasiert - so gewinnt man Spiele. Die Coyoten arbeiteten gut, gewannen verdient. Das erste Tor es Abends gelang Derek Morris, nach dem Ausgleich der Devils erzielten Dave Scatchard und Owen Noland mit einem Shorthander die Tore. Mike Ricci gab sein Comeback nach der Verletzung - ebenso wie Shane Doan, was etwas überraschend war.

In der Tabelle konnte man damit Columbus und Philadelphia hinter sich lassen - man rollt das Feld also von hinten auf

ESPN: Boxscore Recap

Das schreibt die Presse:

Joseph, Coyotes freeze Devils

Associated Press
Nov. 22, 2006 10:10 PM

GLENDALE, Ariz.- Dave Scatchard and Ladislav Nagy each had two points to lead the Phoenix Coyotes to a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.

Scatchard had a goal and an assist in the second period for his first two-point game this season. Nagy assisted on each of the Coyotes’ first two goals. Derek Morris and Owen Nolan also scored for Phoenix.

Playing nearly airtight defense in front of goalie Curtis Joseph, the Coyotes limited New Jersey to 10 shots in the first two periods and 15 for the game. John Madden scored for the Devils.

The Coyotes broke on top just past the halfway mark of the opening period. Jeremy Roenick, on his off wing, fed a crashing Morris in the right faceoff circle with a perfect pass. Skating into the pass, Morris beat Martin Brodeur with a rising slap shot at 13:17.

Despite managing only one shot in the first 12 minutes of the game, the Devils generated several good scoring chances against Joseph late in the opening period. Joseph stopped Jay Pandolfo from the slot on a 2-on-1 and later gave Brian Gionta, with the puck on his stick, no room in front of the net.

Madden tied the score early in the second period when he knocked the puck in during a goal-mouth scramble at 1:58.

Phoenix responded with consecutive goals.

First, Scatchard gave the Coyotes the lead when he tipped in Ed Jovanovski’s shot from the right point at 4:30. Then, Nolan beat Brodeur short-handed when he converted Scatchard’s pass off the right-wing boards at 10:38. The short-handed goal was the Coyotes’ second of the season.

During the final period, the Devils managed only one solid chance against Joseph. Scott Gomez was stopped in close with about six minutes remaining.

Notes: Mike Ricci returned to the Phoenix lineup for the first time this season. The center was out with a neck injury and rehabbed for two games at San Antonio in the AHL. The crowd of 12,883 was the second-lowest for a Phoenix home game this season.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1122coyotesgamer-ON.html 

Ricci, Doan back on ice vs. Devils

David Vest
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 23, 2006 12:00 AM

Captain Shane Doan and veteran center Mike Ricci returned to the lineup Wednesday night against New Jersey after missing significant time because of back and neck injuries.

Doan, who did not play nine of the past 10 games because of a sore back, returned a game earlier than expected after getting the OK from back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins following Wednesday’s morning skate.

Coach Wayne Gretzky eased Doan back into the mix, playing him just 11 minutes, 46 seconds.

Doan took three shots on goal and made a team-high four hits.

Ricci made his season debut. A neck injury and subsequent surgery last spring sidelined him for the first 20 games.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Ricci said before the game. “It’s been a long process but something that had to be done, and everyone did a good job rehabbing me.”

Ricci played 12:33, including 3:08 killing penalties.

Owen Nolan, who also was a teammate of Ricci’s in San Jose, was glad to have him back.

“He’s a leader and works just about as hard as anybody I’ve ever played with,” Nolan said. “He’s always in the middle of things, and he’s very, very smart on penalty kills. Very seldom will he be caught out of position, and he knows how to jump on guys at the right time to turn that puck over.”

Rookie Enver Lisin was scratched to make room for Doan.

Gretzky said Lisin needs a game or two off so he can watch games and figure out how to better position himself defensively.

Goaltender watch
Gretzky said he did not know if the Coyotes were going to promote goalie Josh Tordjman from San Antonio any time soon.

Gretzky did say Curtis Joseph would play Friday at Minnesota and probably again on Saturday at St. Louis.

“We’re watching him (Tordjman) very closely,” Gretzky said. “When we started the year, we anticipated him being on the (Phoenix) RoadRunners team (ECHL) for at least 40 games and maybe even for all 80 games, but his development has been a lot quicker than we all anticipated. Now it becomes a fine line. We don’t want to race the kid to the point where we ruin his confidence. We don’t want to blindside him.”

Regarding backup David LeNeveu, Gretzky said: “Lenny’s going to keep practicing with us, and if he gets another opportunity and gets in the net, I hope he grabs it.”

Ice chips
Left wing Ladislav Nagy has six assists in his past five games.

• Goaltending coach Grant Fuhr recently taped an episode of Pros vs. Joes, a TV show on Spike network that pits weekend warriors vs. retired pro athletes. Fuhr’s episode will air in January.

Coyotes related
Cheers
With Curtis Joseph away from the crease, left wing Oleg Saprykin blocked a shot to preserve a 3-1 lead in the second period.

