Schmaltz’s OT Winner Against Bruins Ends Coyotes’ Losing Streak

Yet, he’s most likely going back down to the Roadunners after Jason Zucker is done serving his suspension. Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong had told media that it would be a short stint for Guenther as a reward for his recent strong play with the Roadrunners. 

Despite this, Guenther has impressed many with his play in the past two games. He looks a lot better than what he looked like last season with the Coyotes. It wouldn’t be surprising if we see him again soon due to an injury to a roster player or with the trade deadline coming around the corner. 

Guenther played on a line on Tuesday with another big-name Coyotes prospect: Logan Cooley. The two teamed up on Guenther’s goal and Cooley described it as a prime example of what the Edmonton native does best.

“He’s a shooter,” Cooley said. “When you’re in the offensive zone, you’re looking for him in the slot. Luckily, I found him and he did what he does best.”

Guenther has 28 points in 29 games with the Roadrunners this season. He’s been mostly playing on a line with fellow top prospect Josh Doan. 

Back in the Hunt

The three-game losing streak took the Coyotes out of the second wild card spot which had looked well secured by them at the time. Now, they find themselves in a chase with the Seattle Kraken, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, and the Calgary Flames. The team knew how important the win was standings-wise.

“We needed it,” Schmaltz said. “We were in a skid there three in a row. It’s a tough league. It was a tough stretch for us in January or we know it’s kind of make or break for us. We’re trying to do everything we can to get as many points as we can this month and put ourselves in a good spot going into the break. That win was huge and we need to close it out again on Thursday.”

Tourigny knew it was a big one not just for the team but the locker room as well. The differences between Sunday’s loss and Tuesday’s win in the room were like night and day. The music returned and the whole team was energetic after the win against the Bruins. It’s the team Tourigny is used to seeing.

“I saw our team was back,” Tourigny said. “I saw the energy and their intensity. The no-quit care factor was so high. I’m really proud of the boys.”

However, the toughness doesn’t end. Although the Coyotes’ next opponent in the Calgary Flames doesn’t look like a tough one, it’s one the Coyotes need to win to keep pace with the rest of the West. After that, the team goes on the road where they’ve struggled immensely to win. 

The Coyotes will need to jump out to a good start if they want to keep winning which is something they’ve struggled with recently. If they’re able to do so, the team should be able to keep feeding off that energy.

“We were not happy about our energy in the last couple of games,” Tourigny said. “It was really important for us to jump out there. Again, we didn’t find a way to score the first goal but the way we started the game, we’re extremely proud of the score after the first and we’re happy about the way we played. We often say if we take care of our performance, whatever will happen with the result most of the time it will end the right way. When it is not, it’s stuff you cannot control. The part we could control after the first was really good.”

The Coyotes are fifth in the Central Division with a record of 20-17-2. They have 42 points and sit one point back of the Oilers for the second wild-card spot. They will play the Flames next on Thursday.