Coyotes keep climbing
Ilya Bryzgalov has six shutouts this season with a .919 save percentage and 2.54 goals-against average.
Adam Proteau
2011-03-21 14:23:00
It is a measure of how tough the Western Conference playoff race is when the Phoenix Coyotes - who have won six of their past 10 games - can be three points behind Pacific Division-leading San Jose, yet be just four points ahead of ninth-place Dallas. But that’s the reality the Yotes face and luckily for them goalie Ilya Bryzgalov appears to be up to the challenge.
With a 32-18-8 record, 2.54 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and six shutouts, Bryzgalov is helping Phoenix keep pace in the standings and also making a good case for a Vezina Trophy as the league’s top netminder. In his past two games, the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent, clearly is the franchise’s most valuable player, has a sparkling 1.51 GAA and .953 save percentage.
The Coyotes will need Bryzgalov to be just as sharp the rest of the regular season, but they’ll also need to reverse a trend that, if followed, could knock them out of the playoff picture: the franchise has a 22-12-5 road record and a less-impressive 17-12-6 mark at Jobing.com Arena, but only has two remaining road games and six at home. Three of those final eight games are against non-playoff teams (St. Louis, Columbus and Colorado), but three games against the fearsome San Jose Sharks could mean the difference between an early golf season and a shot at the Stanley Cup.
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RK.
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TEAM
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LW
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OVERALL
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P10
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THE SCOOP
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1 |
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1 |
47-17-9 |
8-2-0 |
Canucks still rolling, but the real pressure is about to set in |
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2 |
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2 |
42-21-10 |
9-1-0 |
Alex Ovechkin has 10 game-winning goals for rejuvenated Caps; next best is Alex Semin, with four |
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3 |
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3 |
43-21-8 |
5-3-2 |
Only three road games remaining in Wings’ final 10 games, leaving them time to rest and focus on post-season |
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4 |
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4 |
44-19-8 |
4-4-2 |
Flyers still have no definitive No. 1 goalie |
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5 |
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6 |
42-23-8 |
6-2-2 |
Soaring Sharks have scored at least one power play goal in 12 of their past 15 games |
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6 |
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5 |
39-25-8 |
6-2-2 |
Injury to Patrick Sharp threatens Hawks’ playoff chances |
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7 |
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7 |
41-23-8 |
5-3-2 |
Without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Pens have had to take a defensive approach – and with league’s best penalty kill (86.4 percent), that approach is working |
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8 |
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10 |
40-26-7 |
7-3-0 |
P.K. Subban’s hat trick against Wild was first by a Habs rookie and first for a blueliner since Sheldon Souray in December. 2003 |
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9 |
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12 |
39-24-11 |
6-3-1 |
In nine games in March, netminder Ilya Bryzgalov has allowed just 20 goals |
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10 |
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9 |
39-22-10 |
4-3-3 |
Bruins are 7-3-3 since acquiring Tomas Kaberle Feb. 18 |
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11 |
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8 |
40-26-6 |
5-3-2 |
Kings haven’t lost more than two in a row since mid-January |
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12 |
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19 |
40-27-5 |
8-2-0 |
Dan Ellis, Ray Emery giving hot Ducks Jonas Hiller-style goaltending |
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13 |
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17 |
38-25-10 |
6-2-2 |
In his past two games Pekka Rinne is 2-0-0 with a 1.94 goals-against average and .949 save percentage |
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14 |
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11 |
39-22-11 |
2-4-4 |
Bolts have scored three or more goals just four times in their past 15 games (5-5-5) |
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15 |
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16 |
39-30-4 |
6-4-0 |
Blueshirts host Panthers, Sens this week before make-or-break four-game road trip that features showdowns with Bruins, Sabres and Flyers |
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16 |
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14 |
38-25-9 |
5-2-3 |
Stars haven’t won more than two straight games since five-game win streak in late January |
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17 |
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15 |
35-28-9 |
5-3-2 |
Only two of Sabres’ five remaining games in March are against teams currently in playoff position |
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18 |
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13 |
37-27-10 |
5-4-1 |
Second-half surge is starting to fizzle out at precisely the wrong time |
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19 |
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18 |
34-34-4 |
7-3-0 |
Loss to Sens a serious blow to Devils’ faint playoff hopes |
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20 |
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23 |
32-31-10 |
5-4-1 |
Once again, Leafs look to be just bad enough to miss post-season and just good enough to stay out of lottery (not that it would behoove them to do so this season) |
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21 |
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22 |
33-29-10 |
4-5-1 |
At most crucial time of year, no sense of urgency to Canes’ game |
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22 |
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25 |
28-33-12 |
5-1-4 |
Grabner, Isles setting a good tone for next season |
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23 |
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20 |
35-30-8 |
2-6-2 |
Wild’s 8-1 humiliation at the hands of Montreal shows this team not ready for next level |
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24 |
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26 |
29-33-10 |
3-4-3 |
Panthers haven’t quit on Peter DeBoer, but next season will be full of growing pains |
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25 |
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24 |
32-31-9 |
4-6-0 |
Blues’ awful road record (12-19-5) was their undoing this season |
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26 |
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21 |
30-30-12 |
5-4-1 |
Depressing end to season for once-promising Thrashers |
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27 |
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27 |
33-29-10 |
2-5-3 |
Will serious changes be coming for underwhelming Blue Jackets core? |
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28 |
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28 |
37-36-9 |
6-4-0 |
Sens doing a solid job of playing spoiler – beat desperate Thrashers once, Devils twice in March |
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29 |
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29 |
23-39-10 |
3-5-2 |
Oilers freefalling to end their abysmal season |
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30 |
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30 |
27-36-8 |
1-8-1 |
Will GM Greg Sherman and/or coach Joe Sacco pay for Avs’ collapse with their jobs? |
The Hockey News ranks the teams 1-30 each Monday based on a combination of last week’s play and a squad’s overall outlook.
For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.
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