Jeers
This is clearly nit-picking, but Georges Laraque couldn’t put the puck into the empty net after making a slick move that landed Devils goalie Martin Brodeur on his back.

Our three stars
1. Dave Scatchard, Coyotes, goal, assist, team-high plus-3.
2. Ladislav Nagy, Coyotes, two assists.
3. Owen Nolan, Coyotes, short-handed goal.

View from the press box
If nothing else, Mike Ricci’s return to the Coyotes should help lighten the somber mood surrounding this team, especially on the road where Phoenix has really struggled. Ricci, whose famous hair is seemingly longer than ever, is a fun guy to have around, and his light-hearted approach and passion for the game are contagious.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1123yotesnb1123.html

Coyotes savor victory

David Vest
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 23, 2006 12:00 AM

Defeating a first-place team and a future Hall of Fame goalie is tasty enough, but doing so in dominating fashion is like gravy on a Thanksgiving turkey.

That’s especially true for a victory-starved team like the Coyotes, who beat Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils 3-1 Wednesday night at Jobing.com Arena.

Phoenix cranked up its forechecking and penalty killing and played its best game of the season.

“We were very sound all-around, and we really didn’t have any weaknesses tonight,” defenseman Keith Ballard said. “Everyone contributed. It was fun.”

Derek Morris, Dave Scatchard and Owen Nolan scored for Phoenix, which improved its home record to 6-6-0-0.

Nolan’s goal is the one Coyotes fans most likely will be talking about while passing the sweet potatoes around the table today.

Trailing 2-1 midway through the second period, New Jersey’s power-play unit turned the puck over near center ice while Morris sat in the penalty box for delay of game. Scatchard corralled it, and he and Nolan took off on a short-handed rush.

Nolan capped the play by beating Brodeur, who charged Nolan too early, with 9:22 left in the period.

The Devils entered the game with six victories in their past seven games and leading the Atlantic Division but played flat and managed just 15 shots on goal.

“We got totally outworked,” Devils coach Claude Julien said. “For me, this is unacceptable.”

Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky wasn’t ready to start planning the parade route through Glendale just yet.

Still, he liked what he saw.

“I like how we battled, and I think we’re going to be a better team as we go forward here,” Gretzky said. “I get a sense that our players are playing with a lot more pride.”

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1123coyotes1123.html 

 

Bild des Spiels:

 

So muss das sein: Dennis Seidenberg teilt kräftig aus!

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NHL: Ricci vor Rückkher - Tage von LeNeveu gezählt?

22.11.2006 von Coyote.

Es gibt eine gute und eine schelchte Nachricht. Die Gute ist, dass mike Ricci wieder im Kader der Coyoten ist und wieder eingesetzt werden kann.

Die Schlechte ist, dass die Tage von Goalie David LeNeveu in der NHL wohl gezählt sein dürften. Man sei wohl noch immer auf der Suche nach einem Backup - und mal ehrlich: als ob der Posten des Backup-Goalies das Problem wäre. Ich fände es für LeNeveu sehr schade, ich finde er hätte mehr als nur eine richtige Chance verdient. In dieser Saison ist schon so viel schief gelaufen - wem würde es da wehtun wenn LeNeveu mal so vielleicht 10 Spiele am Stück als Starter bestreiten dürfte. Eigentlich kann man in der gegenwärtigen Situation doch nur noch gewinnen.

Mit der Rückkehr von Ricci musste natürlich auch wieder Platz im Roster gemacht werden. Donald MacLean wurde dafür zurück nach San Antonio geschickt. Vielleicht hätte ein wenig mehr von ihm kommen müssen. Immerhin darf sich damit Mike Zigomanis weiterhin in der NHL präsentieren. Mit MacLean muss auch Matt Jones zurück in die AHL - er konnte sich nicht so stark wie bei seinem letzten Call-Up zeigen, muss nun quasi wieder in der AHL “nachsitzen”. Ob man in Phoenix auch mal wieder Matt Spiller in die NHL rufen wird? Für Dennis Seidenberg bedeutet das unterdessen Gas geben, immerhin durfte er dank Matt Jones schon von der Pressebox aus zusehen.

Einen interessanten Artikel über George Laraque, den derzeitigen Überflieger bei den Coyotes, habe ich noch bei TSN.ca gefunden. Es geht darin um die Zukunft der “Tough Guys” und welche Rolle die “Enforcer” in der zukünftigen NHL spielen werden.

Ach ja:. Enver Lisin ist seltsamer Weise noch immer in Phoenix - sovel also zum Thema “Rückkehr nach Russland”

Was ich jedem noch ans Herz legen möchte ist der Game Day Thread aus dem Coyotes-Forum bei Hockey’s Future. Er bringt wirklich eine Menge an Infos für gewöhnlich mit sich.

Zu finden hier: http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=314076

Hier die Artikel von AZCentral.com:

Phoenix recalls Ricci

associated press
Nov. 20, 2006 04:34 PM

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Phoenix Coyotes ended Mike Ricci’s brief conditioning stint in San Antonio on Monday by recalling the veteran center from the Rampage.

