NHL moves into Kansas City [EHM:2007]

[duff88]

Svatos is not on my list. Hecht's play dropped last year, and at the salary he's asking, I'm not sure he fits above one of my young guys.

Carter might be of interest, but I might have my eyes set on someone else.

We'll see.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Los Angeles signs RW Jason Pominville - 3 years ; 3.4M$
New York R signs C Brendan Morrison - 2 years ; 7.25M$
Montreal signs D Derek Morris - 3 years ; 5.75M$
Portland signs RW Milan Hejduk - 2 years ; 8M$
Portland signs LW Ryan Smyth - 2 years ; 4.6M$
Portland signs D Kim Johnsson - 1 year ; 1.6M$
Vancouver re-signs D Mattias Öhlund - 1 year ; 4.2M$
Portland signs C Andy McDonald - 1 year ; 1.4M$
Washington signs D Fedor Tyutin - 2 years ; 2.6M$
Atlanta signs D Sergei Gonchar - 2 years ; 8M$
Portland re-signs RW Maxim Afinogenov - 2 years ; 5.75M$

[duff88]

Coyotes sign Zach Parise

The Kansas City Coyotes made another major addition to their squad today by signing young offensive center Zach Parise to a two-year deal that will give him 3.75M$ per year. Parise therefore joins his brother Jordan, who is a goaltender under contract with the Coyotes who played two games last season. Parise has been a solid contributor with the Devils for the last few years but slowed down with only 48 points last season, posting a 0.676 PPG average in contrast to his last three years' 0.841 PPG. He reached careers highs of 65 points thrice in his young career, most recently scoring 25 goals and 40 assists in 2010-11.

Zach Parise - C/LW - 5'11/178 - L - 27-years-old - Faribault, Minnesota

[Travis]

Nice signing indeed. That should be a great addition to your top 6 and PP.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Dallas re-signs G Marty Turco - 2 years ; 9.25M$
Atlanta signs D Craig Rivert - 2 years ; 2.8M$
Edmonton signs D Sheldon Souray - 1 year ; 3.5M$
Dallas signs D Filip Kuba - 1 year ; 2M$
Toronto signs D Brian Rafalski - 2 years ; 8.5M$
Florida signs C Matt Cullen - 1 year ; 3.5M$
Los Angeles signs D John-Michael Liles - 2 years ; 1.9M$
Calgary signs LW Petr Sykora - 1 year ; 1.2M$
New York R signs C Mike Cammalleri - 3 years ; 11.25M$

[duff88]

Kelly is back, Coyotes add Zednik

Chris Kelly has decided to sign a new contract with the Kansas City Coyotes after testing the free agency market. Kelly signed a two-years contract that will pay him 1.125M$ p/y. He played the last two seasons with the Coyotes, missing no games since joining the team. He scored a career high of 19 goals last season, which he finished with 43 points, 9 short of his 2008-09 52 points production.

The Coyotes also announced a one year contract with winger Richard Zednik. Zednik scored 19 goals and 38 points last season with the Edmonton Oilers and will be playing for a fifth different team in five years. Although he is more famous for almost losing life in a freaky on-ice incident with teammate Olli Jokinen with the Florida Panthers in 2008, Zednik is also a consistent 15 to 20 goals a year contributor.

Richard Zednik - RW/LW - 6'1/194 - L - 36-years-old - Bystrica, Slovakia

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Boston signs RW Mike Grier - 1 year ; 1.9M$
Chicago re-signs RW Jean-Pierre Dumont - 1 year ; 3.4M$
Ottawa signs G Robert Esche - 2 years ; 3.3M$
Detroit signs LW Markus Näslund - 2 years ; 7M$
Atlanta signs LW Alex Tanguay - 2 years ; 11.5M$
Washington signs RW Shane Doan - 1 year ; 5M$
Chicago signs D Rostislav Klesla - 3 years ; 8.75M$
Montreal signs C Jeff Carter - 2 years ; 5.5M$
New York I signs LW Jochen Hecht - 1 year ; 3.3M$
Nashville signs C Michal Handzus - 1 year; 4.5M$
Washington signs G Vesa Toskala - 2 years ; 9M$
Toronto signs G Andrew Raycroft - 3 years ; 4.8M$
St. Louis signs D Roman Hamrlik - 2 years ; 6.75M$

[duff88]

Coyotes acquire Matt Niskanen

Fans flooded the team messageboards with complaints after the recent trade between the Kansas City Coyotes and the Dallas Stars, hurling abuse at GM Nicolas Fillion for his lack of judgement when negotiating trades. This surge of anger comes after the Kansas City Coyotes traded away their first round pick in the upcoming draft, which could be a very high pick, as well as defenseman Maksim Goncharov and rights to defenseman Nikolai Stasenko who was the team's 33rd overall pick in 2011, to the Dallas Stars in return for defenseman Matt Niskanen.

In justifying the move, Fillion asked fans to just wait and see Niskanen play before judging. He also added that they have solid depth at every position due to good drafting in the last few years; mentionning goaltender Jean-Philippe Poirier, defensemen Shannon Ladd, Ivan Ruzicka and Shane Hanlon as well as forwards Kirill Kabanov, André Lindblad, Jean-Simon Jager and Erik Haula.

Niskanen will be entering his sixth season at the NHL level. In the last four years, his production consistently dropped from 37 points in 2008-09 to 24 points last season. His overall play has remained very consistent through the years though and he promises to be a good addition to the team in every situation.

Fillion announced that he has finished molding his team for the next season and that he expects them to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the new players have chosen their jersey number. Stephen Weiss and Zach Parisé, who both wore #9 before joining the Coyotes, will have to change number because 9 was previously retired by the Winnipeg Jets and kept retired when the team moved to Phoenix/Kansas City in honor of "The Golden Jet" Bobby Hull, just as Thomas Steen's #25 remains retired. Stephen Weiss will sport #11 while Zach Parise will wear #15. Richard Zednik will keep his usual #20, Dennis Wideman will wear #5 and Matt Niskanen will wear #8. Finally, Eric Hunter and Erik Haula, who respectively wore #59 and #49, will change these rookie numbers now that they are expected to be regulars with the Coyotes. Hunter will wear #16 while Haula will wear #17.

The Hockey News projects the lines as follows on their website:

22 Lukas Kaspar - 44 Rob Schremp [A] - 10 Travis Randell
13 Kirill Kabanov - 11 Stephen Weiss - 77 Anson Carter [C]
24 Taylor Pyatt - 15 Zach Parise - 20 Richard Zednik
16 Eric Hunter - 14 Chris Kelly - 17 Erik Haula

6 Victor Hedman - 5 Dennis Wideman
4 Eric Brewer [A] - 8 Matt Niskanen
2 Staffan Kronwall - 3 Alexei Semenov

30 Marc Denis
33 Ondrej Pavelec

EXTRA - 83 Anton Krysanov, 68 Vitaly Karamnov, 40 Ryan Parent

[Travis]

Wow, Parise not cracking the top 6 eh? That has to bode well for you. I quite like Niskanen in the game (both he and Semenov) and he certainly rounds out a nice group for you. Looks like you may be in the market for a rental winger at the deadline if anything, and if so, it'll be nice to be going into that time of year as a buyer!

[duff88]

Originally Posted by Travis

Wow, Parise not cracking the top 6 eh? That has to bode well for you. I quite like Niskanen in the game (both he and Semenov) and he certainly rounds out a nice group for you. Looks like you may be in the market for a rental winger at the deadline if anything, and if so, it'll be nice to be going into that time of year as a buyer!

I like our depth down the middle, especially considering all three of them are excellent playmakers to go with our young scoring wingers. I don't know how long Kaspar and Carter can keep on contributing though, so that is a question mark. Our goaltenders are another question mark, hopefully Denis is solid and keeps off the injury list.

[duff88]

54 players in to attend training camp

September 13th 2012 - 54 players will be in Kansas City tommorow as the Coyotes will start their training camp with the fitness testings. 5 goaltenders, 15 defensemen and 34 forwards will do their best to impress the Coyotes' staff and head coach Mike Babcock to hopefully leave a good impression. Among the 54 players, there are six prospect tryouts, including defenseman Shannon Ladd who was the Coyotes' third overall pick in the last NHL draft, and two free agent invitees in Michigan Tech alumni Jordan Baker and former Spokane Chiefs forward David Conrad.

OTHER PLAYERS WITH RIGHTS HELD BY KANSAS CITY:
LD Anders Harvey - 6'0/198 - R - 19 years old - Dartmouth Big Green (NCAA) - Moose Lake, Minnesota
LD Jacob Patrick - 5'9/205 - R - 19 years old - Providence Friars (NCAA) - Estero, Florida
RD Shane Hanlon - 6'4/224 - L - 18 years old - Clarkson Golden Knights (NCAA) - New York, New York
LW/RW/C Simon Backman - 5'10/196 - L - 18 years old - Vaasan Sport (MESTIS) - Vaasa, Finland
C/LW Dmitri Pestunov - 5'9/198 - L - 27 years old - Avangard Omsk (RSL) - Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan

[duff88]

Make or break year for Coyotes?

GM Nicolas Fillion gambled a lot by trading away his first round pick in the next NHL Entry Draft for defenseman Matt Niskanen during the summer. This season is now seen as a make or break year not only for their GM, but also for the entire team which finally has a chance to show what they can do.

There were some impressive signs in pre-season. Prospects Shannon Ladd and Jean-Philippe Poirier left good impressions and Kirill Kabanov continued on his goal-scoring run from last season with 6 goals in 5 games. The Hockey News predict the Coyotes to finish 9th in the west in their season preview, barely edged by the St. Louis Blues and Portland Titans.

