TEMPE, Ariz. – After 27 seasons, the Coyotes played the last local game in their history in the state of Arizona on Wednesday night, and they will at least have ended the adventure on a happy note, winning 5 to 2 over the Oilers from Edmonton.
Liam O’Brien, Matias Maccelli, Lawson Crouse, Dylan Guenther and Sean Durzi hit the target for the crowd favorites during this farewell encounter.
The game was played at Mullett Arena, the Coyotes’ home – which they sort of borrowed from Arizona State University – for the last two seasons of their existence.
Barring an unexpected turnaround, the team will move to Salt Lake City, Utah, before the 2024-25 season kicks off.
Himself a former Coyotes player, game analyst Tyson Nash could hardly believe that this is the end of nearly three decades of professional hockey in Phoenix and the surrounding area.
“I can’t believe it’s the end, sadly. This city, one of the beautiful cities in the world, has lost its hockey team,” he said when the Coyote’s howl resonated one last time to announce a victory.
The Phoenix Coyotes (later Arizona) made their official entry into the NHL on October 5, 1996, losing 1-0 to the Hartford Whalers, who themselves would be relocated that year. next to Raleigh, North Carolina.
Two days later, against the Boston Bruins, Mike Gartner scored the first goal in franchise history in the Arizona desert.
A team playoff tradition dating back to the Winnipeg Jets days, the whiteout – an incitement for supporters to wear white – was in effect for this final, emotional part.
The Coyotes era in Arizona was not marked by great success: in fact, of the 27 teams that played the 1996-1997 calendar and still exist to this day, they accumulated the fewest number of victories and collected the lowest total points.
In 2010, the team reached the 50-win plateau for the first time in its history.
Two springs later, in 2012, the Coyotes played in their first conference final, losing in five games to the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Kings.
In this penultimate game of the Oilers season, Connor McDavid was scratched from the scoresheet, two days after collecting his 100th assist.
The scorers for the Albertans were Sam Carrick and Warren Foegele. They will be back in action Thursday night at the home of the Colorado Avalanche to conclude the regular NHL schedule.
The result of the match between Vegas and Anaheim, as well as that between Los Angeles and Chicago, will determine the end of the playoff picture in the West.
The Stars finish 1st in the West
Jason Robertson was the only scorer in the shootout and the Dallas Stars secured first place in the West for the first time since 2016, winning 2-1 against the St. Louis Blues.
With the match going beyond 60 minutes, the Stars would take a 112th point, becoming assured of doing better than the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks would finish with 111 points if they win in Winnipeg on Thursday.
Robert Thomas scored in the second period before Mason Marchment of the Stars responded in the third period.
In the first round, Dallas will face the Los Angeles Kings or the Vegas Golden Knights. They are the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