Ricci played two games over the weekend for the Rampage to prepare for his return to the Coyotes. He had been sidelined all season following offseason neck surgery.

The 35-year-old Canadian is in his 16th NHL season.

Phoenix is home against New Jersey on Wednesday night.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1120ricci-ON.html 

LeNeveu’s departure imminent

David Vest
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 21, 2006 11:21 PM

David LeNeveu’s days with the Coyotes appear to be numbered.

LeNeveu practiced on Tuesday and may even dress for tonight’s game against New Jersey, but the Coyotes still are pursuing a trade for another backup goalie.

Meanwhile, prospect Josh Tordjman stopped 55 of 57 shots and won Tuesday night for the team’s top affiliate in San Antonio with Coyotes General Manager Mike Barnett in attendance.

Barnett may bring Tordjman back to Phoenix with him today.

Coach Wayne Gretzky pulled LeNeveu from his last start on Saturday, then publicly criticized him for giving up three goals in 27 minutes. The next day, Gretzky spoke publicly about acquiring another backup goalie in a trade.

As of noon Tuesday, the two had not spoken privately about the situation.

LeNeveu (2-1, 4.09 goals-against average) has heard about Gretzky’s remarks and is puzzled. Yet, he’s not moping.

“My head’s held high,” LeNeveu said. “I feel confident and I feel good. I’m just going to come to the rink every day and do my job and see what happens from there.”

LeNeveu, 23, is not hoping for a fresh start with a new team.

“Why would I want to be traded?” he said. “Phoenix is a great city and a beautiful city. Wayne Gretzky is the head coach, and I’m playing with guys like Curtis Joseph and Jeremy Roenick and Shane Doan and I could keep going through all 22 guys.”

Ricci and Doan
Mike Ricci, who has been rehabbing a neck injury since June, is going to play in his first game tonight.

“We’re pretty excited about him coming back,” Gretzky said. “He kills penalties well and he brings a certain swagger to our locker room and on the bench, and lightens things up at the right time.”

Gretzky said Ricci would play left wing, not center.

Doan, who has missed nine of the past 10 games because of a sore back, practiced Tuesday.

“The likelihood of him playing (tonight) is probably doubtful,” Gretzky said. “I’m hoping for maybe Friday (vs. Minnesota).”

Roster moves
Center Donald MacLean and defenseman Matt Jones were sent to San Antonio.

MacLean notched a goal and an assist in nine games with Phoenix, and Jones has one goal and two assists in 10 games.

Ice chips
Left wing Georges Laraque is two points shy of matching his total from last season (12). He did not practice because of a lingering sore knee…. Friday’s game will be broadcast on KAZG-AM (1440) and not KDUS-AM (1060).

Tonight’s game
Devils at Coyotes
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale
TV/radio: None/KDUS-AM (1060).

Devils update: New Jersey, which hasn’t played since Saturday, has won six of its past seven games. Center Scott Gomez, who is recovering from a groin injury that has sidelined him for the past seven games, is expected to play tonight. Goalie Martin Brodeur’s 12 victories were tops in the league before Tuesday’s games. Left wing Zach Parise leads the Devils with 18 points. Defenseman Brian Rafalski has a team-high 11 assists.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1121yotesnb1122.html

Und der Laraque-Artikel von Tsn.ca:

Laraque worried about enforcers’ future

Canadian Press

11/21/2006 4:01:28 PM

One would think Georges Laraque would be in a great mood these days. He’s got seven points in his last four games while playing key minutes for the Phoenix Coyotes.

But the veteran NHL tough guy is worried about his craft.

“I know that within two years there won’t be any fighters in the league anymore,” Laraque said from Phoenix this week. “Within two years, I’m serious, because this is how it’s going. More and more teams don’t have fighters.”

Fewer traditional enforcers seem to be surviving in the NHL. A rough count by CP lists only 11 NHL clubs who regularly dress tough guys, seven other teams who occasionally do, and 12 more who really haven’t at all this season.

“I’m depressed about it because I sympathize with the guys who do my job,” said Laraque. “Those are my brothers. I was lucky that it wasn’t this way when I started nine years ago. If I lost my job tomorrow I could say I played a decade in the NHL. I’ve been fortunate. But the younger guys like (Ottawa’s Brian) McGrattan, I feel bad for them. They may not have a job soon.”

There’s no denying the facts. The post-lockout NHL has seen fighting decrease. There were 267 fighting majors this season through Monday night (303 games), up slightly from last year’s pace at 250, but down big time from the 429 through the same number of games in 2003-04.

There were 329 fighting majors through the same period in 2002-03 and 426 in 2001-02.

“Since Day 1 when hockey started there’s been fighting,” said San Jose Sharks tough guy Scott Parker. “It’s the aggression and competitiveness that’s always been part of the game. It’s part of the reason people enjoy the sport.”

Parker has dressed in only three games this season despite being healthy. He, too, shares Laraque’s concern that fighting is leaving the game.

