The Arizona Coyotes completely dominated and outplayed the Washington Capitals on Monday night defeating them 6-0 in route to their fifth straight victory. The Coyotes were one of the hottest teams in the NHL going into this game as they were fresh off defeating the past four Stanley Cup champions. It was Arizona’s first period that not only sent shockwaves to all fans at Mullett Arena but the entire NHL world. Logan Cooley started off the party scoring on the power play 8:46 into the game. The joy displayed by Cooley was evident after his goal based on his celebration. The 19-year-old was on a bit of a goal drought prior to this game so this has to be a confidence booster for Cooley. While Cooley’s goal was exciting, this would only be the start in what would be a hectic period. Michael Carcone would strike next, showing off his surprisingly lethal shot, ripping the puck right past Darcy Kuemper. This marks Carcone’s 12th goal of the season which is a team high. Speaking of lethal shots, Nick Schmaltz scored twice in the span of three minutes from almost identical spots on the ice. It’s really incredible to watch Schmaltz on the power play. The puck comes off his stick like a rocket hence his nine goals on the season. Jason Zucker capped off the Coyotes offensive spree and by the end of the first 20 minutes of play, the Coyotes already had five goals. Once again Connor Ingram had a phenomenal performance, recording his second shutout of the season while refusing to let the Capitals get back into this game. Ingram was awarded the NHL’s first star of the week and deservingly so. His play continues to be a major reason for the Coyotes recent success. When will it finally be time for everyone to realize that the Coyotes are indeed a potential playoff caliber team? The energy around the Coyotes feels different. They are playing with confidence and the mood around the team has been great with music bumping after every win and smiles spread across the locker room. André Tourigny spoke following the Coyotes 6-0 victory over the Capitals. Arizona currently sits atop of the Western Conference wild card race with a 13-9-2 record and 28 points. Despite all the overwhelming positives, Sean Durzi did go down with an apparent lower-body injury after getting hit by Tom Wilson in the first period and André Tourigny was brief when diving into Durzi’s injury postgame. For now the Coyotes can’t stop winning. They will have a chance to win their sixth consecutive game on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
