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The Nice
1. Sam Gagner
The fans bemoaning Gagner's lack of production so far this season may be justified, especially considering he was meant to fill the skates of scorer Radim Vrbata. Last night, however, Gagner scored two goals and recorded two assists against his former team, showcasing what he can do with the puck on his stick.
2. Gormley's return
After being held back by an injury and taking a brief trip to the AHL for conditioning, Brandon Gormley re-entered the Coyotes lineup against the Oilers. In more than 17 minutes on the ice, the young blue liner scored a goal and assisted on another one.
3. Vermy trade rumors
With the pending UFA's contract set to expire at the end of this season, and the Coyotes rebuilding effort starting to intensify, its likely that competitive teams in need of a quality center will continue to target Antoine Vermette. One would certainly expect him to be dealt sooner than Keith Yandle, unless an unbelievable offer appears out of the blue.
4. Big night for the PK
The Coyotes penalty-killing unit has been struggling lately, to say the least. Yet, it showed signs of life last night as it killed all six Oiler power play attempts.
5. The New York Rangers
After outlasting the Washington Capitals in an intense battle at Madison Square Garden, New York won its seventh straight and ended the Caps streak of point-winning games at nine. Rick Nash led the charge for the Rangers with a hat trick, and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped 30 of the 32 shots he saw.
The Naughty
1. The Edmonton Oilers
My goodness, this team has its sights set on Connor McDavid.
2. The Yotes when they aren't playing the Oilers
The Arizona Coyotes currently sit at 12-18-4. Eliminate their five games against the Oilers and they're 7-18-4, which nearly cuts the team's already meager win total in half and drops their point total from 28 to 18. Gotta start beating someone else.
3. The debacle in Vancouver
Although a win is refreshing, one mustn't forget the previous game from the Coyotes' current road trip. Behind a less-than-stellar performance from the skaters in front of him, Mike Smith let in four goals and saved only seven shots before he was replaced by Devan Dubnyk, who allowed three goals himself. The Coyotes nearly matched the Canucks in the shots department, but couldn't handle Vancouver's offensive firepower.