Meanwhile, Ivan Ruzicka was sent back to the Ottawa 67's, André Lindblad to the Moose Jaw Warriors and Gregg McKegg to the Saginaw Spirit. Swedish winger Johan Larsson was himself sent down to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

LINES ON OPENING DAY AGAINST VANCOUVER

22 Lukas Kaspar - 44 Rob Schremp [A] - 10 Travis Randell
13 Kirill Kabanov - 11 Stephen Weiss - 20 Richard Zednik
24 Taylor Pyatt - 15 Zach Parise - 77 Anson Carter [C]
16 Eric Hunter - 14 Chris Kelly - 17 Erik Haula

6 Victor Hedman - 5 Dennis Wideman
4 Eric Brewer [A] - 8 Matt Niskanen
2 Staffan Kronwall - 3 Alexei Semenov

30 Marc Denis
33 Ondrej Pavelec

Scratches: 40 Ryan Parent, 68 Vitaly Karamnov, 83 Anton Krysanov

PRE-SEASON, September 16th 2012: Kansas City vs. Ottawa, 10-2 L, (Kabanov [2]), Poirier [L] (14/19) & Bennett (17/22)
PRE-SEASON, September 17th 2012: Kansas City vs. Edmonton, 8-1 L, (Randell), Parise [L] (25/31) & Poirier (17/19)
PRE-SEASON, September 20th 2012: Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 4-3 L, (Karamnov, Kabanov [2]), Denis (11/12) & Pavelec [L] (10/13)
PRE-SEASON, September 22nd 2012: Kansas City vs. New Jersey, 6-4 W, (Kabanov [2], Wideman [2], Zednik [2]), Pavelec [W] (23/27)
PRE-SEASON, September 23rd 2012: Coyotes at Toronto, 5-3 W, (Schremp [2], Kaspar [2], Brewer), Denis [W] (19/22)

[duff88]

2012-13 Hockey News Top 10

Goaltenders
1. Roberto Luongo (Vancouver)
2. Miikka Kiprusoff (Calgary)
3. Carey Price (Montreal)
4. Martin Brodeur (New Jersey)
5. Henrik Lundqvist (New York R)
6. Ryan Miller (Buffalo)
7. Marc-André Fleury (Pittsburgh)
8. Rick DiPietro (New York I)
9. Kari Lehtonen (Atlanta)
10. Jean-Sébastien Giguère (Anaheim)

Defensemen
1. Dion Phaneuf (Calgary)
2. Erik Johnson (St. Louis)
3. Sergei Gonchar (Atlanta)
4. Zdeno Chara (Ottawa)
5. Chris Pronger (Atlanta)
6. Luke Schenn (Toronto)
7. Jack Johnson (Los Angeles)
8. Wade Redden (New York R)
9. Tomas Kaberle (Toronto)
10. Andrei Markov (Florida)

Left Wingers
1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington)
2. Ilya Kovalchuk (Chicago)
3. Dany Heatley (Ottawa)
4. Rick Nash (Columbus)
5. Simon Gagné (Montreal)
6. Henrik Zetterberg (Calgary)
7. Thomas Vanek (Buffalo)
8. Patrik Elias (New Jersey)
9. Alexander Frolov (Los Angeles)
10. Michael Frolik (Minnesota)

Centers
1. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh)
2. Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh)
3. Vincent Lecavalier (Los Angeles)
4. Olli Jokinen (Chicago)
5. Joe Thornton (San Jose)
6. Eric Staal (Vancouver)
7. Patrick Marleau (San Jose)
8. Jason Spezza (Ottawa)
9. Peter Mueller (Toronto)
10. Nicklas Bäckström (Washington)

Right Wingers
1. Jarome Iginla (Calgary)
2. Marian Gaborik (Florida)
3. Marian Hossa (Toronto)
4. Patrick Kane (Pittsburgh)
5. Nikolai Zherdev (New York R)
6. Travis Randell (Kansas City)
7. Andrei Kostitsyn (Montreal)
8. Bobby Ryan (Anaheim)
9. Teemu Pulkkinen (Minnesota)
10. Nikita Filatov (Washington)

Prospects
1. LW Kirill Kabanov (Kansas City)
2. RW Darren Sigouin (New York I) [SAGINAW, OHL]
3. LD Brandon Gormley (St. Louis)
4. LD Wilhelm Lönnberg (Detroit)
5. RD Shannon Ladd (Kansas City)
6. G Marco Jarl (Washington)
7. RW Anton Markov (Minnesota)
8. LD Seth Helgeson (Detroit)
9. LD Cam Fowler (Atlanta)
10. LD Ruslan Maltsev (Columbus)

[duff88]

Coyotes crumble in home opener

October 6th 2012 - Players were at a loss for words following the opening game that ended in fans booing the players of the ice. The Vancouver Canucks came into the Sprint Center to deliver a crushing 7-0 defeat to the Kansas City Coyotes, who looked hopeless for the whole game. Victor Hedman finished the game -5 while his defensive partner Dennis Wideman finished -4.

"This is a disgrace." said a fan after the game.

October 6th 2012: Kansas City vs. Vancouver, 7-0 L, Denis [L] (47/54)

[DeToxRox]

Oof. Not a good start. What kind of system are you rolling out?

[duff88]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Oof. Not a good start. What kind of system are you rolling out?

Started the year with the same system that gave us success under Babcock last season, which was slightly defensive minded for all lines. The second line is more focused on offense and high-tempo hockey. Equal defenseman usage and none of them are told to join the rush.

This might be too passive though for the team we now have. I'll modify it through the month of October and hopefully find something that fits the team.

[duff88]

Coyotes come back strong in Detroit

October 7th 2012 - After a discouraging first game against the Stanley Cup champions, the Kansas City Coyotes came back strong by defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 at the Joe Louis Arena. Zach Parise had three points in the win while goaltender Marc Denis blocked 25 of the 27 shots against.

October 7th 2012: Coyotes at Detroit, 4-2 W, (Carter 1, Weiss 1, Pyatt 1, Parise 1), Denis [W] (25/27)

[duff88]

Lachance ranks first

October 8th 2012 - ISS has released its preliminary rankings for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and skilled defenseman Bruno Lachance from the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL was ranked first. Goaltender Murray Hackett from the Prince Albert Raiders and defenseman Rémy Friesen from the Halifax Mooseheads follow.

1. Bruno Lachance - D - 5'11/169 - Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) - Canada
2. Murray Hackett - G - 6'3/158 - Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) - Canada
3. Rémy Friesen - D - 6'1/169 - Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) - Canada
4. Dale Calla - C - 6'2/180 - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) - Canada
5. Everett McGee - RW - 6'1/187 - Brampton Batallion (OHL) - Canada
6. Konrad Richard - C - 6'2/187 - Everett Silvertips (WHL) - Canada
7. Paul Stapleton - D - 6'4/229 - Baie-Comeau Drakkars (QMJHL) - Canada
8. Nikita Sidorov - G - 6'0/183 - Dynamo Moscow (RSL) - Russia
9. Tommy Malenfant - D - 5'10/171 - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL) - Canada
10. Kamil Steiner - D - 6'3/171 - HC Pardubice (CZE) - Czech Republic
11. Doug St. Pierre - LW - 5'10/160 - Rimouski Oceanics (QMJHL) - Canada
12. Lucien Desjardins - C - 6'2/169 - Lewiston MAINEiacs (QMJHL) - Canada
13. Markus Strandberg - LW - 6'0/169 - HV71 (SEL) - Sweden
14. Devrin Holland - LW - 5'9/154 - Niagara IceDogs (OHL) - Canada
15. Danny McGinnis - D - 6'0/167 - MSU-Mankato Mavericks (NCAA) - USA
16. Janis Dzerins - D - 6'3/180 - Dinamo Riga (LAT) - Latvia
17. Quinten Flood - RW - 6'0/171 - Kamloops Blazers (WHL) - Canada
18. Rogie Lepage - LW - 6'0/187 - Spokane Chiefs (WHL) - Canada
19. Ildar Gasnikov - G - 6'0/158 - Atlant Mytischi (RSL) - Kazakhstan
20. Simon Kang - RW - 5'9/154 - Kitchener Rangers (OHL) - Canada
21. Jeffery Bourque - LW - 5'10/160 - Yale Bulldogs (NCAA) - USA
22. Ales Kraft - LW - 5'9/160 - Sparta Praha (CZE) - Czech Republic
23. Shayne Dube - C - 6'0/194 - Guelph Storm (OHL) - Canada
24. Branislav Gergely - C - 5'10/158 - Slovan (SVK) - Slovakia
25. Tony Audet - D - 6'2/183 - Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (OHL) - Canada
26. Viliam Kosik - C - 6'3/191 - Slovan (SVK) - Slovakia
27. Howie McMullin - D - 6'2/200 - Guelph Storm (OHL) - Canada
28. Frederic Côté - G - 6'1/169 - Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) - Canada
29. Ragnar Askerdal - RW - 6'0/174 - Timra (SEL) - Sweden
30. Brody Colliton - LW - 6'1/174 - Michigan State Spartans (NCAA) - Canada

[duff88]

Disappointing start

November 1st 2012 - The Coyotes started the NHL season on the wrong foot, winning only 3 of the team's 9 games in October. The huge efforts to sell the team in Kansas City was somewhat slowed down by the first home game that was lost 7-0 to the Buffalo Sabres and met with boos from the frustrated crowd. There is some positive to take out though, as the Coyotes won their last game against New Jersey 4-3 in overtime after firing 58 pucks at a superb Martin Brodeur, with Rob Schremp finally completing a natural hat trick for the win. Mike Babcock has mentionned that the team will be experimenting with a high tempo offensive game in the next few games, and he wants his players to shoot. The Coyotes currently stand 14th in the West, but they have played the least games of any teams in their conference.

Eric Brewer, although he only recorded 3 points, all assists, in his 9 games, was the October segment winner of the Sprint Cup. He beat two new comers, Zach Parise and Stephen Weiss, in the voting. Brewer played very solid defensive hockey on a team that struggled defensively during the whole month.

Meanwhile, Erik Haula has been sent down to San Antonio. Haula had a tough start to the season and was scratched after five games. He will get some ice time with the Rampage and hopefully regain his confidence.

