Time To Wake the Coyotes: The Phoenix Coyotes Struggling in January

After setting a franchise record for wins in a month in December, the Phoenix Coyotes have looked nothing like they were last month.

With four games completed in January the Coyotes have given up 17 goals; last month it took the Coyotes nine games to give up 17 goals.

While it might be impossible to top what they did last month, the Coyotes need to wake up before the curse of the second half haunts the them for the second consecutive season.

Part of the blame behind this skid has been injuries.

However, that is a poor excuse.

Every team battles injuries, and the Coyotes have failed to produce in the absence of leading scorer Scottie Upshall.

Heading into the third period against the New York Islanders last night the Coyotes were trailing 4-1.

No team should be down by three goals to the Islanders.

However, the Coyotes showed fire in them, which has been missing this month as they came back to tie up the game but lost in a shootout.

Perhaps the loss to the Islanders was the best thing to the Coyotes this season. The Coyotes showed that they are capable of coming back from a three-goal deficit.

While the Coyotes might have lost the game last night, perhaps this loss was the wake-up call for the Coyotes. While the Coyotes cannot change the past, they can fix the present.

This week will be an important week for the Coyotes as they host division leaders San Jose Sharks and the New Jersey Devils. If the Coyotes want to consider themselves a playoff team, then they need to prove it by defeating the Sharks and the Devils.

The Coyotes should have Upshall back in the lineup on Tuesday as the Coyotes re-assigned Jeff Hoggan back to the AHL, which means that Upshall should be ready to return.

With Upshall returning to the lineup, the Coyotes should end this losing skid.

A skid which the Coyotes aren’t used to this season.