Penalty kill key to Coyotes’ early success
It’s getting to the point where the Coyotes are probably excited when one of their players heads to the penalty box.
When the Coyotes have been short-handed this season, they’ve been dominant. And not just in preventing power-play goals; they’ve been dominant in scoring goals against other teams’ man-advantage units.
Through 10 games this season, the Coyotes’ penalty kill has been the most effective in the Western Conference with an 89.3 percent success rate and has five short-handed goals — an NHL-best. They trail
only the Tampa Bay Lightning (95.1 percent) for the NHL’s top P.K. crew.
But the real importance of the Coyotes’ penalty kill does not come at face value. When you consider how stingy Arizona’s 5-on-5 defense has been, that the Coyotes have been so effective when short-handed goes a long way in shutting down opposing offenses.
But what has been the main difference from this year’s successful penalty kill and last year’s unit that had a few good stretches?
That answer starts and ends with Michael Grabner. Billed as a short-handed specialist while with the New York Islanders, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, Grabner has already been a shot in the arm for the Coyotes’ penalty-kill unit.
Grabner’s visible chemistry with Brad Richardson has been on display during even strength but more so on the Coyotes’ first penalty-kill unit. Both Grabner and Richardson have two short-handed goals this season. Lawson Crouse has the other.
“(Richardson) and (Grabner) have led the charge,” head coach Rick Tocchet said regarding the success of the penalty kill. “Everybody’s done that, (Lawson Crouse), when (Josh Archibald) is in there, (Derek Stepan) … The (defense) is back there, you know I could name every guy — (Niklas Hjalmarsson, Kevin Connauton and Jason Demers) — I have to name all those guys and obviously (Oliver Ekman-Larsson).
“We’re number two right now and we’re taking pride in it, which is nice. There’s a long way to go but I like the way we’re doing it. Another plus is the goaltenders, who have been big. They’re probably our best P.K. guys.”
Compare that with just three shorthanded goals allowed, and the Coyotes have an astounding plus-2 goal differential on the penalty kill. That’s an impossibly high rate and one that likely won’t last the whole season, but it’s a testament to the unit’s excellent performance in the first 10 games of the season.
The Lightning are next in shorthanded goal differential with an even rating (two goals for, two goals against). The worst in that department is the Philadelphia Flyers, who are minus-13 on the penalty kill through 11 games.
But the Coyotes’ defense goes far beyond defending against another team’s power plays. The Coyotes have been one of the league’s best in suppressing shots in all phases of the game. Among teams that have played at least 10 games, the Coyotes rank third in the NHL with just 28.2 shots allowed per game.
And despite their .500 winning percentage, the Coyotes have actually performed proficiently in controlling play in each of their games this season. Even in their losses, the Coyotes have limited enough chances to stay in the game. They haven’t been blown out or even been decidedly outplayed once this season.
The Coyotes are built around their defense and it has shown this October. It was a grueling task for Tocchet and assistant coach and defensive specialist Scott Allen to implement the team’s defense-first system last season.
For relatively inexperienced NHL players, defensive responsibility and consistency is often the last notch on the belt. The learning curve between the Coyotes’ coaching staff and their younger players was evident in the team’s rough start to the 2017-18 season.
But the Coyotes were able to turn it around after February and played respectable hockey down the stretch, thanks to sturdy defense. This October, the Coyotes were out to prove that their play late last season was more than a mirage. So far, it seems like it was indeed more.
Although 10 games is still a relatively small sample size, the Coyotes’ defensive numbers are encouraging if Arizona expects to be competitive down the stretch this year.
And for someone like Grabner, who hadn’t scored in a Coyotes uniform until his two short-handed goals Saturday, the penalty kill has been a source of pride.
“I think the last couple games we’ve been winning so it doesn’t really weigh on your mind as much when you’re winning games,” Grabner said. “You start contributing to the game, like, on the penalty kill and stuff. It gets more frustrating when you start losing and have chances you’re not putting in, so I just try to stay relaxed.
“Obviously we’ve bee winning the last couple games so it felt good to finally get one in (on Saturday).”