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks (11-10-12-22)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Robyn Regehr, Calgary Flames (10-0-10-10)
NHL Rookie of the Month: C Teppo Inkilä, Columbus Blue Jackets (10-3-5-8)
NHL Goals Leader: 11 - RW Marian Gaborik, Florida Panthers
NHL Assists Leader: 16 - C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
NHL Points Leader: 22 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 11 - D Ryan Whitney, Montreal Canadiens
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 10 - C Angelo Esposito, Anaheim Ducks

October 9th 2012: Kansas City vs. Anaheim, 5-1 L, (Kaspar 1), Denis [L] (25/30)
October 14th 2012: Coyotes at Portland, 5-2 L, (Kabanov 1, Kelly 1), Denis [L] (36/41)
October 20th 2012: Kansas City vs. Buffalo, 4-3 L, (Zednik 1, Schremp 1-2), Denis [L] (26/30)
October 21st 2012: Coyotes at Pittsburgh, 4-3OT L, (Randell 1-2, Kabanov 2), Pavelec [OTL] (21/25)
October 23rd 2012: Kansas City vs. Colorado, 6-5OT W, (Wideman 1, Niskanen 1, Hedman 1, Kabanov 3, Schremp 3-4), Denis [W] (23/28)
October 27th 2012: Kansas City vs. San Jose, 6-3 L, (Weiss 2, Zednik 2, Parise 2), Denis [L] (21/27)
October 28th 2012: Coyotes at New Jersey, 4-3OT W, (Weiss 3, Schremp 5-6-7), Pavelec [W] (20/23)

Kansas City Coyotes (9GP, 3-5-1, 10 points, 14th in the West)

[duff88]

Babcock asks more from Denis

November 9th 2012 - Despite firing 51 pucks at goaltender Steve Mason and scoring 5 goals, the Kansas City Coyotes were defeated by the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-5 in shootouts. By the words of head coach Mike Babcock, more will be needed from goaltender Marc Denis who has been disappointing since the start of the season.

"You can't lose when scoring 5 goals in a game, and there's a problem when your goaltender allows 5 goals on 25 shots." he said after the game.

Denis has stated he will do everything to come back stronger in the next games.

November 1st 2012: Kansas City vs. Edmonton, 6-3 L, (Carter 2, Randell 3, Weiss 4), Denis [L] (32/38)
November 3rd 2012: Kansas City vs. Calgary, 4-2 L, (Carter 3, Parise 3), Pavelec [L] (20/24)
November 4th 2012: Coyotes at St. Louis, 3-1 L, (Kaspar 3), Denis [L] (33/36)
November 9th 2012: Coyotes at Columbus, 6-5S L, (Zednik 3, Hunter 1, Semenov 1, Kabanov 4-5), Denis [OTL] (20/25)

Kansas City Coyotes (13GP, 3-8-2, 11 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Denis responds

November 21st 2012 - Marc Denis answered to the call from head coach Mike Babcock and has been excellent since his shootout loss to the Blue Jackets two weeks ago. The Coyotes have now won 5 of their last 6 games, and things are looking up for GM Nicolas Fillion's team.

November 10th 2012: Kansas City vs. Minnesota, 2-0 W, (Randell 4, Weiss 5), Denis [W] (28/28)
November 12th 2012: Coyotes at Detroit, 3-1 W, (Schremp 8, Weiss 6, Kabanov 6), Denis [W] (22/23)
November 15th 2012: Kansas City vs. chicago, 5-4 L, (Randell 5, Kabanov 7-8, Parise 4), Denis [L] (26/31)
November 17th 2012: Kansas City vs. Edmonton, 3-2 W, (Kaspar 4, Wideman 2, Carter 4), Denis [W] (21/23)
November 18th 2012: Coyotes at Chicago, 4-3 W, (Karamnov 1, Wideman 3, Kaspar 4, Randell 6), Denis [W] (32/35)
November 20th 2012: Kansas City vs. Chicago, 6-1 W, (Randell 7-8, Pyatt 2, Kronwall 1, Kabanov 9, Schremp 9), Denis [W] (24/25)

Kansas City Coyotes (19GP, 8-9-2, 18 points, 11th in the West)

[duff88]

Coyotes take division lead!

November 27th 2012 - For the first time in their young history in Kansas City, the Coyotes have taken the lead of the Central Division. Their record of 10-10-2 is tied exactly with both the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets, but the Coyotes with their goal differential advantage, are ranked higher. The Central division is currently the weakest in the National Hockey League as, if you take out the division leaders being ranked top three in their respective conference, the Coyotes, Blue Jackets and Blakchawks would rank from 10th to 12th in the West, out of a playoffs spot.

TRADE: Chicago trades F Kyle Turris to Portland for D Brendan Witt
TRADE: New York R trades F Kevin Sundher to Nashville for F Chris Clark, a 4th and a 5th round pick.

November 22nd 2012: Kansas City vs. Columbus, 4-3 L, (Weiss 7, Kaspar 5-6), Denis [L] (29/33)
November 24th 2012: Coyotes at Philadelphia, 4-1 W, (Weiss 8, Kabanov 10-11, Randell 9), Pavelec [W] (24/25)
November 25th 2012: Kansas City vs. Portland, 5-3 W, (Wideman 4-5, Randell 10-11, Kaspar 7), Denis [W] (28/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (22GP, 10-10-2, 22 points, 3rd in the West)

[Travis]

NICE!

Small steps, but having the rest of the division helping you out a bit certainly isn't a bad thing when trying to build up some confidence. And hell, home ice in the playoffs sure wouldn't hurt.

[DeToxRox]

Very nice to see, though as Travis said, the Central is helping you out. That said, that builds confidence for sure as the season wears on.

[duff88]

Things settle into place in November

December 1st 2012 - The Kansas City Coyotes have won 7 of their last 10 games, and things have really settled into place at the end of the month of November. The team is playing their best hockey since arriving in Kansas City and everyone is contributing. Leading the league with an average of 37 shots on goal per game, the team will now only need to settle the special teams who are at the bottom of the list both on the powerplay and the penalty kill.

Kirill Kabanov was the November segment winner of the Sprint Cup. The young russian winger scored 9 goals and 14 points while keeping a +7 record in the month. He beat Matt Niskanen and Zach Parise in the voting process.

Chris Kelly suffered a rotator cuff strain in the game against Vancouver and will miss 3 weeks of action. Erik Haula, who has scored 11 goals and 11 assists in 16 games since being sent down, will be called up to the Coyotes to replace him.

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Sam Gagner, Edmonton Oilers (14-9-15-24)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Zdeno Chara, Ottawa Senators (13-3-9-12)
NHL Rookie of the Month: C Teppo Inkilä, Columbus Blue Jackets (14-1-8-9)
NHL Goals Leader: 19 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Assists Leader: 27 - C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
NHL Points Leader: 40 - C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 21 - D Zdeno Chara, Ottawa Senators
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 17 - C Teppo Inkilä, Columbus Blue Jackets

November 28th 2012: Coyotes at Vancouver, 4-3 L, (Wideman 6, Semenov 2, Kabanov 12), Denis [L] (37/41)

Kansas City Coyotes (23GP, 10-11-2, 22 points, 12th in the West)

[duff88]

Hedman player of the week

December 10th 2012 - It was an insane week for the Coyotes who scored 17 goals in only two games, coming away with 8-7 and 9-2 wins over Edmonton and Columbus. Those two games finished the Coyotes' 5 games road trip, but also saw defenseman Victor Hedman get some recognition as NHL Defensive Player of the Week. The big swede had two assists against Edmonton before scoring a goal and adding four assists against Columbus, obviously a career high. Hedman now has 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points in only 4 games in December.

TRADE: New York I trades F Miroslav Satan to Detroit for D Adam Larsson

December 1st 2012: Coyotes at Calgary, 4-3 W, (Hedman 2-3, Schremp 10, Kaspar 8), Denis [W] (27/30)
December 2nd 2012: Coyotes at Minnesota, 4-3 L, (Pyatt 3, Kaspar 9, Randell 12), Pavelec [L] (21/25)
December 5th 2012: Coyotes at Edmonton, 8-7 W, (Kabanov 13-14, Parise 5, Wideman 7, Schremp 11-12, Randell 13, Kaspar 10), Denis [W] (19/26)
December 9th 2012: Coyotes at Columbus, 9-2 W, (Hedman 4, Weiss 9-10, Kabanov 15, Parise 6, Schremp 13-14, Karamnov 2, Randell 14), Denis [W] (18/20)

Kansas City Coyotes (27GP, 13-12-2, 28 points, 3rd in the West)

[duff88]

Denis out two weeks

December 24th 2012 - Marc Denis won't have a happy christmas as he will be out of the lineup for ten to fifteen days with an olecranon bursitis suffered in the first period of the 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders. Ondrej Pavelec will get to start more in the next few weeks and will be backed up by Jordan Parise who was recalled from San Antonio, where he had solid stats with 15 wins, a 2.46GAA and a 91.4SAV% in 27 games, including 3 shutouts.

With a lot of minor injuries hitting the team, the Coyotes are currently in a tough sequence. The team has only won 2 of their last 8 games, losing two in overtime for a low total of 6 points. They have been relegated to 11th in the West, 3 points behind the division lead held by the Chicago Blackhawks and 5 points behind 8th place in the conference held by the Portland Titans.

TRADE: Dallas trades D Kimmo Timonen to Atlanta for D Tyson Barrie and rights to F Benoit Bonar

December 10th 2012: Kansas City vs. Boston, 4-3OT L, (Kabanov 16, Weiss 11, Brewer 1), Denis [OTL] (31/35)
December 12th 2012: Coyotes at Los Angeles, 5-3 W, (Parise 6, Wideman 8, Randell 15, Haula 1, Schremp 15), Pavelec [W] (25/28)
December 14th 2012: Coyotes at Anaheim, 5-2 L, (Kabanov 17, Haula 2), Denis [L] (24/29)
December 16th 2012: Kansas City vs. Detroit, 3-2S L, (Weiss 12, Niskanen 2), Denis [OTL] (28/30)
December 18th 2012: Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 6-1 L, (Hedman 5), Denis [L] (14/18) & Pavelec (10/12)
December 20th 2012: Coyotes at St. Louis, 4-3OT W, (Kabanov 18, Randell 16, Haula 3, Parise 7), Pavelec [W] (33/36)
December 22nd 2012: Kansas City vs. Vancouver, 3-2 L, (Kabanov 19, Randell 17), Pavelec [L] (20/23)
December 23rd 2012: Coyotes at New York I, 4-0 L, Denis [L] (7/8) & Pavelec (19/22)

Kansas City Coyotes (35GP, 15-16-4, 34 points, 11th in the West)

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Only one prospect at World Juniors

December 28th 2012 - Only one Kansas City Coyotes prospect will be participating in the next World Junior Championships. The team's first round pick in the last NHL Entry Draft, defenseman Shannon Ladd, will be a go-to-guy for the Canadian defense. The big 18-years-old rearguard has been a force with the Saginaw Spirit this season and promises to be a stabilizing player for Canada's blueline.

