Coyotes, Avs ring in new month
DIFFICULT SCHEDULE | November always tough on Hawks
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- October went just fine for the Blackhawks. They were in first place in the Central Division at the end of the month for the first time since 1992, and they did it with Marian Hossa and Adam Burish out, Ben Eager missing 11 games, Jonathan Toews four, Brent Seabrook two and Dave Bolland one. That's a lot of injury time for so early in the season.
The Hawks got a boost when Toews skated for the first time at practice Wednesday, but his availability for the game tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes won't be determined until the morning skate.
(Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times)
The facts: 8, CSN, 720-AM.
The story line: Cristobal Huet will be in goal for the Hawks in the first of back-to-back games. Despite being beset with off-ice issues, the Coyotes entered their game Wednesday at Colorado with a surprising 9-5-0 record under new coach Dave Tippett, who took over when Wayne Gretzky resigned in training camp. Tippett, who coached the Dallas Stars for six seasons, has stressed defense. The Coyotes have responded, allowing only 30 goals -- fewest in the NHL -- through their first 14 games.
Len Ziehm
In November, though, we'll find out a lot more about this promising team. The schedule gets much tougher, in large part because of the traditional two-week road trip necessitated by the circus taking over the United Center.
The Hawks have had a winning record in November only three times since 1998, including a 6-4-2 mark last season. The game tonight is the first of eight road games this month. Only four games are at home.
The competition is going to be better right off the bat. Neither the Coyotes nor the Colorado Avalanche, the Hawks' opponent Friday, made the playoffs last season, but both are riding the hottest goaltenders in the NHL. Entering Wednesday, the Coyotes' Ilya Bryzgalov had a league-high three shutouts, a .930 save percentage and a 1.78 goals-against average. The Avalanche's Craig Anderson, the former Hawk, led the league with 10 victories, and his other stats were similar to Bryzgalov's (.936 save percentage, 2.11 GAA).
''Those two guys are probably the MVPs of the league right now,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.
The Coyotes are a great story. The team had financial problems and filed for bankruptcy. There was a failed attempt to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario, and Jerry Reinsdorf was among those who made an offer to purchase it before the NHL took over the franchise last week. Wayne Gretzky resigned as head coach in training camp and was replaced by former Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett. Still, the Coyotes got off to a 9-5 start entering Wednesday.
''[Tippett] did a nice job in a tough situation,'' Quenneville said. ''He put the focus on the ice level, and they've handled that. It must've been a tough training camp, but sometimes you can feed off that and find motivation from playing against all odds.''
The Avalanche also changed coaches, replacing Tony Granato with Joe Sacco, and found a hot goalie.
''From where they were at, I don't think anybody thought of them as a playoff team when the year started,'' Quenneville said, ''but there's a lot of skill and speed on that team.''
General manager Stan Bowman admits it could be a telling month for the team.
''We had the benefit of playing at home for the most part, and we got off to a good start,'' he said, ''but now it's going to get more difficult.''