Coyotes Lose To Wings In 4, Frustrated With Team Uncertainty

Added on Apr 21, 2011 by J Merrill in

NHL

The Detroit Redwings put the coup de grâce on the Phoenix Coyotes in four games with a blistering set of third period goals, making Phoenix the first team eliminated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last year the Coyotes took the Wings to 7 games, and made changes through out the season to really stack up their defense. The Wings were able to beat them every step of the way, and the shuffling turned out to be for naught when they lost game 4, 6-3 at home.

Phoenix coach Dave Tippett was quick to point out the caliber of opponent they were playing against in the first round, and to how well the club has performed despite all the uncertainty with the owners. To Coach’s credit, the Coyotes have had two consecutive record years, getting 107 points in 2009-10 and 99 in 2010-11. Tippet “I think we can win more if we have stable ownership that’s able to move forward. We lost to a team that’s been to the playoffs 20 straight years. I want this organization to take the next step, to get better and not come into a series when you feel like you’re behind the eight-ball before you start.”

Tippet was clearly frustrated from the start, He concluded “There needs to be a solution to the situation. It is a competitive disadvantage. Everyone recognizes that. That’s what’s frustrating. We’ve scratched and clawed and I give these players a lot of credit, but this is two years now.”

Rumors of the Coyotes leaving Phoenix have been swirling around all season, and Captain Shane Doan said its impossible not to think about it all the time. Doan said “I think the players did a great job under the circumstance while people are driving it through our brains that we might be moving out of here.” As for the series, Doan talked about how tough of a loss the first game was for them. He said it turned the series into an uphill battle, “We had all those opportunities in the first game and when they came back and beat us, that was big. We never played another game with the same confidence. We played hard; we gave it all the effort that this team always brings. But we never could get our footing. We kept waiting for things to happen, and it did.”

Always being the professional, Doan stepped on goalie Ilya Bryzgalov’s words when he tried to shoulder all the blame for the loss on Wednesday night. Bryzgalov was very upset with himself over the Danny Cleary goal, a goal that was pretty much a bank shot off of Bryzgalov’s back thigh and in from a real tight angle. The goal broke the third period wide open for the Wings, but Doan wasn’t going to let Bryzgalov jump on the sword himself. Doan concluded “You’re embarrassed, you got beat four straight. Bryz didn’t have the series he wanted to have, but none of us did. We were just not comfortable, for whatever reason you might think.”

The one thing everyone expects in Phoenix is change, and the only difference of opinion is about how much is actually going to end up changing. Some are expecting new ownership, and some think that will mean a new city for them as well. I expect everything to shake up soon if a major shift ends up happening.