Ivan Ruzicka and André Lindblad, respectively out with a shoulder contusion and a hip flexor strain, were both left out of their country's lineup. Shane Hanlon participated in the division 1 tournament with USA who once again failed to qualify for the main tourny. Jean-Simon Jager and Simon Backman were early candidates but failed to make it with Canada and Finland.

GROUP A
Russia (G Evgeny Markov - D Victor Vinogradov - D Gleb Belov - F Yan Barkov [C] - F Boris Denisov - F Grigory Bezrukov)
Sweden (G Marco Jarl - D Sam Möller - Karl Lilja - F Pontus Paulsson - F Per-Anton Holm - F Dmitri Storm [C])
Czech Republic (G Tomas Kral - D Kamil Steiner - D Dalibor Nedorost - F Bohuslav Gregor [C] - F Ondrej Prochazka - F Jiri Divisek)
Ukraine (G Aleksandr Gumeniuk - D Maxim Toryanik - D Valery Vovk - F Maksim Timchenko [C] - F Demian Egorov - F Anton Katrich)
Great Britain (G Jeremy Graham - D Thomas Dowd - D Shaun Miller - F Greg Johnson - F John Phillips [C] - F Neil Tait)

GROUP B
Canada (G Renaud Dufour - D Bruno Lachance - D Shannon Ladd - F Armand Hull [C] - F Stéphane Aubin - F Darren Sigouin)
Finland (G Juho Käyhkö - D Dinny Korhonen [C]- D David Pulliainen - F Olli Mattila - F Olli Hietamäki - F Tuomo Lotvonen)
Switzerland (G Stephan Serena - D Remo Schoop [C] - D Omar Bucher - F Roger Portmann - F Daniel Keller - F Nicola Valentini)
Denmark (G Ulrik Bork - D Sven Moller [C] - D Emil Emdal - F Soren Abelsted - F Kasper Lund - F Fritz Nykjaer)
Latvia (G Artis Zostins - D Janis Dzerins - D Stanislavs Baranovskis - F Olegs Dembovskis - F Vadim Grundmanis [C] - F Eriks Ozolins)

December 26th 2012: Kansas City vs. Montreal, 4-1 L, (Schremp 16), Pavelec [L] (20/24)
December 28th 2012: Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 4-0 W, (Niskanen 3, Randell 18, Kabanov 20-21), Pavelec [W] (26/26)

Kansas City Coyotes (37GP, 16-17-4, 36 points, 11th in the West)

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Coyotes will need more

January 1st 2013 - The Kansas City Coyotes haven't gotten much further from a playoff spot as they were, but they did suffer a bit of a set back with an average month of December. With goaltender Marc Denis expected to come back on January 6th in Denver, everyone should be healthy and this is going to be the start of the hunt for a playoff spot.

Victor Hedman was the December winner of the Sprint Cup. The towering defenseman scored 5 goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 16 games. He beat Travis Randell and Zach Parise in the voting. Parise, who has led the team in scoring for the whole year, has yet to win a segment of the Sprint Cup.

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks (15-11-20-31)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Zdeno Chara, Ottawa Senators (14-1-11-12)
NHL Rookie of the Month: D Seth Helgeson, Detroit Red Wings (15-1-5-6)
NHL Goals Leader: 30 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Assists Leader: 41 - C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
NHL Points Leader: 70 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 33 - D Zdeno Chara, Ottawa Senators
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 28 - C Teppo Inkilä, Columbus Blue Jackets

*1. Dallas Stars (41GP - 23-10-8 - 54PTS)
*2. Vancouver Canucks (39GP - 25-11-3 - 53PTS)
*3. Chicago Blackhawks (39GP - 20-17-2 - 42PTS)
4. Calgary Flames (38GP - 24-13-1 - 49PTS)
5. Anaheim Ducks (37GP - 23-13-1 - 47PTS)
6. Los Angeles Kings (40GP - 21-15-4 - 46PTS)
7. Edmonton Oilers (39GP - 21-16-2 - 44PTS)
8. San Jose Sharks (42GP - 20-18-4 - 44PTS)
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9. Portland Titans (39GP - 20-16-3 - 43PTS)
10. Minnesota Wild (38GP - 18-16-4 - 40PTS)
11. St. Louis Blues (38GP - 16-16-6 - 38PTS)
12. Kansas City Coyotes (39GP - 17-18-4 - 38PTS)
13. Detroit Red Wings (38GP - 14-21-3 - 31PTS)
14. Columbus Blue Jackets (38GP - 14-22-2 - 30PTS)
15. Colorado Avalanche (40GP - 12-23-5 - 29PTS)

December 29th 2012: Coyotes at Portland, 4-3 W, (Hedman 6, Kabanov 22, Weiss 13, Z.Parise 9), Pavelec [W] (31/34)
December 31st 2012: Kansas City vs. Detroit, 6-3 L, (Randell 19, Karamnov 3, Pyatt 4), Pavelec [L] (25/31) & J.Parise (0/0)

Kansas City Coyotes (39GP, 17-18-4, 38 points, 12th in the West)

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Hedman headlines insane week

January 8th 2013 - It was an insane week to start the year 2013 for the Kansas City Coyotes, but despite starting the year with a 9-1 loss and giving away 18 goals in only three games, the team still came out with two wins and defenseman Victor Hedman was named defensive player of the week. Hedman scored a goal and two assits in three games, averaging more than 25 minutes of icetime and being on the ice for only two of the 18 goals against. It's the second time this year the swede recieves such an honor.

TRADE: Boston trades D Mark Stuart to New York I for D Vyacheslav Voinov
TRADE: Atlanta trades D Nick Boynton to Vancouver for F Aron Nordberg
TRADE: San Jose trades F Joe Pavelski and F Ben Clymer to Dallas for F Jarod Palmer and rights to G Ashley Klie

January 3rd 2013: Coyotes at San Jose, 9-1 L, (Randell 20), Pavelec [L] (10/14) & J.Parise (18/23)
January 5th 2013: Coyotes at Dallas, 6-4 W, (Zednik 4, Brewer 2, Weiss 14, Hedman 7, Schremp 17, Krysanov 1), Pavelec [W] (27/31)
January 6th 2013: Coyotes at Colorado, 7-5 W, (Kabanov 23, Wideman 9, Weiss 15, Krysanov 2, Randell 21, Parise 10, Carter 5), Denis [W] (32/37)

Kansas City Coyotes (42GP, 19-19-4, 42 points, 12th in the West)

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Aubin makes history

January 10th 2013 - Stéphane Aubin scored a goal to remember today, beating goaltender Marco Jarl by burrying the rebound of a Marcel Vézina shot in overtime to give Canada a 4-3 win over Sweden for the gold medal. Canada came back from a 3-1 deficit 21 minutes into the game to win it. In an equally exciting bronze medal game, Ales Kraft tied the game for Czech Republic with less than a minute and a half to go in the third period, but russian forward Yan Barkov scored barely twelve seconds later before Rinat Semenov completed in an empty net as Russia beat the Czechs 6-4 for the Bronze Medal. Denmark and Great Britain will be relegated and replaced by Kazakhstan and Slovakia next year.

Gold Medal: Canada
Silver Medal: Sweden
Bronze Medal: Russia
4th place: Czech Republic
5th place: Latvia
6th place: Switzerland
7th place: Finland
8th place: Ukraine
9th place: Denmark (relegated)
10th place: Great Britain (relegated)

Top 5 Scorers:
1. C Marcel Vézina (CAN) - 6GP - 1-12-13
2. RW Boris Denisov (RUS) - 7GP - 6-4-10
3. C Vadim Grundmanis (LAT) - 5GP - 3-6-9
4. LW Slavomir Erat (CZE) - 7GP - 3-5-8
5. C Yan Barkov (RUS) - 7GP - 3-5-8

MVP: Marcel Vézina (CAN)
Best Forward: Marcel Vézina (CAN)
Best Defenseman: Bruno Lachance (CAN)
Best Goaltender: Marco Jarl (SWE)

All-Star Team:

Yan Barkov (RUS) - Marcel Vézina (CAN) - Vadim Grundmanis (LAT)
Bruno Lachance (CAN) - Shannon Ladd (CAN)
Marco Jarl (SWE)

Coyotes prospects:
D Shannon Ladd (CAN) - 6GP - 0-2-2

TRADE: Edmonton trades D Sheldon Souray to New York I for rights to F Yan Barkov
TRADE: Portland trades F Marcus Johansson to Columbus for D Oliver Ekman-Larsson

January 9th 2013: Kansas City vs. Columbus, 4-3S W, (Kabanov 24, Brewer 3, Kaspar 11), Denis [W] (25/28)

Kansas City Coyotes (43GP, 20-19-4, 44 points, 12th in the West)

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Hackett steals first place in midterm ISS Rankings

January 11th 2013 - After stealing the starting spot to last year's 9th overall pick Renaud Dufour in the World Junior Championships, goaltender Murray Hackett has now passed defenseman Bruno Lachance to take the first overall spot in the ISS midseason 2013 NHL Draft rankings.

