Dallas Stars vs. Arizona Coyotes: What To Do When Facing Desperation
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars close out their two-game series against the Coyotes tonight in Arizona. It’s the perfect opportunity for Dallas to learn what it’s like playing a team with nothing to hold back.
Being the only winless team remaining in the NHL gives a team a lot to think about. It also gives them a lot to reconsider.
After an 0-5-1 start, that’s where the Arizona Coyotes sit. And tonight, the Dallas Stars will get a second dose of this kind of opponent.
On Tuesday night, the Stars welcomed the Coyotes to the American Airlines Center for their sixth game of the season. Arizona, who was 0-4-1 at the time, was desperate for their first two-point effort of the year. Dallas, on the other hand, was looking to get back to a .500 record.
Though the Stars gave one of their “weaker” efforts this season, they managed to come away with a 3-1 victory. While Dallas bounced back and jumpstarted their first win streak of the season, the Coyotes fell even further into the pit. Arizona now has a significant hole to dig out of and cannot seem to even take the first step.
Dallas Stars
With that being said, it probably won’t be long before they adopt the “desperation” strategy. Heck, they might already have adopted it and will simply add onto it with each new game.
Losing the first six games of the regular season is significantly worse than going on a six-game losing streak in the middle of the season. That’s simply due to the fact that they are still in the hunt for that first elusive win.
If you’ve ever played for a sports team and hit an early season skid, you know what it’s like. It’s almost as if your season doesn’t even start until you grab that first win.
Arizona has gone almost two weeks without since opening night without a victory. That’s a LONG time to go without the sweet embrace of victory.
And when a drought like this occurs, a team gets desperate. They eventually get to the point where they will do anything to get the two points. It’s like a playoff elimination scenario. The team is ready to put everything they have on the line in order to hopefully come away with a win.
So the Dallas Stars need to be ready for their most desperate opponent yet. Arizona is back home in front of an agitated crowd waiting for a win. There’s been little to no reason to celebrate so far this year. The Coyotes offense is stagnant, the defense is horrific, and the goaltending is nowhere near the level it was expected to be.
All in all, it’s a tire fire start for the Coyotes. So what better plan to use at this point than scrapping everything you’ve done so far and throwing everything you can at the opposition?
Arizona Coyotes
Dallas seemed to have some trouble focusing and playing their game on Tuesday night against Arizona at home. The team had played a consistent and dominant brand of hockey through the first five games of the year but seemed off against the Coyotes.
Maybe that was simply because Dallas didn’t see them as a legitimate threat. Or maybe Arizona simply caught them off guard. Either way, it’ll be up to Dallas to not take them lightly, knowing full well that the Coyotes are prepared to do anything for the win.
Arizona is in need of a win. They received a stellar showing from rookie goaltender Adin Hill in his NHL debut on Tuesday and have him slated to start again tonight. Arizona knew when to clamp down on the Stars’ mistakes and make them pay. And finally, the Coyotes were able to match the energy level of Dallas and even out the dominance as the game went along.
If the Stars can bring out their dominant offensive attack and structured defensive formation, they should be alright. Ben Bishop put together another beautiful showing on Tuesday and will make his fifth straight start tonight.
Dallas is definitely a better team on paper, but the champion on paper carries little weight when in-game.
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It’s tough going up against a team with nothing to lose. It’s even tougher to shut them down or extinguish them completely. Let’s see if Dallas has what it takes to do it once again and pass a winless Arizona onto the next opponent.
Puck drop is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. from the desert.