Coyotes’ Stepan, Panik show great chemistry
3. OEL off to good start
Skating in his first home regular-season game as captain, Oliver EkmanLarsson did not disappoint. He controlled play and created several scoring chances while making some key defensive plays in a well-played game by the Coyotes.
Although Arizona was held scoreless for the second straight game, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Ekman-Larsson even had one play on Saturday where he passed the puck to himself — through a defender’s legs — and registered a shot on goal.
Ekman-Larsson later made a sprawling save in front of his own net with Antti Raanta out of position after making a stop of his own.
The strong start for the captain is good to see after Ekman-Larsson struggled to find his footing at the outset of last season.
4. Strome showing strides
Dylan Strome continues to display positive signs in his game in a bottomsix role, centering a de facto fourth line with Lawson Crouse and Mario Kempe. He was even promoted to play alongside the Coyotes’ top power play unit in the final minutes of Saturday’s game.
Strome has also been dynamite in the face-off circle, winning 75 percent of draws against the Stars and 62 percent on Saturday.
Of course, he, along with the rest of the team, has not yet found the scoresheet, but it’s at least encouraging to see some positive numbers from Strome’s early performance.
5. Raanta not cracking
Yes, he’s got two losses in two games, but it’s not exactly easy for a goaltender to get a win if his team isn’t scoring any goals.
What Raanta is doing well is limiting damage. He may not be facing a terribly large amount of shots, but when Raanta lets one in, he doesn’t let it carry over into the next save attempt. This is something Raanta struggled with at times last season.
It will be interesting to see how Raanta handles things if the Coyotes’ offense continues to show a lack of finish, but their high shot output suggests that will change eventually. It will be important for Raanta to stand strong in the meantime.
Richard Morin covers the Coyotes and Diamondbacks for azcentral sports. He can be reached at richard.morin@arizonarepublic.com and by phone at 480-316-2493. Follow him on Twitter @ramorin_azc.