1 (2) Murray Hackett - G - 6'3/158 - Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) - Canada
2 (1) Bruno Lachance - D - 5'11/169 - Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) - Canada
3 (3) Rémy Friesen - D - 6'1/169 - Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) - Canada
4 (4) Dale Calla - C - 6'2/180 - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) - Canada
5 (6) Konrad Richard - C - 6'2/187 - Everett Silvertips (WHL) - Canada
6 (5) Everett McGee - RW - 6'1/187 - Brampton Batallion (OHL) - Canada
7 (9) Tommy Malenfant - D - 5'10/171 - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL) - Canada
8 (7) Paul Stapleton - D - 6'4/229 - Baie-Comeau Drakkars (QMJHL) - Canada
9 (13) Markus Strandberg - LW - 6'0/169 - HV71 (SEL) - Sweden
10 (10) Kamil Steiner - D - 6'3/171 - HC Pardubice (CZE) - Czech Republic
11 (16) Janis Dzerins - D - 6'3/180 - Dinamo Riga (LAT) - Latvia
12 (20) Simon Kang - RW - 5'9/154 - Kitchener Rangers (OHL) - Canada
13 (8) Nikita Sidorov - G - 6'0/183 - Dynamo Moscow (RSL) - Russia
14 (14) Devrin Holland - LW - 5'9/154 - Niagara IceDogs (OHL) - Canada
15 (26) Viliam Kosik - C - 6'3/191 - Slovan (SVK) - Slovakia
16 (30) Brody Colliton - LW - 6'1/174 - Michigan State Spartans (NCAA) - Canada
17 (11) Doug St. Pierre - LW - 5'10/160 - Rimouski Oceanics (QMJHL) - Canada
18 (19) Ildar Gasnikov - G - 6'0/158 - Atlant Mytischi (RSL) - Kazakhstan
19 (12) Lucien Desjardins - C - 6'2/169 - Lewiston MAINEiacs (QMJHL) - Canada
20 (36) Robbie Beattie - G - 5'9/136 - Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) - Canada
21 (22) Ales Kraft - LW - 5'9/160 - Sparta Praha (CZE) - Czech Republic
22 (15) Danny McGinnis - D - 6'0/167 - MSU-Mankato Mavericks (NCAA) - USA
23 (21) Jeffery Bourque - LW - 5'10/160 - Yale Bulldogs (NCAA) - USA
24 (28) Frederic Côté - G - 6'1/169 - Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) - Canada
25 (27) Howie McMullin - D - 6'2/200 - Guelph Storm (OHL) - Canada
26 (17) Quinten Flood - RW - 6'0/171 - Kamloops Blazers (WHL) - Canada
27 (24) Branislav Gergely - C - 5'10/158 - Slovan (SVK) - Slovakia
28 (40) Vern Demers - C - 6'0/152 - Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) - Canada
29 (80) Boris Lehner - LW - 6'0/154 - Kölner Haie (DEL) - Germany
30 (18) Rogie Lepage - LW - 6'0/187 - Spokane Chiefs (WHL) - Canada

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"Ruzicka will be a star"

January 17th 2013 - At 71 years old, Jacques Laperrière, the director of player personnel for the New Jersey Devils, has seen many young players pass by. So when such a reputed expert says a player is going to be a star, it goes a long way into making this player a highly sought value. This week, Laperrière called Ivan Ruzicka a future 60-points scorer on a team's blue line.

Labelled as a reach by many when selected 19th overall by the Coyotes in 2011, with a pick previously acquired by trading away captain Greg de Vries to the New York Rangers, Ruzicka has since then moved over to play with the Ottawa 67's of the OHL where he is proving to be one of the top prospects in the NHL.

"His skating is nothing short of phenomenal; I don't think I could name one player with his combination of speed, agility, balance and acceleration." said Laperrière to start an impressive description of the young Czech rearguard. "He is very small, but is built like a tank and I've seen him handle guys that were nearly a feet taller. He has an amazing understanding of the game and can make passes few other defensemen can. The truly amazing part of his game is that he will sometimes be so far in the offensive zone like a fourth forward and then be right back on defense to cover his own zone without breaking a sweat. He is something else out there."

Asked wether the Plzen native would be able to adapt his game to the NHL level, the 1966 Norris trophy winner was quick to answer: "He could be playing there already."

Ruzicka is currently fifth in OHL scoring, trailing only Devrin Holland, Yiorgo Ewanchuk, Dorian Snitzer and fellow Coyotes prospect Johan Larsson. With 14 goals and 64 points in only 39 games, it is not impossible for the Czech native to come out as the leading scorer of the OHL. The potential of one day having Victor Hedman, Matt Niskanen, Ivan Ruzicka, Shannon Ladd and Shane Hanlon, who is himself impressing with Clarkson in the NCAA, is leading experts to call the Coyotes one of the best prospective NHL defense.

TRADE: Buffalo trades D Lasse Kukkonen to New York R for D Ty Wishart and F Boyd Devereaux
TRADE: Atlanta trades D Chris Pronger to New York I for F Pavel Misko

January 12th 2013: Coyotes at Chicago, 6-5OT W, (Kaspar 12, Pyatt 5-6, Randell 22, Wideman 10, Parise 11), Denis [W] (42/47)
January 13th 2013: Kansas City vs. Chicago, 3-1 L, (Schremp 18), Pavelec [L] (35/38)
January 16th 2013: Coyotes at Detroit, 5-2 W, (Niskanen 4, Weiss 16, Kabanov 25, Kaspar 13, Parise 12), Denis [W] (29/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (46GP, 22-20-4, 48 points, 12th in the West)

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Kaspar out for season?

January 26th 2013 - Lukas Kaspar was on a solid run of 10 points in his last 7 games when he left practice yesterday saying he suffered from severe back pains. After a few tests today, it was determined that the Czech forward suffered a slipped disc and will have to be sidleined for around 4 months, making his comeback in the 2012-13 season doubtful unless the Coyotes go far in the playoffs. In 49 games, Kaspar had scored 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points.

"I'll work hard, I want to come back and help the team." said Kansas City's all-time leading scorer with 313 points in 374 games.

GM Nicolas Fillion might now be looking for a replacement on left wing through the trade market. The injury happened with the Coyotes on a four game winning streak and now in 7th place in the Western Conference with 54 points. Three points separate the 7th and 12th places in the Western Conference; the Coyotes are also 5 points away from the Chicago Blackhawks and division lead with one game in hand.

January 18th 2011: Coyotes at Chicago, 8-5 W, (Schremp 19, Niskanen 5, Kabanov 26-27, Parise 13, Pyatt 7, Karamnov 4, Haula 4), Denis (10/14) & Pavelec [W] (14/15)
January 19th 2011: Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 3-2 W, (Weiss 17, Brewer 4, Kabanov 28), Pavelec [W] (24/26)
January 22nd 2011: Kansas City vs. Anaheim, 6-4 W, (Niskanen 6, Randell 23, Parise 14-15, Schremp 20, Parent 10), Pavelec [W] (32/36)

Kansas City Coyotes (49GP, 25-20-4, 54 points, 7th in the West)

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Coyotes acquire Eaves

January 29th 2013 - Only three days after losing Lukas Kaspar to an injury, the Kansas City Coyotes have acquired left winger Patrick Eaves from the Philadelphia Flyers in return for 22-years-old Jared Staal. In 44 games with the last place Flyers, Eaves had scored 8 goals and 5 assists. He had signed with the Flyers as a free agent this summer after three and a half seasons with the Devils. Jared Staal was having his best season in his third year with the Rampage with 9 goals and 20 assists for 29 points in 48 games. He will join the Flyers' affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms.

#18 Patrick Eaves - LW/RW - 6'0/183 - 28-years-old - Faribault, Minnesota

Meanwhile, Alexei Semenov has been suspended for two games for cross checking Bobby Ryan from behind.

LINES FOR THE JANUARY 30th GAME IN VANCOUVER

10 Travis Randell - 11 Stephen Weiss - 20 Richard Zednik
13 Kirill Kabanov - 44 Rob Schremp [A] - 83 Anton Krysanov
18 Patrick Eaves - 15 Zach Parise - 14 Taylor Pyatt
77 Anson Carter [C] - 68 Vitaly Karamnov - 17 Erik Haula

6 Victor Hedman - 8 Matt Niskanen
4 Eric Brewer [A] - 2 Staffan Kronwall
40 Ryan Parent - 5 Dennis Wideman

Denis
Pavelec

January 26th 2013: Kansas City vs. Ottawa, 6-5 L, (Randell 24-25, Weiss 18, Niskanen 7, Hedman 8), Pavelec [L] (21/27)
January 27th 2013: Kansas City vs. Portland, 5-2 L, (Kabanov 29, Parise 16), Denis [L] (37/42)

Kansas City Coyotes (51GP, 25-22-4, 54 points, 11th in the West)

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Playoffs a definite possibility

February 1st 2013 - GM Nicolas Fillion gambled a lot early in the year by trading his first round pick for defenseman Matt Niskanen, but this move may also have been made in order to demonstrate his confidence in the group of players that was going to form a team in Kansas City. With 10 win in 14 games in January, the Coyotes have taken a step closer to the playoffs and everyone seems to be contributing to the team's success.

Stephen Weiss was the January segment winner of the Sprint Cup. Weiss scored 7 goals and 11 assists for 18 points in January. He beat Zach Parise and Dennis Wideman in the voting process.

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks (14-14-15-29)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: G Rick DiPietro, New York Islanders (12GP - 8W - 2.07GAA - 94.2SAV% - 3SO)
NHL Rookie of the Month: G Semen Varlamov, Montreal Canadiens (6GP - 3W - 1.81GAA - 93.9SAV% - 2SO)
NHL Goals Leader: 44 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Assists Leader: 55 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Points Leader: 99 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 40 - D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 38 - C Teppo Inkilä, Columbus Blue Jackets

*1. Vancouver Canucks (52GP - 34-14-4 - 72PTS)
*2. Dallas Stars (53GP - 28-16-9 - 65PTS)
*3. Chicago Blackhawks (53GP - 30-19-4 - 64PTS)
4. Calgary Flames (52GP - 32-17-3 - 67PTS)
5. Anaheim Ducks (52GP - 30-18-4 - 64PTS)
6. Los Angeles Kings (52GP - 28-20-4 - 60PTS)
7. Kansas City Coyotes (53GP - 27-22-4 - 58PTS)
8. Edmonton Oilers (52GP - 27-22-3 - 57PTS)
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9. Portland Titans (53GP - 26-23-4 - 56PTS)
10. Minnesota Wild (52GP - 25-22-5 - 55PTS)
11. St. Louis Blues (53GP - 24-22-7 - 55PTS)
12. San Jose Sharks (54GP - 25-24-5 - 55PTS)
13. Colorado Avalanche (52GP - 18-28-6 - 42PTS)
14. Columbus Blue Jackets (52GP - 18-28-6 - 42PTS)
15. Detroit Red Wings (51GP - 16-31-4 - 36PTS)

January 30th 2013: Coyotes at Vancouver, 6-5S W, (Kabanov 30-31, Schremp 21, Wideman 11, Pyatt 8), Denis [W] (24/29)
January 31st 2013: Coyotes at Minnesota, 5-3 W, (Kabanov 32-33, Randell 26, Weiss 19-20), Pavelec [W] (22/25)

Kansas City Coyotes (53GP, 27-22-4, 58 points, 7th in the West)

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One week away from trade deadline

February 17th 2013 - The Vancouver Canucks are working to build for their playoffs run with the acquisitions of Wade Redden and Scott Gomez, while the New York Rangers are trading away their bigger names; this is the reality that is this year's trade deadline. The Kansas City Coyotes are not expected to make a lot of noise on the trading market, but you never know if a deal might come up at the last moment.

