'Yotes Notes: Chayka Addresses Goal-Scoring Slump

CHICAGO --General Manager John Chayka is eager to see the Coyotes end their five-game goal-scoring funk.
Arizona will enter Thursday's game vs. the Blackhawks with just three goals scored on 178 shots (1.69 percent).

"I think the effort is there," Chayka said Wednesday on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, the team's flagship radio station. "I don't think it's a lack of effort. I think a lot of these guys are trying … Our concepts are good. I think we've got some good people out there. It's just a matter of execution. It's nice to have good puck movement, it's nice to create some chances, but ultimately it has to go into the net."
On the flip side, the Coyotes have given up just 11 goals in five games and have limited opponents to just 24.2 shots per game, the lowest average in the NHL.
"We haven't allowed a lot of chances," Chayka said. "We haven't allowed a lot of shots. We haven't allowed many goals. But when you only score one goal or you get shut out, then obviously everything gets magnified and every goal against gets studied. It bothers me. At the same time, when I look at our group, we wanted to have great defense, which so far we have had, we wanted to have elite goaltending, which so far we've gotten, and we wanted to score some timely goals. Obviously, two for three isn't good enough."

Dylan Strome, Brad Richardson and Brendan Perlini are co-leading the Coyotes with one goal apiece.
"We can't go into games hoping to score," Chayka said. "We've got to go into the games and expect to score and score. Obviously we've got a lot of guys that make money or want to make money in the League scoring goals, and we've got a lot of zeroes on the team. That won't last forever, but having said that, we're five games in now and guys have got to start scoring. It's as simple as that."
• Alex Galchenyuk skated with teammates on Wednesday no longer wearing a non-contact sweater. He's nearing a return to the lineup after missing the first five games because of a lower-body injury.
"Alex is progressing well," Chayka said. "He's on the road trip for a reason. We hope he plays at some point, but no firm date (is set) yet."

He added: "Our biggest weakness right now is scoring goals and that's his biggest strength ... I think his shot is one of the best in the League, but at the same time he's one player. He's going to come back and we know he's going to score, but we need other guys to step up and score as well. One guy is not going to change that."
• Strome played a career-high 18:10 on Tuesday at Minnesota and won 14 of 19 face-offs. Two weeks into the season, he's leading the NHL in face-off winning percentage at 68.4.
"Obviously with Alex out, he's taken on a bigger load," Chayka said. "He's been one of our bright spots. He's good on the face-offs. I think this is the best he's played defensively. I think what he learned last year really went a long way for him ... We need him to continue to grow and to score goals and help us drive the offense. He's shown some nice strides. We're pretty happy with him."

• Chayka said center Christian Dvorak recently suffered a setback in his recovery process via a "fluke play." It's a different injury than the one that has sidelined him for the first five games of the season.
"We're still evaluating that and seeing what the best path moving forward is," Chayka said.