Coyotes players debate who will be first player to score 12th goal.
Make no mistake: The Coyotes’ foremost concern is winning games. Entering play Friday just four points out of a playoff spot, it should be and is the only thing that matters to this team.
Still, it doesn’t mean the players can’t have a little fun betting for and against one another, albeit somewhat in a selfdeprecating manner.
With his 11th goal of the season in just his 27th game on Thursday, Coyotes rookie Conor Garland joined four other players (Clayton Keller, Derek Stepan, Christian Fischer and Brad Richardson) for a five-way tie atop the Coyotes’ goal leaderboard.
That Garland has accomplished the feat in exactly half of the games the Coyotes have played this year is remarkable, but does it make him the best bet to break the seemingly everlasting stalemate?
The 11-goal threshold has been held for over a calendar month, as Richardson was the first to reach the mark on Jan. 2. Shortly after Richardson suffered a hand fracture on Jan. 10, Fischer tied the mark on Jan. 16 before Keller joined the club on Jan. 20. Stepan followed with his 11th goal on Tuesday and Garland made it a five-way tie on Thursday.
The Coyotes are the only team in the NHL without a 12-goal scorer, so which Coyotes player will be the first to finally reach the evasive plateau? That all depends on whom you ask.
At the time of this story’s publication, a Twitter poll posted by this reporter garnered over 165 votes and 74 percent of participants chose Garland to break the tie. Keller was in second with 15 percent, followed by Stepan (9 percent) and Fischer (2 percent). Richardson, who is currently out of the lineup, was not an option on the poll.
Garland was also the most popular choice in the locker room.
Both Nick Cousins and Fischer were among players surveyed after Friday’s practice and both said they’d put their money on Garland, although Fischer added his prediction that Keller would eventually take the lead in goals.
“I think the easy answer is ‘Kells’ (Keller),” Fischer said. “But ‘G’ (Garland) has the hot stick right now. So I’d say the first to 12 is going to be Garland, but for the end goal total I’ll go with ‘Kells.’”
When asked to give his vote, Garland was hesitant at first but eventually decided on Keller. Josh Archibald went with Stepan. Ever the diplomat, firstyear captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson declined to pick a winner.
“I don’t really care, to be honest with you,” Ekman-Larsson said politely.
Saturday’s game
2 p.m. Gila River Arena. FSAZ/KMVP-FM (98.7). “Right now goals.” it’s about anyone
Another one bites the dust
scoring
The Coyotes suffered yet another long-term injury when rookie defenseman Kyle Capobianco got his leg twisted in an awkward collision with the endboards during Thursday’s game at Gila River Arena.
Capobianco, whom a source said suffered a torn ACL after Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno delivered the third-period hit, will require surgery and therefore miss the rest of the season. Capobianco is the sixth Coyotes player to deal with a knee injury this season, joining Jakob Chychrun, Jason Demers, Antti Raanta, Nick Schmaltz and EkmanLarsson.
“I really feel bad for ‘Capo’ (Capobianco),” Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said. “I really didn’t mind him the last couple games. He was really coming. I honestly don’t know what to say. It’s another guy out for the year and a promising, young defenseman.”
The 23-year-old was playing in just his third NHL game and his first at Gila River Arena. Tocchet had thrust Capobianco into first-unit duty on the Coyotes’ power play prior to the game.
Capobianco registered 32 points (seven goals, 25 assists) in 40 games with Tucson (AHL) this season.
Other injury updates
❚ Chychrun (knee) is a game-time decision for Saturday’s game after sitting out the previous four games. The team is managing the pain in Chychrun’s knee, which is due to tendonitis related to his offseason ACL repair, a source said.
❚ Michael Grabner (eye) skated with the Coyotes for the first time Friday in a yellow, non-contact sweater. A source said the team is still waiting for Grabner’s vision to fully clear before a timetable toward return is set.
❚ Christian Dvorak (torn pectoral) continues to skate with the Coyotes as a full participant in practices as the Coyotes attempt to get the centerman back in game shape. The team has mentioned the possibility of a rehab stint in Tucson should it be necessary.