It was supposed to be a four-team race in the NHL's Western Conference. The Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit Redwings were primed to battle each other all season for a chance at Lord Stanley's Cup. Few expected the Phoenix Coyotes to ever sit atop the Pacific Division, arguably hockey's most competitive. Yet 18 games into the season, the Coyotes are three points ahead of the San Jose Sharks with a 10-3-5 record, and a full six points ahead of the fourth place Stars.
More impressive than their record, however, is what they have had to do to claim first place. The Coyotes opened their season with a 4-1 defeat of the St.Louis Blues, the team that knocked the Coyotes out of the playoffs last season, and who many experts predicted to win the Stanley Cup this year. On Sunday night, Phoenix shut out the New York Rangers 2-0 to snap New York's three game winning streak, defeating the Rangers for the first time in their last nine tries. The last time the Coyote franchise topped the Rangers was Feb. 3, 1991, when they were named the Winnipeg Jets.
In between the two impressive victories over the Blues and the Rangers, the Coyotes posted a 12-game unbeaten streak - the longest in the NHL this year. They have managed this hot streak despite being on the road for ten of their last 14 games, and facing opponents with winning records in ten of their last 13.
The Rangers outshot the Coyotes 39 to 27 Sunday night, but the 'Yotes were still able to come away victorious. In fact, Phoenix has been outshot in nearly every game they have played this season, yet are still 7-0-5 in these games, but 2-2 when leading in shots.
So how do they continue to win? The answer is Sean Burke. The veteran goalkeeper leads all other NHL goalies by substantial margins with his 1.54 goals-against-average and his .950 save percentage. These numbers are a stark contrast to Burke's career numbers - a 3.12 goals-against-average and a save percentage of just .892.
This off-season, Phoenix made a last minute decision to re-sign the 33 year-old Burke, a free agent, just before the start of training camp. Perhaps Burke worked out extra hard this off-season believing he would have to be in peak shape to contend for a starters job on a quality team. Or maybe Phoenix's decision to re-sign him as their starter has given him newfound confidence. Whatever the case, a new fire has been ignited in his old bones this season. Whether the Phoenix Coyotes are for real, or just a fluke depends in part on Mr. Burke, and whether his heightened play can continue throughout the year.
There are other stories in Phoenix, though, that could determine whether the Coyotes can stay atop the Pacific. The greatest is the sale of the franchise to a partnership headed by Wayne Gretzky. Not only will this sale place the 'Great One' in charge of the Coyotes, but it will mean that free agent Claude Lemieux will join the team. Lemieux, one of the leading goal scorers in postseason history, brings four Stanley Cup rings and a three-year, nine million-dollar contract to the team.
Also awaiting completion of the deal is goalie Nikolai Khabiboulin, who started for the Coyotes two seasons ago but sat out last season due to contract disputes with current ownership. He has been negotiating with Gretzky's group, and his return could bring a strong backup goalie to the team. Most likely, though, it could cause a goalie controversy, as Khabiboulin will probably want his starting role back from Burke.
Fortunately for the Coyotes, two experienced players will be there to lead the team while all these off-the-ice issues play out. Center Jeremy Roenick is in his 13th season in the NHL and leads the team with 21 points. Behind him is captain and leftwing Keith Tkachuk, who has scored 17 points this season.
Regardless of new ownership or revolving goalies, it is going to be the play and leadership of Roenick and Tkachuk that will key the Coyotes' success. No one believes that Phoenix can match the elite teams in talent, but if the Coyotes continue to receive dominating goalkeeping and veteran leadership, they will be able to keep the Sharks and Stars at bay.
Jon Japha contributed to this article.