“They may start with fighting and then say no hitting, and then no touching at all,” Parker said from San Jose. “Where will it end? We can’t back down and let them take our jobs away from us.”

The NHL came back from the lockout with drastic changes that made the game more wide-open and much faster - too fast, perhaps, for some of the tough guys.

“If you can’t skate and play, you just stopped your team from having four lines,” Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said Tuesday.

The Wings, as a result, don’t have a traditional enforcer.

“The league’s flying out there,” Babcock said from Detroit. “And if you think you can play three lines, I think you’re wrong. I myself could be wrong, but I don’t think you can. I think your players all should be able to contribute.”

Are the Wings worried when they face a opposing team with an enforcer? Not really.

Just ask Laraque, the NHL’s most feared fighter.

“Teams are discovering that if you don’t have a fighter, it doesn’t matter,” said Laraque. “If you play a team with a fighter, even though your team doesn’t have one, does it matter? What’s he going to do? Who’s he going to fight?

“There’s so many teams that don’t have one, and next year there’ll be even less.” 

Fellow tough guy Derek Boogaard of the Minnesota Wild agreed with Laraque that it’s getting tougher but said tough guys simply need to keep up with the game.

“You might not have a job if you don’t work on your skill,” Boogaard said Tuesday from Minneapolis. “As long as you can keep up with the game with your skating then you’ll be fine. ..

“Guys are smarter now, they have to work on their skill level rather than just sit there and fight. As long as the guys have that in their heads, that they have to play and have the confidence that they can play, no, I don’t think that’ll be an issue at all.”

Still, Laraque for pines for the good-old days.

“Look at the old days when (Bob) Probert and (Tie) Domi would fight,” he said. “People would line up three hours before the game. They were so excited and would talk about it for days. It was crazy. Now we talk about revenue sharing and things like that. We’re turning hockey into a ballet league.”

Added Laraque: “That’s what the league wants, they want to make this into a European league. They don’t want any fighting. It will happen.”

Dallas Stars head coach Dave Tippett says there’s still fighting, it’s just in a different form.

His team doesn’t dress a traditional enforcer but has guys like Matthew Barnaby, Steve Ott, Trevor Daley, Eric Lindros and captain Brendan Morrow that can all drop the gloves if need be.

“I think we were tied for the most fighting majors in the league last year and we didn’t really have a traditional tough guy,” Tippett said from Dallas. “But we have a lot of players that play hard for each other and stick up for their teammates.

“We have players that play with grit and are willing to do it,” he added. “But any fight that’s around our team I class as a hockey fight, not a heavyweight versus heavyweight.”

And that seems to be the trend.

New Jersey’s Cam Janssen is only six foot tall and 210 pounds but he leads the NHL with eight fighting majors. A better example of the perfect prototype for the new NHL is Ottawa Senators rugged winger Chris Neil, who can drop the gloves with the best of them but also has seven goals and six assists in 21 games.

“Right now, with the momentum changes in the game, with the way game flows, you get stretches of three to four minutes of continuous play .. you can’t afford to have somebody that cannot play within the flow of the game,” said Tippett.

Laraque has always prided himself on becoming a better hockey player. He had a career-best 13 goals and 29 points with the Edmonton Oilers in 2000-01 and already has 10 points (4-6) in 19 games with the Coyotes this season.

“I’ve never focused on being a better fighter as much as being a better player,” said Laraque. “I’ve always tried to work my ass off so that when I’m on the ice, even though I’m not fighting I can be a factor five on five and not a liability defensively.

“I take pride in the fact the coach can put me out there against any line and he doesn’t have to worry.”

Being called the NHL’s most feared fighter does little for him, Laraque insisted.

“Frankly, when people talk about my reputation as being the toughest guy in the league, I always say that I don’t care about that. I don’t want that reputation. They can give it to whoever. Because the only place they give belts is in wrestling or boxing.

“In the NHL, you can be the toughest guy in the league but if you can’t put points on the board it doesn’t matter, you’ll be out of a job. It’s not an honoured distinction being looked at as the toughest guy in the NHL.”

The bottom line, says veteran Chris Simon, is that fighting will always be in the NHL but in a different form.

“The difference is that it’s not guys fighting for no reason anymore,” said the rugged New York Islanders winger. “If you need to give your team a boost or there’s physical play in front of the net and guys get angry, that’s basically how the fights are happening now.

“I think all the guys now can play a regular shift. They can play hockey and fight as well.”

Quelle: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=185327&hubname=nhl

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NHL: Bittere Niederlage gegen Anaheim

20.11.2006 von Coyote.

Schade. Es war an diesem Abend irgendwie mehr drin für die Coyoten, doch am Ende stand eine 4:6 Niederlage. Vor allem Teemu Selanne mit seinen 5 (!) Assists und Chris Kunitz mit seinem Hattrick schossen die Coyoten ab.

Erfolgreich für die Coyoten waren gestern Nacht Zigomanis, Laraque, Perreault und Jovanovski. Frustrierend wieder eine Niederlage kassiert zu haben - aber weiter geht’s, aufrappeln, Mund abwischen und das nächste Spiel gewinnen. Das ist am Mittwoch auf eigenem Eis gegen die Devils.