TRADE: Portland trades F Ryan Smyth to New York I for F Rastislav Müller
TRADE: New York R trades D Wade Redden to vancouver for F Cody Hodgson
TRADE: Montreal trades D Marek Zidlicky to New York I for F Andrew Ladd
TRADE: Philadelphia trades D Tobias Enström to New York I for F Michael Blunden
TRADE: Colorado trades F Ryan Stoa to San Jose for D Marc-Edouard Vlasic
TRADE: New York R trades F Chris Drury to Ottawa for F Kaspar Daugavins, D Erik Karlsson and rights to F Frederic Bouché
TRADE: Buffalo trades D Mark Streit to Washington for D John Carlson and D Jakub Sykora
TRADE: Toronto trades D Brian Rafalski to Calgary for a 2nd and a 3rd round pick
TRADE: Buffalo trades F Justin Williams to New York I for D Chris Summers and rights to F Mario Morin
TRADE: New York R trades F Scott Gomez to Vancouver for rights to F Quinten Black and D Niko Gendron

February 2nd 2013: Coyotes at Calgary, 4-3 L, (Carter 6, Eaves 9-10), Pavelec [L] (27/31)
February 8th 2013: Kansas City vs. Calgary, 3-1 W, (Carter 7-8, Parise 17), Denis [W] (22/23)
February 11th 2013: Kansas City vs. Detroit, 3-2 W, (Hedman 9, Eaves 11-12), Denis [W] (32/34)
February 14th 2013: Kansas City vs. Columbus, 5-2 W, (Zednik 5, Kabanov 34-35, Parise 18, Weiss 21), Denis [W] (24/26)
February 16th 2013: Kansas City vs. Colorado, 4-3 W, (Kabanov 36, Wideman 12, Carter 9, Randell 27), Denis [W] (34/37)

Kansas City Coyotes (58GP, 31-23-4, 66 points, 7th in the West)

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Coyotes remain silent on trade deadline day

February 24th 2013 - Strong of a 7-games winning streak, the Kansas City Coyotes remained silent on trade deadline day, completing no deals. With a 7 points lead on the St. Louis Blues and the 9th place in the West, the playoffs are now closer than ever for Mike Babcock's team and GM Nicolas Fillion decided not to disrupt the team spirit.

TRADE: Philadelphia trades D Dustin Byfuglien to Montreal for F Ben Maxwell and F Casey Cizikas
TRADE: Montreal trades F Jeff Halpern to Washington for D Alexandre Néron and F Brandon Prust
TRADE: Philadelphia trades F Daniel Brière to Vancouver for D Yann Sauvé and F Ivan Denisov
TRADE: New York R trades F Mike Cammalleri to Florida for F Tom Wandell and a 1st round pick
TRADE: Los Angeles trades F Steve Reinprecht to Florida for a 2nd and a 5th round pick
TRADE: New York R trades F Scott Parker to New York I for a 3rd round pick in 2013 and a 7th round pick in 2014
TRADE: Boston trades D Duncan Keith and F Craig Adams to New York I for D André Benoit and F Samuli Tieranta
TRADE: New York R trades F Arron Asham to Washington for F Mikkel Bodker
TRADE: Edmonton trades D Petri Jokela to Washington for F Anton Gustafsson
TRADE: New York R trades D Andy Delmore to Minnesota for F Drayson Bowman

February 18th 2013: Kansas City vs. Toronto, 4-3 W, (Weiss 22, Pyatt 9, Eaves 13, Semenov 3), Denis [W] (21/24)
February 20th 2013: Coyotes at Columbus, 4-2 W, (Haula 5-6, Hedman 10, Randell 28), Denis [W] (22/24)
February 22nd 2013: Kansas City vs. Minnesota, 4-1 W, (Parise 19, Niskanen 8, Karamnov 5, Schremp 22), Denis [W] (31/32)

Kansas City Coyotes (61GP, 34-23-4, 72 points, 7th in the West)

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Coyotes on a streak

March 1st 2013 - Since losing the first game of February 4-3 to the Calgary Flames, on a goal by Henrik Zetterberg with less than a minute to play, the Kansas City Coyotes haven't loss a game in regulation, going 9-0-1 in the last ten games. The Coyotes are now a force to be reckoned with; they have risen to 6th in the Western conference and are looking up rather than down.

Zach Parisé won the February segment of the Sprint Cup. Parisé scored 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points in 11 games during the month. He beat goaltender Marc Denis and centre Stephen Weiss in the voting. Meanwhile, Kirill Kabanov suffered a rotator cuff strain and should miss both of this week's games in California, but is expected back next week in Kansas City against San Jose.

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles Kings (10-7-11-18)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: G Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils (10GP - 6W - 1.93GAA - 93.3SAV% - 3SO)
NHL Rookie of the Month: RW Erik Haula, Kansas City Coyotes (11-2-8-10)
NHL Goals Leader: 49 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Assists Leader: 61 - C Olli Jokinen, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Points Leader: 106 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 47 - D Zdeno Chara, Ottawa Senators
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 46 - C Teppo Inkilä, Columbus Blue Jackets

*1. Vancouver Canucks (63GP - 39-18-6 - 84PTS)
*2. Chicago Blackhawks (65GP - 38-23-4 - 80PTS)
*3. Los Angeles Kings (62GP - 37-20-5 - 79PTS)
4. Calgary Flames (65GP - 40-22-3 - 83PTS)
5. Dallas Stars (64GP - 34-20-10 - 78PTS)
6. Kansas City Coyotes (64GP - 36-23-5 - 77PTS)
7. Anaheim Ducks (63GP - 35-23-5 - 75PTS)
8. Edmonton Oilers (65GP - 33-27-5 - 71PTS)
-
9. St. Louis Blues (64GP - 28-27-9 - 65PTS)
10. Portland Titans (64GP - 29-29-6 - 64PTS)
11. Minnesota Wild (64GP - 29-29-6 - 64PTS)
12. San Jose Sharks (63GP - 28-28-7 - 63PTS)
13. Colorado Avalanche (63GP - 24-34-6 - 54PTS)
14. Columbus Blue Jackets (63GP - 21-35-7 - 49PTS)
15. Detroit Red Wings (63GP - 21-37-5 - 47PTS)

February 24th 2013: Coyotes at New York R, 5-4S L, (Karamnov 6, Parise 20, Wideman 13, Randell 29), Denis [OTL] (28/32)
February 25th 2013: Kansas City vs. Chicago, 5-2 W, (Kabanov 37, Carter 10-11, Parise 21-22), Pavelec [W] (34/36)
February 27th 2013: Coyotes at Edmonton, 5-3 W, (Eaves 14-15, Parise 23, Krysanov 3, Randell 30), Denis [W] (21/24)

Kansas City Coyotes (64GP, 36-23-5, 77 points, 6th in the West)

[duff88]

Coyotes comeback win for division lead

March 10th 2013 - The Kansas City Coyotes have taken the division lead from the Chicago Blackhawks after an amazing comeback win yesterday that was completed by an overtime goal by Matt Niskanen. Trailing 4-0 after two periods, the russian Ks Anton Krysanov, Vitaly Karamnov and Kirill Kabanov each scored a goal with Rob Schremp scoring the other, to send the game to overtime. Kirill Kabanov's goal was his 40th of the season and the game tying goal, which happened with two minutes to go in the third period.

The Coyotes are now 15-2-1 in their last 18 games, which has lead them to rise to 2nd in the Western conference. With 85 points, they are tied with the Blackhawks but have a game in hand.

March 2nd 2013: Coyotes at Los Angeles, 4-3 L, (Eaves 16, Niskanen 9-10), Denis [L] (36/40)
March 3rd 2013: Coyotes at Anaheim, 6-4 W, (Carter 12, Pyatt 10, Kelly 2, Weiss 23, Karamnov 7, Schremp 23), Denis [W] (16/20)
March 7th 2013: Kansas City vs. San Jose, 6-4 W, (Krysanov 4-5, Hedman 11, Eaves 17, Karamnov 8, Randell 31), Denis [W] (32/36)
March 9th 2013: Kansas City vs. Los Angeles, 5-4S W, (Kabanov 38-39, Karamnov 9, Eaves 18), Pavelec [W] (31/35)
March 10th 2013: Coyotes at Chicago, 5-4OT W, (Krysanov 6, Karamnov 10, Schremp 24, Kabanov 40, Niskanen 11), Denis [W] (27/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (69GP, 40-24-5, 85 points, 2nd in the West)

[duff88]

Playoffs for Coyotes!

March 27th 2013 - With a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Kansas City Coyotes have officially qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in their history. The Coyotes are also in good position to win their own division, with three points in front of the Chicago Blackhawks with a game in hand.

March 13th 2013: Coyotes at Dallas, 3-1 L, (Schremp 25), Denis [L] (24/27)
March 16th 2013: Coyotes at Colorado, 5-2 L, (Zednik 6, Kabanov 41), Pavelec [L] (23/28)
March 17th 2013: Coyotes at San Jose, 4-1 W, (Parise 24-25, Weiss 24, Krysanov 7), Denis [W] (21/22)
March 20th 2013: Kansas City vs. Detroit, 6-5 W, (Eaves 19, Kelly 3-4, Randell 32-33, Karamnov 11), Denis [W] (23/28)
March 22nd 2013: Coyotes at St. Louis, 7-2 L, (Niskanen 12, Kabanov 42), Denis [L] (11/16) & Pavelec (14/16)
March 25th 2013: Kansas city vs. Columbus, 3-1 W, (Randell 34, Karamnov 12, Schremp 26), Denis [W] (33/34)
March 27th 2013: Coyotes at Columbus, 4-2 W, (Eaves 20, Schremp 27, Kabanov 43, Randell 35), Denis [W] (31/33)

Kansas City Coyotes (76GP, 44-27-5, 93 points, 3rd in the West)

[DeToxRox]

Wow, grats man! Can't wait to see how the second season unfolds.

[duff88]

Coyotes Central divison champions

April 1st 2013 - The Kansas City Coyotes will have a first banner to raise to the Sprint Center rafters next season as they secured the Central division championship to end the month of march with a win over Detroit combined with a Chicago loss to Los Angeles. Unless things dramatically change during the last four games, the Coyotes should finish third in the West and face one of Dallas, Edmonton, Chicago or Anaheim in the first round of the playoffs.

