Clayton Keller describes the impressive run his Arizona Coyotes have been on recently as “pretty crazy.”
The forward has reason to feel that way.
The Coyotes entered their game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Mullett Arena on Thursday having won five consecutive games, all against the past five Stanley Cup winners.
“I think it’s definitely up there,” Keller said on the latest episode of “The Chirp with Daren Millard” podcast when asked if this was as impressive a run as he’s seen with Arizona since being selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. “We’ve had some good stretches. You don’t want to get too high and think how good we are. There’s a long way to go. We’re learning. You’re going to have ups and downs; you just have to live for the moment.”
The Coyotes are doing exactly that.
Consider this: Arizona (13-9-2) entered Thursday having defeated the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche (2022 Stanley Cup winners), Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021), St. Louis Blues (2019) and Washington Capitals (2018) during its streak. In that span, the Coyotes have outscored the opposition 19-4.
Keller, in his seventh full NHL season, has seen more downs than ups. As such, the 25-year-old said Arizona’s recent success has to be met with caution among the players.
At the same time, he said, it’s refreshing to see the way the franchise is trending on the ice.
“Going through the rebuild the last couple of years, you almost needed your A-plus-plus [game] every night to win,” he said. “Now we have a great roster and great coaching staff. I think it shows we’re taking steps in the right direction. Nice to have success here early. Just want to keep it going.
“We’ve played some great hockey clubs. You want to play your best against your best teams. The Central (Division) has some great teams. You think about some of the games you could have won that you didn’t. You just take it game by game.”
Keller said the Coyotes have drawn inspiration from goalie Connor Ingram, one of the feel-good stories of the season.
In 2021, the then-23-year-old, who was playing for the Nashville Predators at the time, was poised to retire. On Jan. 25 of that year, he voluntarily entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
Less than three years later, he’s become a staple with the Coyotes and Monday was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week after going 3-0-0 with a 1.62 goals-against average and .947 save percentage.
“He’s always been super talented and he’s off to a great start this year,” Keller said. “You can see at practice the swagger and has good he is.
“It’s motivating for everyone. It’s super awesome to have someone like that on your team.”
