Coyotes’ Penalty Kill Firing on all Cylinders, 'There's a lot of Ownership'

The Arizona Coyotes have had that killer instinct lately.

Penalty-killer instinct, that is.

Arizona’s PK has rocketed up the charts recently, having killed 16 straight penalties over five games. (That number increases to 18 when considering the Coyotes killed their final two penalties against the Dallas Stars on Nov. 14, though they allowed a power-play goal in that game). The Coyotes' stellar play while shorthanded has rocketed its penalty kill to 13th in the league with an 80.82 percent kill rate, shutting down some of the league’s best power plays along the way.

Arizona's penalty kill ranked 25th in the NHL just 19 days ago, on Nov. 8.

“We haven’t changed anything, but the players are more urgent, more used to it, and they take a lot of pride in it,” head coach André Tourigny said. “I see a lot of urgency. There's a lot of ownership. Our guys who play PK right now, we’ve shortened our bench, and those guys take extreme ownership.”

Alex Kerfoot leads the team with 62:31 of shorthanded time on ice this season, followed by Matt Dumba (61:41), Nick Bjugstad (49:09), J.J. Moser (48:11), and Troy Stecher (44:08). One of the things that’s been very noticeable during this stretch is the sheer amount of blocked shots, and Moser (33), Dumba (24), and Stecher (23) each rank in the top five on the team.

Tourigny said the way individual players have stepped up while on the kill becomes contagious, and it’s evident up-and-down the lineup. Forward Barrett Hayton, for example, had 21:09 of penalty kill time in 16 games before going down with an injury. 

Forward Nick Schmaltz, who is generally known for his offensive ability but brings a strong defensive component to the ice as well, has stepped up in his absence, and has led by example with how he’s bought into the team’s mentality.

“Everything is contagious,” Tourigny said. “The vibe, the urgency on our PK, Schmaltz took over for Barrett Hayton, and he takes a lot of pride in the kill; You see his attitude on the PK, and he’s into it.”

That buy-in and attitude has translated into immediate results, and Arizona’s 16 kills over a five-game span have happened just three times before in franchise history: Jan. 21 – Feb. 2, 2008, Feb. 7 – Feb. 16, 2012, and March 9 – March 19, 2016.

Arizona’s longest stretch without allowing a power-play goal came from March 11 – March 25, 1992, when the then-Winnipeg Jets killed off 33 consecutive power plays over a seven-game span.

“I think the biggest thing for us has been limiting extended zone time, so when we get a chance to clear it, you make sure you get it 200 feet,” Kerfoot said. “Winning draws is critical on the penalty kill because it forces them to go back and have to gain clean entries."

Fans shouldn’t underestimate the impact that a successful kill has on the team, as well. Stecher said though situations understandably differ based on a number of variables, the Coyotes can often feel a shift in momentum once the opposition’s power-play ends.

It has the potential to change the flow, build momentum, and shift the trajectory of the game. Watching teammates sacrifice their bodies to get to that point is something that immediately earns respect, even as the pain and inevitable bruises begin to show.

“Everybody gets up on the bench, tapping their sticks and patting you on the back,” Stecher said. “[Blocking a shot] is a moment that sucks, but when you get to the bench you’re rewarded with the encouragement from your teammates. It’s a brotherhood. 

“We take a lot of pride in being excited for your teammate by understanding the position that he put himself in. That’s what good teams have to do to find a way to win, is block a shot.”

In essence, talk is cheap and actions speak volumes.

“It’s one thing to say you want to get a kill, it’s another to go out there and perform the actions that are asked of you,” Stecher said. “Sometimes that’s putting a body in your situation that you don’t want to, but we’ve been having great buy-in from a lot of guys, and we’re taking pride in it.”

The Desert Dogs’ penalty kill doesn’t get a break, either, as their opponent on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning, boast the league’s second-best power play with a 34.72 percent success rate.

Even so, Kerfoot said the Coyotes won’t stray from what has made their shorthanded units so effective lately: urgency and attention to detail.

“All the power plays in this league are so good that if you give them enough time they’re going to break you down and they’re going to get looks, so it’s just about pressuring when you can and making sure that we get our clears,” Kerfoot said. “When you get the kill you feel like you’ve done your job, and then that’s it. Then you can go on. That gives us a little momentum and it stalls your opponent a little bit.”