Stephen Weiss, who scored 2 goals and 15 assists for 17 points in 14 games in March, was the Sprint Cup winner for that segment. He beat Travis Randell and Victor Hedman in the voting.

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Brad Richards, New York Islanders (15-13-14-27)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Zdeno Chara, Ottawa Senators (15-3-10-13)
NHL Rookie of the Month: C Teppo Inkilä, Columbus Blue Jackets (12-2-9-11)
NHL Goals Leader: 56 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Assists Leader: 77 - C Sam Gagner, Edmonton Oilers
NHL Points Leader: 117 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 60 - D Zdeno Chara, Ottawa Senators
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 57 - C Teppo Inkilä, Columbus Blue Jackets

*1. Calgary Flames (79GP - 50-24-5 - 105PTS)
*2. Los Angeles Kings (78GP - 48-24-6 - 102PTS)
*3. Kansas City Coyotes (78GP - 46-27-5 - 97PTS)
4. Vancouver Canucks (79GP - 48-22-8 - 104PTS)
5. Dallas Stars (79GP - 43-26-10 - 96PTS)
6. Edmonton Oilers (79GP - 44-29-6 - 94PTS)
7. Chicago Blackhawks (79GP - 41-30-8 - 90PTS)
8. Anaheim Ducks (78GP - 42-31-5 - 89PTS)
-
9. Portland Titans (79GP - 36-35-8 - 80PTS)
10. Minnesota Wild (78GP - 36-35-7 - 79PTS)
11. St. Louis Blues (78GP - 35-34-9 - 79PTS)
12. San Jose Sharks (78GP - 34-36-8 - 76PTS)
13. Colorado Avalanche (78GP - 32-40-6 - 70PTS)
14. Columbus Blue Jackets (78GP - 26-44-8 - 60PTS)
15. Detroit Red Wings (77GP - 23-47-7 53PTS)

March 29th 2013: Kansas City vs. Dallas, 4-2 W, (Kabanov 44-45, Randell 36, Karamnov 13), Denis [W] (18/20)
March 30th 2013: Coyotes at Detroit, 5-4 W, (Randell 37, Kabanov 46, Krysanov 8, Karamnov 14, Hedman 12), Pavelec [W] (20/24)

Kansas City Coyotes (78GP, 46-27-5, 97 points, 3rd in the West)

[duff88]

Kabanov hat-trick for 50

April 5th 2013 - Kirill Kabanov scored his 49th, 50th and 51st goals of the season today in a 8-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Kabanov recieved a standing ovation at the announcement of his 50th goal, and hat flew all over the ice for his 51st, that completed his hat trick. The 20-years-old is 4th in NHL scoring, with only 5 other players counting 50 goals or more: Alexander Ovechkin with 58, Ilya Kovalchuk with 56, Dany Heatley with 53, Dustin Penner with 50 and Henrik Zetterberg with 50.

April 1st 2013: Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 3-2 L, (Randell 38, Niskanen 14), Denis [L] (26/29)
April 3rd 2013: Coyotes at St. Louis, 6-4 W, (Haula 7, Kabanov 47-48, Randell 39, Schremp 28, Brewer 5), Denis [W] (21/25)
April 5th 2013: Kansas City vs. Los Angeles, 8-4 W, (Kabanov 49-50-51, Schremp 29-30, Brewer 6, Haula 8, Zednik 7), Denis [W] (25/29)

Kansas City Coyotes (81GP, 48-28-5, 101 points, 3rd in the West)

[duff88]

Regular season ends

April 7th 2013: Kansas City vs. Dallas, 5-4 L, (Brewer 7, Haula 9, Schremp 31, Weiss 25), Denis [L] (22/27)

Kansas City Coyotes (82GP, 48-29-5, 101 points, 3rd in the West, 314GF-299GA, 17.9%PP [11th], 80.4%PK [24th])

NHL Top 10 scorers:
1. LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago (72GP - 58G - 64A - 122PTS)
2. C Olli Jokinen, Chicago (82GP - 46G - 71A - 117PTS)
3. LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington (77GP - 63G - 44A - 107PTS)
4. C Sam Gagner, Edmonton (82GP - 27G - 79A - 106PTS)
5. LW Dustin Penner, Edmonton (81GP - 51G - 51A - 102PTS)
6. RW Ales Hemsky, Edmonton (82GP - 36G - 65A - 101PTS)
7. LW Dany Heatley, Ottawa (82GP - 54G - 46A - 100PTS)
8. C Patrick Marleau, San Jose (81GP - 33G - 65A - 98PTS)
9. LW Henrik Zetterberg, Calgary (78GP - 50G - 46A - 96PTS)
10. C Eric Staal, Vancouver (82GP - 46G - 50A - 96PTS)

NHL Top 5 goalscorers:
1. LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington (77GP - 63 Goals)
2. LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago (72GP - 58 Goals)
3. LW Dany Heatley, Ottawa (82GP - 54 Goals)
4. LW Dustin Penner, Edmonton (81GP - 51 Goals)
5. LW Kirill Kabanov, Kansas City (80GP - 51 Goals)

NHL Top 5 defensemen scorers:
1. D Zdeno Chara, Ottawa (76GP - 12G - 48A - 60PTS)
2. D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary (77GP - 14G - 42A - 56PTS)
3. D Victor Hedman, Kansas City (82GP - 12G - 42A - 54PTS)
4. D Brent Seabrook, Chicago (75GP - 11G - 42A - 53PTS)
5. D Lubomir Visnovsky, Edmonton (82GP - 14G - 37A - 51PTS)

NHL Top 5 rookie scorers:
1. C Teppo Inkilä, Columbus (79GP - 21G - 42A - 63PTS)
2. C Angelo Esposito, Anaheim (80GP - 17G - 27A - 44PTS)
3. RW Florian Richter, New York R (74GP - 18G - 22A - 40PTS)
4. LW Nicklas Rosén, Buffalo (79GP - 15G - 19A - 34PTS)
5. RW Michael Grabner, Vancouver (82GP - 17G - 15A - 32PTS)

NHL Top 5 goaltender GAA (min. 50GP)
1. G Rick DiPietro, New York I (64GP - 38W - 2.34GAA - 92.6SAV% - 7SO)
2. G Tomas Vokoun, Florida (69GP - 41W - 2.44GAA - 91.7SAV% - 4SO)
3. G Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Anaheim (69GP - 42W - 2.47GAA - 91.8SAV% - 2SO)
4. G Martin Brodeur, New Jersey (59GP - 34W - 2.48GAA - 92.0SAV% - 9SO)
5. G Roberto Luongo, Vancouver (72GP - 42W - 2.55GAA - 91.0SAV% - 5SO)

Other notable players:
C Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim (79GP - 36G - 51A - 87PTS)
RW Bobby Ryan, Anaheim (70GP - 35G - 50A - 85PTS)
LW Jan Mursak, Anaheim (59GP - 30G - 40A - 70PTS)
RW Brian Gionta, Atlanta (76GP - 44G - 42A - 86PTS)
C John Tavares, Atlanta (82GP - 27G - 56A - 83PTS)
LW Alex Tanguay, Atlanta (81GP - 30G - 49A - 79PTS)
C Marc Savard, Atlanta (67GP - 22G - 47A - 69PTS)
D Sergei Gonchar, Atlanta (80GP - 10G - 28A - 38PTS)
C Phil Kessel, Boston (82GP - 38G - 53A - 91PTS)
RW Guillaume Latendresse, Boston (82GP - 38G - 43A - 81PTS)
LW Brenden Morrow, Boston (64GP - 33G - 32A - 65PTS)
D Andrej Meszaros, Boston (82GP - 8G - 37A - 45PTS)
LW Thomas Vanek, Buffalo (81GP - 47G - 41A - 88PTS)
RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary (73GP - 44G - 50A - 94PTS)
C Mikael Backlund, Calgary (79GP - 37G - 56A - 93PTS)
RW Marek Svatos, Calgary (81GP - 41G - 39A - 80PTS)
C Steven Stamkos, Calgary (80GP - 20G - 51A - 71PTS)
G Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary (65GP - 41W - 2.60GAA - 91.1SAV% - 3SO)
RW Jean-Pierre Dumont, Chicago (82GP - 29G - 48A - 77PTS)
RW Ruslan Fedotenko, Colorado (79GP - 32G - 47A - 79PTS)
C Paul Stastny, Colorado (82GP - 25G - 52A - 77PTS)
LW Wojtek Wolski, Colorado (82GP - 32G - 41A - 73PTS)
LW Rick Nash, Columbus (82GP - 49G - 38A - 87PTS)
RW Jakub Voracek, Columbus (82GP - 26G - 46A - 72PTS)
C Daymond Langkow, Columbus (74GP - 23G - 49A - 72PTS)
C Perttu Lindgren, Dallas (73GP - 30G - 53A - 83PTS)
LW Colin Wilson, Dallas (68GP - 24G - 45A - 69PTS)
LW Fabian Brunnström, Detroit (82GP - 31G - 35A - 66PTS)
RW Marian Gaborik, Florida (77GP - 44G - 48A - 92PTS)
RW Nathan Horton, Florida (82GP - 38G - 46A - 84PTS)
LW Mike Cammalleri, Florida (75GP - 35G - 49A - 84PTS)
D Jay Bouwmeester, Florida (82GP - 12G - 35A - 47PTS)
C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles (75GP - 35G - 58A - 93PTS)
RW Patrick O'Sullivan, Los Angeles (76GP - 36G - 53A - 89PTS)
LW Alexander Frolov, Los Angeles (79GP - 39G - 49A - 88PTS)
C Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles (77GP - 28G - 59A - 87PTS)
D Jack Johnson, Los Angeles (82GP - 15G - 34A - 49PTS)
RW Teemu Pulkkinen, Minnesota (80GP - 25G - 37A - 62PTS)
C Jeff Carter, Montreal (74GP - 34G - 47A - 81PTS)
LW Andrei Kostitsyn, Montreal (82GP - 37G - 40A - 77PTS)
C Saku Koivu, Montreal (78GP - 26G - 49A - 75PTS)
RW Tuomo Ruutu, Nashville (82GP - 29G - 48A - 77PTS)
LW Patrik Elias, New Jersey (82GP - 42G - 47A - 89PTS)
RW Steve Bernier, New Jersey (82GP - 30G - 53A - 83PTS)
RW Nikolai Zherdev, New York R (76GP - 39G - 40A - 79PTS)
RW Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa (82GP - 32G - 63A - 95PTS)
C Jason Spezza, Ottawa (73GP - 35G - 54A - 89PTS)
C Chris Drury, Ottawa (81GP - 29G - 49A - 78PTS)
C Pavel Datsyuk, Philadelphia (73GP - 28G - 50A - 78PTS)
C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh (72GP - 43G - 47A - 90PTS)
C Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh (76GP - 43G - 43A - 86PTS)
C Henrik Sedin, Portland (82GP - 26G - 53A - 79PTS)
RW Maxim Afinogenov, Portland (76GP - 35G - 39A - 74PTS)
C Lars Eller, St. Louis (81GP - 26G - 63A - 89PTS)
RW Martin St. Louis, St. Louis (60GP - 29G - 41A - 70PTS)
LW Nik Antropov, Toronto (82GP - 33G - 51A - 84PTS)
C Peter Mueller, Toronto (71GP - 26G - 57A - 83PTS)
RW Marian Hossa, Toronto (70GP - 44G - 38A - 82PTS)
RW Martin Havlat, Vancouver (78GP - 37G - 53A - 90PTS)
C Scott Gomez, Vancouver (74GP - 22G - 56A - 78PTS)
C Nicklas Bäckström, Washington (82GP - 22G - 73A - 95PTS)
RW Shane Doan, Washington (81GP - 37G - 50A - 87PTS)