ESPN: Boxscore Recap

Das schreibt AZCentral:

Coyotes score four, still lose

Ken Peters
The Associated Press
Nov. 19, 2006 08:45 PM

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Chris Kunitz posted his first NHL hat trick, Teemu Selanne had a career-high five assists and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Phoenix Coyotes 6-4 Sunday night.

The last of Kunitz’s three goals broke a 4-4 tie and came on a deflection at 9:21 of the third period, off a 45-foot shot by Selanne. Phoenix goalie Curtis Joseph almost blocked the puck, but it trickled past him and across the line to give Kunitz his 13th goal of the season.

Rob Niedermayer added an empty-net goal with 2.8 seconds left, his second score of the season.

Andy McDonald had two goals and two assists for the Ducks, who defeated the Coyotes for the third time this season and eighth in a row overall.

Ed Jovanovski had a goal and two assists for Phoenix.

Anaheim got off 30 shots at Joseph, while the Coyotes recorded 28 on Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1119coyotes-ON.html 

Coyotes’ faults again on display
Ducks continue dominance in 3rd matchup

David Vest
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 20, 2006 12:00 AM

ANAHEIM - Twenty games into their season, here are three things about the Coyotes that stand out like a sore thu . . . ahem, upper body injury:

One, their strength is not goaltending.

Two, with one exception, they don’t win road games. 

Three, they can’t beat Anaheim.

It was “all of the above” yet again on Sunday night as the Ducks defeated Phoenix 6-4 at the Honda Center.

“We had a good work ethic, but it’s not good enough,” Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek said. “We need two points. We’re in a bad situation and we need points so bad. There’s no excuse. We just have to find ways to win games.”

Chris Kunitz notched his first career hat trick, and Teemu Selanne set a career-high with five assists to lead Anaheim to its third victory over Phoenix in three tries this season.

The Coyotes rallied from a 3-1 deficit and tied the score at 4 early in the third period, but Kunitz corralled a rebound and scored the decisive goal past Curtis Joseph with 10:39 left in the game.

“Again, we showed everybody that we could come back but we showed everybody that we can’t finish, and now we’re in a situation where we’re 6-14 and once again we put ourselves into this hole deeper and deeper,” said enforcer-turned-playmaker Georges Laraque, who had a goal and one assist. “Frankly, I don’t know what it’s going to take to turn this team around.”

Help wanted: Goalie
David LeNeveu was Joseph’s backup on Sunday, but it’s likely he won’t have that job the next time the Coyotes play a game, Wednesday vs. New Jersey.

The Coyotes, who have been trying to swing a deal for another goalie for several weeks, have lost confidence in LeNeveu, who has a 2-1 record, a 4.09 goals-against average and a 89.2 save percentage.

“We’d love to make a deal,” coach Wayne Gretzky said. “The problem with making deals is the same old thing: The guys you want to trade, they (other teams) don’t want; and the guys you don’t want to trade, they want. We’re not trading (Keith) Ballard and we’re not trading Michalek. That’s not going to happen. Whenever we talk to a team (about a trade), the first two names that come out of the mouth of the other teams are . . . Michalek and Ballard. Those two guys aren’t going anywhere.”

When asked who would be Joseph’s backup on Wednesday if a trade is not made, Gretzky said he did not know.

“We’re trying to turn over every rock we can right now. We definitely need someone to go in there and give Curtis some time (off). Curtis can’t play every game.”

Goaltending coach Grant Fuhr spent the weekend in San Antonio monitoring 21-year-old Josh Tordjman, who stopped 46 of 50 shots in his first two games (1-1) playing for the team’s top affiliate.

General Manager Mike Barnett plans to watch Tordjman play for San Antonio on Tuesday vs. Houston.

Ice chips
Center Mike Ricci’s brief conditioning stint with San Antonio is over, and he could be recalled today.

• Gretzky said defenseman Nick Boynton did not play Sunday because of a nagging foot injury, and forward Donald MacLean did not play because he was under the weather.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1120yotesgamer1120.html

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GFHL: Coyoten quälen sich zum Sieg

20.11.2006 von Coyote.

Es war von vornherei klar, dass es gegen die St. Louis Blues kein Zuckerschlecken wird. Am Ende zog man sich aber dann doch gut aus der Affaire, siegte gegen die Blues mit 3:2 auf eigenem Eis.

Es war ein Spiel mit zwei Premieren. Fredrik Sjostrom erzielte ebenso wie Michal Handzus sein erstes Saisontor. Den Siegtreffer zum 3:2, nachdem die Coyoten eine 2:0 Führung abgaben, erzielte Shane Doan.

Die Blues hatten die zuletzt so starke RCJ - Reihe völlig im Griff - doch fällt derzeit eine Reihe aus so springt scheinbar eine andere ein. Fakt ist jedoch: bis auf Goalie Ed Belfour bringt bislang kaum ein Spieler eine ansprechende Leistung. Das es am Ende trotzdem zum Siegen reicht ist natürlich gut - doch es täushct ein wenig über die wahren Probleme bei den Coyoten hinweg. Es läuft noch nicht so rund wie gedacht.

