Yotes Notes: Crouse Catching Fire & Cooley’s First Goal  

The Sheriff is very much on patrol.

Forward Lawson Crouse has broken out with four goals over his last three games, including two against the Anaheim Ducks last Thursday. He has two multi-point performances over his last five games, and suddenly finds himself fifth on the team with seven points, tied with Sean Durzi, Jack McBain, and Nick Bjugstad.

The 26-year-old posted a career-best 45 points on 24 goals and 21 assists last season, and has shown great chemistry with second-year teammate Matias Maccelli.

That same game where Crouse scored two just happened to be the night rookie Logan Cooley recorded his first NHL goal, a milestone that was a long time coming considering how well the 19-year-old has been playing in the NHL to this point. His eight points are tied for first for most points among NHL rookies, and he’s averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time per game.

Cooley and Crouse have an opportunity to build on those numbers on Tuesday, when the Coyotes close out a three-game home stand against the Seattle Kraken, before hitting the road for a five-game road trip that begins in St. Louis on Thursday.

On to the show!

The Week in Review 

Wednesday, Nov. 1 | at Anaheim | 4-3 Loss (OT)
STATS | THE WRAP

Logan Cooley scored his first career NHL goal as the Coyotes rallied from a 2-0 deficit, but Troy Terry’s hat trick proved to be too much to overcome. Lawson Crouse also recorded his first two goals of the season for Arizona, which scored three unanswered goals before giving up the equalizer early in the third period.

The Ducks have been one of the NHL’s hottest teams lately, as they have won six straight games, scoring at least four goals in five of them.

Thursday, Nov. 2 | vs. Montreal | 3-2 Win
STATS | THE WRAP

As they have done throughout the early season, the Coyotes bounced back within the friendly confines of Mullett Arena, topping the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 last Thursday. Nick Schmaltz scored twice, including a penalty shot tally, and Crouse scored again as Arizona showed a lot of pushback in a tight game.

It was a back-and-forth affair, as Schmaltz’s penalty shot goal gave the Coyotes a quick 1-0 lead before Sean Monahan tied it up under a minute later. Crouse scored with 39 seconds in the second period to restore Arizona’s lead, but Brendan Gallagher answered back for the Habs early in the third with a power-play goal.

Schmaltz responded three minutes later with a power-play goal of his own, though, and the Coyotes were able to ice the game from there.

Saturday, Nov. 4 | vs. Winnipeg | 5-3 Loss
STATS | THE WRAP

The game marked Arizona’s third contest in four nights, and though the Coyotes jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead behind goals from J.J. Moser and Liam O’Brien, Winnipeg rallied to score five of the next six goals to come out of the Central Division clash with a win behind Nino Niederreiter’s hat trick.

Crouse found the back of the net yet again – his fourth goal in three games – but the Coyotes were unable to find the equalizer after falling behind 4-3 early in the third.

Down on the Farm

Tucson Roadrunners (5-3-0, 4th Place, Pacific Division)
-    2-0-0 Last Week
-    Nov. 3: vs. Chicago Wolves, 3-2 Win
-    Nov. 4: vs. Chicago Wolves, 5-3 Win

Tucson restored its scoring touch to kick off its November slate of games, scoring eight goals against the Chicago Wolves en route to completing their first series sweep of the 2023-24 season. Goalie Anson Thornton made his professional hockey debut, earning the win on Sunday. The 20-year-old netminder turned aside 27 of the 30 shots he faced in his first-ever AHL game after posting a 29-9-3 record with the OHL’s Barrie Colts last season.

Josh Doan upped his team-leading goal total to five after scoring three goals over the weekend.

Team Leaders
•    Points: Guenther (7)
•    Goals: Doan (5)
•    Assists: Kirkland, Guenther (5)
•    GAA: Villalta (2.31)
•    SV%: Villalta (.921)

The Sweet Spot

Nov. 1: Logan Cooley reacts after scoring his first career NHL goal.

Bear’s Necessities

“Zuck is a good leader. He has a voice, he has energy, he has enthusiasm that is great. He’s a veteran, so he’s been there, done that. He’s been through good and bad. He brings that to our team, that kind of confidence, plus he’s a veteran player who’s really competitive in his battles. He has speed, good skill, and he knows how to play the game, so he brings a lot to our team when he’s on the ice, obviously. We’re missing him.” – André Tourigny on Jason Zucker’s absence from the lineup, and what his return will mean to the group.