Eastern Conference:
*1. New York Islanders (52-21-9) - 113 Points
*2. Ottawa Senators (52-24-6) - 110 Points
*3. Washington Capitals (49-27-6) - 104 Points
4. Montreal Canadiens (48-29-5) - 101 Points
5. Florida Panthers (47-28-7) - 101 Points
6. Pittsburgh Penguins (46-33-3) - 95 Points
7. Toronto Maple Leafs (45-33-4) - 94 Points
8. New Jersey Devils (43-31-8) - 94 Points
-
9. Atlanta Thrashers (41-3-9) - 91 Points
10. Boston Bruins (42-36-4) - 88 Points
11. New York Rangers (34-39-9) - 77 Points
12. Nashville Predators (36-42-4) - 76 Points
13. Buffalo Sabres (30-45-7) - 67 Points
14. Philadelphia Flyers (27-46-9) - 63 Points
15. Carolina Hurricanes (26-48-8) - 60 Points

Western Conference
*1. Calgary Flames (52-25-5) - 109 Points
*2. Los Angeles Kings (49-27-6) - 104 Points
*3. Kansas City Coyotes (48-29-5) - 101 Points
4. Vancouver Canucks (50-23-9) - 109 Points
5. Dallas Stars (46-26-10) - 102 Points
6. Edmonton Oilers (46-30-6) - 98 Points
7. Anaheim Ducks (46-31-5) - 97 Points
8. Chicago Blackhawks (43-31-8) - 94 Points
-
9. St. Louis Blues (38-35-9) - 85 Points
10. Portland Titans (38-36-8) - 84 Points
11. Minnesota Wild (38-37-7) - 83 Points
12. San Jose Sharks (35-38-9) - 79 Points
13. Colorado Avalanche (32-43-7) - 71 Points
14. Columbus Blue Jackets (27-47-8) - 62 Points
15. Detroit Red Wings (24-50-8) - 56 Points


1 New York Islanders vs. 8 New Jersey Devils
2 Ottawa Senators vs. 7 Toronto Maple Leafs
3 Washington Capitals vs. 6 Pittsburgh Penguins
4 Montreal Canadiens vs. 5 Florida Panthers

1 Calgary Flames vs. 8 Chicago Blackhawks
2 Los Angeles Kings vs. 7 Anaheim Ducks
3 Kansas City Coyotes vs. 6 Edmonton Oilers
4 Vancouver Canucks vs. 5 Dallas Stars

[duff88]

Conference Quarter Final

Can youngster Kabanov build on his 50-goals campaign in the playoffs

3 Kansas City Coyotes vs. Edmonton 6 Oilers

KANSAS CITY COYOTES

10 Travis Randell - 11 Stephen Weiss - 68 Vitaly Karamnov
13 Kirill Kabanov - 44 Rob Schremp [A] - 83 Anton Krysanov
17 Erik Haula - 15 Zach Parisé - 20 Richard Zednik
77 Anson Carter [C] - 14 Chris Kelly - 24 Taylor Pyatt

6 Victor Hedman - 8 Matt Niskanen
4 Eric Brewer [A] - 3 Alexei Semenov
40 Ryan Parent - 5 Dennis Wideman

30 Marc Denis
33 Ondrej Pavelec

Extras: 2 D Staffan Kronwall, 16 C Eric Hunter
Injured: 18 LW Patrick Eaves (Day-to-day, Anterior knee pain), 22 LW Lukas Kaspar (1 month, Slipped disc)

EDMONTON OILERS

27 Dustin Penner - 89 Sam Gagner [A] - 83 Ales Hemsky
15 Brad Richardsson - 10 Shawn Horcoff - 9 Robert Nilsson
13 Andrew Cogliano - 22 Ryan O'Marra [A] - 73 Michael Ryder
38 Mattias Tedenby - 40 Gilbert Brule - 72 Steve Downie

44 Tim Gleason - 71 Lubomir Visnovsky [C]
5 Ladislav Smid - 77 Tom Gilbert
2 Steve Eminger - 4 Denis Gauthier

31 Pascal Leclaire
30 Mathieu Garon

EXTRAS: 6 D Mathieu Dandenault, 8 D Alex Plante, 11 C Jordan Eberle

[duff88]

Oilers win game 1

Sam Gagner led the Oilers with two first-period goals

April 10th 2013 - Sam Gagner scored twice in a thirteen seconds span and Tom Gilbert contributed with three points today as the Edmonton Oilers took the first game of their quarterfinal series against the Kansas City Coyotes 6-4. Stephen Weiss contributed with three points in a losing cause.

Marc Denis left the game midway into the second period after suffering a groin injury. His case will be re-evalutaed tommorow, but he is not expected to start the next game.

Kansas City vs. Edmonton - 6-4 L - Edmonton leads series 1-0
0-1 - 19:04 - Sam Gagner [1] (Ales Hemsky [1] & Steve Eminger [1]
0-2 - 19:17 - Sam Gagner [2] (Dustin Penner [1] & Ales Hemsky [2])
-
0-3 - 25:05 - Michael Ryder [1] (Tom Gilbert [1])
1-3 - 30:05 - Vitaly Karamnov [1] (Stephen Weiss [1])
2-3 - 32:26 - Kirill Kabanov [1] (Stephen Weiss [2] & Victor Hedman [1]) [PP]
2-4 - 37:56 - Tom Gilbert [1] (Steve Downie [1] & Michael Ryder [1]) [PP]
3-4 - 39:41 - Rob Schremp [1] (Anton Krysanov [1] & Kirill Kabanov [1])
-
3-5 - 40:41 - Tim Gleason [1] (Shawn Horcoff [1])
3-6 - 41:26 - Ryan O'Marra [1] (Gilbert Brule [1] & Tom Gilbert [2])
4-6 - 44:17 - Stephen Weiss [1] (Travis Randell [1] & Alexei Semenov [1])

Shots: 49-40 EDM
Powerplay: KC 1/6 ; EDM 1/5

KC - Marc Denis [L] (28/31) & Ondrej Pavelec (15/18)
EDM - Pascal Leclaire [W] (36/40)

[MrIllini]

EHM 2007 is still a great game. Wish Riz was still working on it.

[duff88]

Denis out, Eaves back

April 11th 2013 - Marc Denis will be out for at least the next two games of the quarterfinal series against the Edmonton Oilers. Denis suffered a groin strain in the team's opening 6-4 loss, and will be replaced by Ondrej Pavelec. Jordan Parise was called up to serve as backup, therefore leaving Brett Bennett to start San Antonio's playoff series against the Iowa Chops. If the Rampage are eliminated before the Coyotes, you can expect centre Jeremy Morin, who finished second in AHL rookie scoring with 75 points, and defenseman Aaron Ness to be recalled to the Coyotes.

Patrick Eaves will be back in the lineup for the second game. He will take Erik Haula's left wing spot with Zach Parise and Richard Zednik. Haula will go down to center the fourth line while Chris Kelly will be taken out of the lineup.

[duff88]

Coyotes take game 2

Stephen Weiss scored the first goal of the game and added two assists in a 5-3 win.

April 12th 2013 - Stephen Weiss continued his good playoffs work today with another three points performance as the Kansas City Coyotes defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-3 to tie the series at 1. Travis Randell and Vitaly Karamnov also had multi-point games. The Coyotes were able to get away with a lack of discipline, giving the Oilers ten powerplay opportunities, only one of which was converted into a goal. Furthermore, the game winning goal by defenseman Matt Niskanen was scored while down a man after some great work deep in the offensive zone by Stephen Weiss. The series will now be headed to Edmonton for games 3 and 4.

Kansas City vs. Edmonton - 5-3 W - Series tied at 1

1-0 - 00:32 - Stephen Weiss [2] (Travis Randell [2] & Vitaly Karamnov [1])
1-1 - 00:56 - Shawn Horcoff [1] (Brad Richardsson [1] & Robert Nilsson [1])
1-2 - 07:46 - Sam Gagner [3] (Ales Hemsky [3] & Tim Gleason [1]) [PP]
-
2-2 - 25:04 - Victor Hedman [1] (Richard Zednik [1] & Dennis Wideman [1])
3-2 - 32:51 - Kirill Kabanov [2] (Vitaly Karamnov [2] & Stephen Weiss [3])
-
4-2 - 42:39 - Matt Niskanen [1] (Stephen Weiss [4]) [SH]
5-2 - 49:40 - Travis Randell [1] (Eric Brewer [1] & Alexei Semenov [2])
5-3 - 56:47 - Mathieu Dandenault [1] (Sam Gagner [1])

Shots: 38-31 EDM
Powerplay: KC 1/10 ; EDM 0/3

KC - Ondrej Pavelec [W] (35/38)
EDM - Pascal Leclaire [L] (26/31)