Penguins Stand as Huge Stepping Stone for Coyotes

If the Coyotes want to come away with a win Wednesday night against the defending Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburgh Penguins, it would prove to be a huge stepping stone for the Coyotes. However, if they lose, they will still have eighty more games to prove themselves.

The Coyotes are coming off an impressive season opening 6-3 win against the L.A Kings. In order for them to beat the highly talented Penguins, the Coyotes will have to do a few things:

The first thing they have to do is improve their penalty kill. They were 1 for 4 on the penalty against the Kings. Coyote’s defenseman Kurt Sauer is looked upon to shut down the opposing team’s star players and will have his hands full on Wednesday with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

The Coyotes struggled last season to score goals, but were able to record six goals against the Kings. They are going to need a continued team effort in order to keep up the offense.

The last thing they are going to need against the Penguins — and any team for that matter — is more consistent goaltending from Iyla Bryzgalov. Against the Kings on Saturday night, Bryzgalov was solid making thirty saves. He is going to need to make at least the same amount of saves in order to win against the offensively talented Penguins.

It may be only game two of the season for the Coyotes, but getting two points against a great team will not only improve their confidence, but will improve their chances of still being in the playoff hunt come Spring time.