The first two games of this six-game trek for the Arizona Coyotes to the east have not gone as planned. For one thing, the defense is not doing their job, giving up a ridiculous 42 shots on goal in each game against the Ottawa Senators, and the Montreal Canadians.

Add in the fact that starting Arizona Coyotes' net-minder Mike Smith was injured in the third period of the Senators game, and you have some concerns needing to be resolved.

Louis Domingue has been put into emergency replacement mode, just as he was last season when Smith fell to a core muscle injury. But, his success last season has not carried over to this new season. He was pulled half-way through the Canadians game in favor of Justin Peters, who gave up just one of the Montreal goals.

Head Coach/V.P. of Hockey Operations Dave Tippett mentioned to the press today that Domingue will again get the start.

First period facts

The Arizona Coyotes' defenseman Michael Stone made his return to the lineup for the first time since he was injured back in March. He teamed up with Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the blue-line.

The Coyotes' woes, after losing two games on this long road trip, didn't seem to improve in the early going. The Islanders scored first when Dennis Seidenberg cruised in on the left wing and shot a rocket by Domingue, giving the New York hockey club playing in Brooklyn a 1-0 lead at 4:45.

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The Islanders weren't quite done, as they got another goal from Ryan Strome at 13:31, when he crashed the net to get it by Domingue through the five-hole. This is the first time Ryan Strome has played against his brother, Dylan Strome of the Coyotes. Mark one up for Ryan Strome, if you're keeping count.

The Coyotes, determined to shake off their poor performance on this road trip, cut the lead in half when Brad Richardson took a lead pass from Laurent Dauphin near the left face-off circle and buried a wrist shot just inside the left post, for his second goal of the season. Richardson has been receiving some compliments from Head Coach Dave Tippett for his relentless play comparing how he wants his entire team to play.

Jakob Chychurn continues to impress getting his second assist in this young season. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Jakob Chychurn continues to impress getting his second assist in this young season. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

That goal inspired the Coyotes so much that they scored again just 13 seconds later, when promising rookie defenseman Jakob Chychurn sent a shot from the left point on net which Radim Vrbata deflected past Islander goalie Jaroslav Halek to tie the game at two.

Second period remained the same

There was plenty of action in the second stanza, just no scoring. And, thanks to the fine goaltending from Domingue, the Coyotes went into the locker room still tied with the hometown Islanders.

At near the six-minute mark, Andrew Ladd broke in through an open sieve in the slot and headed in towards Domingue on a partial breakaway. He missed due to a great save by Domingue. But Domingue also had to stop Josh Bailey who kept hacking away at the rebound without a single Coyote there to take him out.

The story of the second period was the Coyotes' lack of shots on goal, as they only managed four to New Yorks' 16. How the period ended in a tie is still a mystery. The Coyotes' lack of execution was showing badly, and Domingue kept them in the game -- literally.

Third period letdown

The Coyotes' did what a winning hockey team can very rarely do, give up a short-handed goal in a close game.

Especially after fighting back being down two goals and tying it. That hurts to the core.

And, the way the winning goal happened was all the more hurtful. The Coyotes, who almost doubled up face-off wins (41-22) lost the vital draw, and the puck got back to Johnny Boychuk who sent a shot from the right point through a maze of players and into the net. The goal was at 4:24, giving the Yotes plenty of time to make another comeback, but it wasn't meant to be.

Arizona lost their third game in a row, and must now win the final three road games on this trip to break even.

The challenge in doing that is they play the New York Rangers Sunday, then the improved New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, and end up the trip on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers whom they defeated to start the season on October 15th.

That seems like a lifetime ago.

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About the author
William Grigsby
I was born in Chicago, and have been following hockey my whole life. I moved to Arizona in 1974, and have been an Arizona Coyotes fan from the time they first moved here in 1996. I feel I can bring a new perspective to the team. I hope you will enjoy what I write. As of November 28, 2017 I am now the NHL Editor for VAVEL USA. If you are interested in joining me as a writer, please contact me at: [email protected] for details.