The Arizona Coyotes have had a tough stretch of games, but now, they find themselves falling to the bottom of the standings. With the 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night, the team has lost eight games in a row. The team that was once in a wild card spot finds itself near franchise history in a bad way. Here are some takeaways from Friday night’s loss.
Dylan Guenther Continues to Be a Beam of Light
If there’s one good thing about Friday night, it was Dylan Guenther. The Edmonton native scored his fifth goal in his 16th game with a wicked wrist shot. He continues to cement himself as a very promising player now and in the future, especially considering he was only supposed to play a couple of games with the Coyotes during the Jason Zucker suspension.
Guenther has thrived on a line with Logan Cooley. The pair have been playing fantastic hockey ever since right before the All-Star break, while the rest of their team has struggled to put up any offensive numbers.
“I liked them a lot,” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “I played them a lot today. If you look at the ice time on five and five, they’re the line I used the most. I think they had pace, and they had energy. They made a little mistake on the first goal, but for the most part, I was happy about their play.”
It seems like no matter who centers that line; it’s a trio that gets the job done on both sides of the ice. When Cooley isn’t shining, Guenther is. When Guenther isn’t, Cooley is. It’s a line that has impressed many, including their coach.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens around the trade deadline. If the Coyotes move out some pieces from the forward group, the line could get even more ice time. Josh Doan might even get called up, and his unreal connection with Guenther in the AHL might create even more opportunities for the offense to be even better.
Matt Villalta Continues His Storybook Season
There might not be any better story in the Coyotes organization than Matt Villalta. Villalta played in the Los Angeles Kings organization with the Ontario Reign for four seasons, putting up subpar numbers but never getting the opportunity to play in the big leagues.
This season, the 24-year-old has been the starting goaltender for the Tuscon Roadrunners after signing a one-year deal with the Coyotes over the offseason. He’s helped lead the Roadrunners to a top spot in the Pacific Division, just a couple of points back of the first-place Coachella Valley…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…