Despite all of the news regarding the Coyotes' probable relocation to Salt Lake City, the team showed a ton of heart en route to a 3-2 victory over the Oilers.
Despite all the outside noise, the Arizona Coyotes were able to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in overtime on Friday night.
Coyotes’ players were informed prior to the game by general manager Bill Armstrong that the speculation on the team relocating to Salt Lake City is real.
There were a lot of distractions and real life issues that these players were dealing with, but they perceived and just focused on hockey.
Josh Doan opened the scoring in the first period and the Coyotes led 1-0 after 20 minutes of play.
After Logan Cooley’s slow start to the season, it seemed unlikely he would reach 20 goals. However, Cooley has been playing some fantastic hockey through the latter half of the season and officially reached the 20-goal plateau in the second period, giving the Coyotes a 2-1 lead.
This game ultimately went into overtime where Matias Maccelli worked his magic, propelling Arizona past Edmonton in what was an emotional victory.
“The guys are unbelievable because they keep their focus…” coach André Tourigny said. “We played rock solid in terms of structure and focus, so really impressed by the boys.”
The Coyotes are a team with heart and determination. There is no other way to put it as even with their future in Arizona uncertain, they came to play and have defeated both the Oilers and Vancouver Canucks in back-to-back games.
It’s a very emotional time for Coyotes nation right now and the win doesn't cure that at all. This team is still most likely relocating to Salt Lake City and it seems nothing could change that at this point.
However, this team is special in terms of how close they are as a unit and the renaissance that they show each and every game and it’s something that should be admired.
The Coyotes will be back in action on Sunday night to take on the Calgary Flames.