Am Donnerstag wartet auf die Coyoten der nächste undankbare Gegner: gegen San Jose kann man nur verlieren…

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GFHL: RCJ - Reihe sticht auch in New York!

19.11.2006 von Coyote.

Nach der ersten Niederlage in regulärer Spielzeit wurden Änderungen angekündigt - und diese wurden auch umgesetzt. Man ging mit neuen Reihen in das Spiel bei den New York Islanders - und Phoenix brauchte etwas bis man zueinander fand. Im ersten Drittel geriet man dann auch in Unterzahl in Rückstand. Doch im zweiten Abschnitt drehten die Coyoten auf - vor allem die RCJ - Reihe um Steve Reinprecht, Mike Comrie und Mike Johnson. Auf Vorlage von Paul Mara und Patrik Elias gelang zuerst Johnson der Ausgleich. Knapp eine Minute später waren die Coyoten dann in Form von Mike Johnson wieder zur Stelle - in Überzahl erzielte Johnson das 2:1 für Phoenix. Vorbereitet wurde der Treffer von - wem sonst - Steve Reinprecht und Mike Comrie. Für Johnson waren es die Saisontreffer 1 und 2. Als Mike Comrie, Vorlagen Reinprecht und Nick Boynton, dann noch auf 3:1 erhöhte schien das Spiel schon entschieden.

Im letzten Drittel dann gleich zu Beginn ein Paukenschlag: Jere Lehtinen netzte im Powerplay ein - das 4:1 war die wohl endgültige Endscheidung. Die Vorlagengeber waren erneut Steve Reinprecht, der damit 3 Assists landete, und Mike Comrie, der damit auf 1 Tor und 2 Assists kam.

Die Coyoten schalteten nun leider zu früh ab und ließen so die Islanders noch einmal rankommen. Die kämpften aufopferungsvoll - und kamen auf 4:3 heran. Es blieb am Ende jedoch auch dabei, womit die coyoten das Eis als Sieger verlassen konnten.

Morgen geht es für Phoenix gegen die St. Louis Blues auf eigenem Eis - ein Sieg ist hierbei keine Selbstverständlichkeit.

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NHL: Niederlage gegen Los Angeles - 3:5

19.11.2006 von Coyote.

Schade. Gegen die Los Angeles Kings zog man den Kürzeren, verlor mit 3:5. David LeNeveu im Tor erwischte nicht seinen besten Tag, wurde durch CuJo ersetzt der immerhin bei 22 Schüssen 21 halten konnte. Das fünfte Gegentor war ein Treffer ins leere Tor. JR blieb bei seiner Rückkehr blaß, obwohl er sich so viel vorgenommen hatte. Die Tore für Phoenix erzielten Yanic Perreault (schon wieder!) sowie Oleg Saprykin und George Laraque, der zudem noch einen Assist verbuchen konnte.

Heute geht es schon weiter für die Yotes, Gegner sind die Anaheim Ducks.

Eine Absage gab es bezüglich den Gerüchten um einen Trade von Jovanovski. Die Geschichte um Lisin scheint auch eine Ente zu sein, immerhin spielte er auch gestern wieder mit - im Dress der Coyotes und nicht in Russland. Mehr dazu bei den aktuellen News (nach dem “Bild des Spiels”).

ESPN: Boxscore Recap

Das schreibt AZCentral zum Spiel:

Gretzky yanks LeNeveu in loss

David Vest
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 19, 2006 12:00 AM

LOS ANGELES - Wayne Gretzky often says he doesn’t blame goalies for a defeat, but the Coyotes coach chucked that policy out of a Staples Center window after a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon.

“I don’t know what to say; he’s not getting the job done,” Gretzky said of backup David LeNeveu, who gave up three goals on 16 shots before being pulled by Gretzky seven minutes into the second period. “It’s as simple as that. This game is dictated by wins and losses, and I know he’s a better goalie than he’s showed. He just hasn’t gotten it done.”

The Coyotes rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the score, but they couldn’t pull out a victory and lost for the seventh time in eight road games.

Gretzky subtly suggested the other players deserved better from LeNeveu, and especially was miffed at him for allowing LA’s first goal, a one-timer by Alexander Frolov that beat LeNeveu stickside on the Kings’ first power play.

“The first goal should have been a save,” Gretzky said. “Your best penalty killer has got to be your goalie, and that got us on our heels.”

LeNeveu said he never saw the puck come off Frolov’s stick. He also said he did not expect to be replaced after giving up a short-handed goal to Frolov.

“I was a bit surprised,” LeNeveu said. “You never want to be pulled from a game. I felt I was doing the right things out there. I was disappointed I let in that third goal. . . . We were down 3-0. Obviously, something has to change. If that’s the way he (Gretzky) felt, that’s the way he felt.”

