Coyotes Nipped by Canucks in a Close Encounter at Rogers Arena
The Arizona Coyotes, with a record of 23-28-5, faced off against the Vancouver Canucks, who held a 30-22-4 record. In an evenly matched contest, the final score read 2-1 in favor of the home team.
At Rogers Arena, fans witnessed the Coyotes put up a resilient fight against their hosts. The game's only goal for Arizona came during even strength play in the first period and was one of their 21 shots on goal throughout the night. Despite this effort and maintaining an even strength throughout the match, they were unable to capitalize further.
The Coyotes' goaltender had a busy night between the pipes with 24 saves on 26 shots but ultimately took credit for the loss. The defensive effort was highlighted by blocking 11 shots and delivering 25 hits to match their opponents' physicality. However, faceoffs proved challenging for Arizona as they won just 15 out of 53 attempts.
Penalties played a significant role in this matchup; Arizona committed seven penalties resulting in seventeen penalty minutes but managed to prevent any goals during these vulnerable moments. Their powerplay opportunities did not bear fruit despite two chances with one shot on goal during these times.
On special teams, while shorthanded seven times due to penalties including one major penalty, they allowed only one goal and made seven saves when down a player or more. This resilience under pressure showed their determination but wasn't enough to turn the tide of the game.
Arizona's offense struggled beyond their lone goal as they missed five shots and had twelve blocked attempts by Vancouver's defense which stood firm throughout three periods of play. The shooting percentage settled at five percent as only one puck found its way past Vancouver's goaltender who saved twenty out of twenty-one shots faced.
Looking ahead after this hard-fought battle on ice that saw no empty net or overtime goals from either side, fans can catch Arizona back in action at Mullett Arena against Nashville Predators scheduled for January 20th at noon local time (8 PM UTC). This upcoming game will be available for viewing nationally on ESPN+ via internet streaming services while BSSO channel number 646-1 will broadcast it away from home and SCRIPPS will cover it locally on television.