What to Watch For

Tuesday, Nov. 7 vs. Seattle Kraken, 7 pm MST
The Coyotes and Kraken meet for the first time this season on Tuesday before Arizona hits the road for five consecutive road games. Tuesday’s matchup marks the first of three games between Arizona and Seattle, as they will also play on March 22 at Mullett Arena and April 9 at Climate Pledge Arena.

The Kraken won all three games in the series last season: 8-1, 4-2, and 4-1.

Seattle is off to a somewhat slow start after making the Second Round of the playoffs last season, though things have turned around slightly following an 0-3-1 start to the year. That said, the Kraken most recently dropped a 6-3 decision to the Calgary Flames on Saturday, though they won the two games prior.

Jaden Schwartz, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Vince Dunn lead the way with 10 points each, while Jared McCann is right behind with nine. McCann’s six goals are tops on the team. Between the pipes, Philipp Grubauer is 2-5-0 with a 3.01 goals-against average and .902 save percentage in seven starts this season, while Joey Daccord has posted a 2.88 GAA and .912 SV% in five starts.

Seattle ranks 26th in the league with 2.58 goals-for per game, and allow the 23rd-most goals per game, at 3.42. The Kraken take advantage of their power-play opportunities, however, boasting the league’s eighth-best percentage at 25.71.

TV: Scripps Sports (Antenna: 15.2 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson | Cable: Cox 95 Phoenix, Cox 85/Comcast 1179 Tucson) | Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM

Thursday, Nov. 9 at St. Louis Blues, 6 pm MST
Arizona and St. Louis clash for the second time this season in the Gateway City following the Coyotes’ 6-2 win there on Oct. 19. The Central Division rivals will still meet twice more after Thursday’s clash – Nov. 22 and Dec. 2, both at Mullett Arena.

Six different Coyotes scored in the team’s first game, and the team also received a strong performance from goalie Connor Ingram, who turned aside 24 of the 26 shots he faced. The Blues have rebounded nicely since that game, though, posting a 4-3-0 record over that span. St. Louis has won two straight, outscoring its opponents 10-4 over that span, and hosts Winnipeg on Tuesday before wrapping up their home stand against the Desert Dogs.

The Blues have struggled with the power play this season, recording just one goal on 27 attempts (3.70 percent).

Robert Thomas leads the way with nine points on four goals and five assists, while Jordan Kyrou and Kevin Hayes are right behind with six and five points, respectively. Jordan Binnington has led the way in net so far, posting a 3-3-1 record with a 2.38 GAA and .924 SV% in seven starts this season. Joel Hofer, who took the loss against the Coyotes in their first meeting this season, is 2-1-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .912 SV%.

TV: Scripps Sports (Antenna: 15.2 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson | Cable: Cox 95 Phoenix, Cox 85/Comcast 1179 Tucson) | Radio: ESPN 620 AM

Saturday, Nov. 11 at Nashville Predators, 6 pm MST
The Coyotes and Predators meet for the first of four division games this week, as the two will clash against on Jan. 20, Feb. 10, and March 28. Arizona and Nashville split their series last season, with the Predators winning 4-3 (shootout) and 6-2, while the Coyotes won 4-2 and 4-1.

The Preds are coming off a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, and play at Calgary and Winnipeg this week before opening up a five-game home stand against the Coyotes on Saturday.

Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly lead the team with 12 and 11 points, respectively, and O’Reilly’s seven goals are tops. Goaltender Juuse Saros is 4-5-0 with a 2.68 GAA and .909 SV% this season, while backup Kevin Lankinen is 1-1-0 with a 3.01 GAA and .900 SV%.

The Predators are tied for 21st in the league with 2.91 goals-for per game, while their goals-against per game are tied for 11th, coincidentally also coming in at 2.91. Their power play ranks 12th (23.40), but their penalty kill is second-worst in the league, with a 66.67 percent success rate.

TV: Scripps Sports (Antenna: 15.2 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson | Cable: Cox 95 Phoenix, Cox 85/Comcast 1179 Tucson) | Radio: ESPN 620 AM