After LeNeveu’s benching, Phoenix cut the deficit to 3-2 late in the second period when Georges Laraque and Yanic Perreault netted goals 42 seconds apart.

Oleg Saprykin tied the score at 3 with a flukey, high-arching deflection in the third period, but LA’s Craig Conroy netted the winner when he fired a slap shot around defenseman Derek Morris and past relief goalie Curtis Joseph with 11 minutes left in the game.

“I should have blocked it,” Morris said. “Absolutely.”

Gretzky has pulled his starting goalie six times in 19 games.

Coyotes report
Cheers
Goalie Curtis Joseph stopped 21 of 22 shots in relief of David LeNeveu.

Jeers
Left wing Ladislav Nagy earned a game misconduct penalty for remarks he made to the refs with 20 seconds left in the third period.

Our three stars
1. Alexander Frolov, Kings, two goals, assist.
2. Craig Conroy, Kings, goal, assist.
3. Georges Laraque, Coyotes, goal, assist.

Tonight’s game

Coyotes at Ducks
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim.
TV/radio: FSNAZ/KDUS-AM (1060).

Ducks update: Anaheim enters the game on a two-game losing streak and has lost three of its past four games. The Ducks have owned the Coyotes in the Ccoach Wayne Gretzky era, having beaten Phoenix nine of the past 10 times.

View from the press box
Given coach Wayne Gretzky’s strong comments about backup goalie David LeNeveu after Saturday’s loss, don’t be surprised if you see a young, undrafted goalie named Josh Tordjman promoted from the team’s top affiliate in San Antonio in the not-too-distant future. Gretzky raved about Tordjman, 21, during training camp, but the Coyotes didn’t think he was quite ready for the NHL. If Phoenix doesn’t trade for goaltending help, it may just give Tordjman a shot sooner than first planned.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1119yotes1119.html

Struggling ‘Yotes lose again

Associated press
Nov. 18, 2006 05:10 PM

LOS ANGELES - Alexander Frolov recorded his third straight two-goal game and Craig Conroy netted the go-ahead score with 11 minutes left, leading the Los Angeles Kings to a 5-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday.

The Kings, who gave up three goals in a 3:10 minute span late in the third period of a 4-3 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday, surrendered three goals on seven shots by the Coyotes to blow a 3-0 lead.

Georges Laraque and Yanic Perreault scored 42 seconds apart, narrowing the gap to 3-2 with 18:37 left in the second period, and Oleg Saprykin’s fluke goal tied it with 13 1/2 minutes remaining. Laraque passed the puck into the slot, where it took a weird bounce toward the net off Saprykin’s stick and fluttered over goalie Dan Cloutier’s left shoulder and caromed in off the post.

But this time, the Kings didn’t fold. Conroy regained the lead with a slap shot from the top of the left circle that beat relief goalie Curtis Joseph. It was only the second goal for Conroy, who had 22 last season.

Frolov opened the scoring at 11:47 of the first period with a power play goal, then added a short-handed goal 7 minutes into the second period, driving Phoenix goalie David LeNeveu to the bench after 16 shots by the Kings. Rob Blake also had a power-play goal for Los Angeles.

Frolov is the first Kings player with three consecutive multi-goal games since March 1993, when Luc Robitaille had a had trick against Calgary and followed that with two-goal efforts against Ottawa and Edmonton.

Scott Thornton scored into an empty net with 14.1 seconds left, on an assist from Frolov.

Laraque scored on deflection after Jones intercepted a clearing pass right on the blue line and shot the puck toward the net. Perreault extended his goal streak to four games.

Phoenix’s Jeremy Roenick, who had only nine goals and 13 assists with Los Angeles last season, played his first game at Staples Center since leaving and was booed whenever he touched the puck.

Notes: Sean Avery earned his 100th NHL point with an assist on Blake’s goal. … Frolov also had 12 goals in his first 22 games last season, but only nine in his final 47 contests. … Perreault has five goals in seven games with Phoenix. No one else on the team has more than four. … Kings C Derek Armstrong played for the first time since Nov. 4. He missed five games with an injured collarbone. … The Coyotes have won only one of the last 15 road games against the Kings.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1118yotes-ON.html

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Knapp vorbei ist leider auch daneben…

Aktueller Artikel von AZCentral.com:

Barnett dismisses rumors of trading away Jovanovski

David Vest
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 19, 2006 12:00 AM

LOS ANGELES - The Coyotes shot down a fast-spreading trade rumor before Saturday’s game.

Despite the team’s 6-13-0-0 record, and newspaper and Internet reports to the contrary, General Manager Mike Barnett said Phoenix has not had a single discussion about trading defenseman Ed Jovanovski to the San Jose Sharks for goalie Evgeni Nabokov.

Furthermore, Barnett said, the Coyotes have not discussed any trades involving Jovanovski with other teams.

“Ed Jovanovski was a key acquisition for our hockey club this summer, and we believe strongly that he will be part of the group that will see us an improved hockey club for the next several years to come,” Barnett said.

“We have no intention of discussing him with any other hockey club.”

Coach Wayne Gretzky called the Jovanovski-to-San Jose rumor, which Canadian-based TSN reported prominently on its Web site this weekend, “ridiculous.”

Jovanovski, who has a no-trade clause in his five-year, $32.5 million contract, said he hopes to stay with Phoenix for the full term.

“I picked this organization for a reason, and I want to win here,” he said.

Roenick razzed in LA
Los Angeles fans booed center Jeremy Roenick every time the ex-Kings center touched the puck, and they really went crazy when LA forward Jeff Cowan sent Roenick flying to the ice with a borderline-dirty check in the third period.

One fan, who presumably read a story in Saturday’s edition of the Los Angeles Times that reported Roenick saying he intentionally showed up at Kings training camp out of shape last season to spite the NHL for the lockout, delivered the following zinger:

“Hey, Roenick, you owe us 5 million bucks!”

The Kings paid Roenick $4.94 million last season.

“I expected it,” Roenick said of the razzing. “It’s not a big deal to me.”

Roenick then spent several minutes discussing another part of the Times story that quoted Kings governor Tim Leiweke calling Roenick’s tenure with the Kings a “major disappointment.”

Roenick calmly said: “If he wants to blame me for our subpar year last year, that’s fine . . . I’ll take it all on myself. It’s my fault . . . I don’t have to throw daggers like certain people. They can throw daggers all they want.”

Ricci update
Center Mike Ricci, who is rehabbing a serious neck injury, played for the team’s top affiliate in San Antonio on Friday and Saturday nights.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1119yotesnb1119.html

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NHL: Gretzky trainiert nicht die sondern mit den Coyoten!

18.11.2006 von Coyote.

Im Training mussten die Spieler der Coyoten genau hinsehen: Wayne Gretzky trainierte mit. Hier der Artikel aus AZCentral + Ausblick auf das Spiel heute gegen Los Angeles:

Gretzky fills in at practice

David Vest
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 18, 2006 12:00 AM

LOS ANGELES - Coach Wayne Gretzky resumed his playing career, sort of, for about an hour at Friday’s practice in Peoria after he realized he gave too many veteran players the day off.

“When I did that we had six defensemen and I was short a forward, so I just thought, well, all the drills we had set up were for four lines . . . so I just jumped in there on a line to keep the squad pretty even.”

Memo to rumor starters: Gretzky, 45, is not planning a comeback.

“That’s the first time I’ve actually been in a practice in six years,” said Gretzky, who wore a regulation practice uniform except for a helmet. “It was fun to be out there.”

He added, “It’s a good thing I retired when I did. I’ve kind of lost a step.”

Gretzky said he misses playing “immensely.”

“Anybody who retires and says they don’t miss it is crazy,” Gretzky said. “Just the camaraderie with the guys; it was a different feeling being out there with those guys and not as a coach. It reminded me of my days as a player. I’ll always, until the day I pass, I’ll always miss playing and miss being around it . . . You can play pick-up hockey, and I have my fantasy camp every year for my foundation and that’s fun, but it’s still not the same as being out here with guys at this level.”

Defenseman Ed Jovanovski did a double take after he first saw Gretzky doing the drills.

“It was pretty neat,” Jovanovski said, “and it looks like he’s still got it.”

Roenick’s return to LA
Center Jeremy Roenick will play in a game at Staples Center today for the first time since leaving the Kings after one disappointing season in which he notched nine goals and 13 assists in 58 games.

“I loved playing here; unfortunately, I didn’t do anything or perform the way I wanted to, and I’m sure that I disappointed a lot of fans here and that disappointed me,” Roenick said. “And by no means do I just say ‘whatever’ about the whole situation. I really feel bad that I didn’t perform for those fans, but I’m past that and if they want to boo me and all that stuff because of my poor performance, that’s fine. That’s understandable.”

Asked if he would boo him if he were one of the Kings fans, Roenick smiled and said: “Yeah, I probably would.”

Ice chips
David LeNeveu will start in goal today, and Gretzky said if he plays well LeNeveu might start Sunday’s game at Anaheim, too.

LeNeveu (2-1, 3.73 goals-against average) has not played since relieving Curtis Joseph on Nov. 4.

• PGA golfer Fred Couples accompanied the team here for today’s game and plans to travel with the team to Anaheim for Sunday’s game, too.

Couples, who lives in the Valley and often comes to games at Jobing.com Arena, is a good friend of Gretzky’s and a hockey fan.

Today’s game

Coyotes at Kings
When: 2 p.m.
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles.
TV/radio: AZ-TV/, KDUS-AM (1060).

Kings update: Today’s game is a matinee because the Los Angeles Clippers are hosting the Philadelphia 76ers tonight at Staples Center. This will be LA’s 14th home game, a league-high. Left wing Alexander Frolov leads the Kings with 10 goals and 18 points. Rookie Anze Kopitar is the top assist man with 12. Goalies Mathieu Garon and Dan Cloutier each have three victories. Lubomir Visnovsky ranked 10th among league defensemen with 13 points before Friday’s games.

Quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/1118yotesnb1118.html

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