Stanley Cup Playoffs 2012: 5 Reasons the Phoenix Coyotes Will Win It All

This season marks the Phoenix Coyotes' 16th year in the desert since moving from Winnipeg, and 2011-12 also marks the first time the team has advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs.

Further back, they made the second round twice as the NHL Winnipeg Jets, and they won three league championships in the seven-year lifespan of the World Hockey Association.

So far in the 2012 NHL playoffs, the Coyotes showed nerves of steel while dispatching the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 in the Western Conference quarterfinal.

Heading into Wednesday night, they're up 2-0 in the semifinal against the favoured Nashville Predators and look like they're in position to keep on rolling. None of the four teams remaining in the west has ever won a Stanley Cup; of the teams in the east, the last one to do it was New Jersey under Pat Burns, back in 2003.

In 2012, the field is wide open. Is this the year that the Coyotes finally emerge from mediocrity to take a real shot at the Stanley Cup? Here are five reasons why that just might be the case.

5. Fan Support

The Winnipeg Jets' move to Phoenix in the mid-90s was part of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's larger strategy to develop hockey in the sunbelt.

On paper, Phoenix makes sense. The metro area includes Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe and beyond—forming American's 12th largest TV market with a population of over 4.2 million.

There is also a strong presence of Canadian 'snowbirds' who choose to spend their winters in Phoenix's temperate climate rather than their cold prairie homes.

Still, the franchise has had to battle to attract fans ever since its inception, and the capital plan to build a new arena and entertainment complex in Glendale, about 40 minutes out of the city center, has never really lived up to its billing.

Phoenix's ownership situation has been a constant struggle, and the region was hit hard by the economic crisis in the late-2000s. The NHL took over operation of the team after it declared bankruptcy in 2009.

Despite rumors that every year will be the Coyotes' last in the desert, the NHL has continued to foot the bill, while searching for a viable ownership group to keep the team in Phoenix. All along, the team has been a strong supporter of youth and minor hockey, literally growing and developing their own fans in the region.

This year, the Coyotes have already logged a successful season with the franchise's first-ever division title and a first-round win over Chicago. The locals have taken notice, and Jobing.com Arena is finally packed to the rafters—sold out for every playoff game.

The improved profile and the extra revenue are a massive boon to a long-struggling franchise and could prove beneficial in finally attracting stable ownership.

The playoff run might even keep the Coyotes in Glendale.

4. Nerves of Steel

So far in these playoffs, the Coyotes have shown remarkable poise in sudden death.

In eight playoff games, Phoenix has gone to overtime six times and has won four of those games. It's not quite the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, a team that won the cup on the strength of their 10-0 playoff overtime record, but it's still astonishing for the early part of the second round.

Ageless wonder Ray Whitney was the most recent hero, breaking the deadlock to give the Coyotes the Game 1 win against Nashville.

If Phoenix can continue its overtime pattern of solid goaltending and timely scoring, the team could advance deep into the postseason.

3. Coaching

Head Coach Dave Tippett has long been respected for getting the most out of his teams.

After three years as an NHL assistant with LA, Tippett began his head coaching career with a successful seven-year run in Dallas.

He joined the Coyotes in 2009 and won the Jack Adams award for Coach of the Year in his first season. Phoenix's regular season record improved from 79 to 107 points, and they reached the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Though the team's regular-season point totals have declined slightly in each of Tippett's three seasons, there's no doubt that this playoff run marks the best season yet under his tutelage. This year, he added former Calgary Flames coach Jim Playfair as an associate and continues to effectively utilize Sean Burke as his goaltending coach.

As the normally disciplined Nashville Predators face an organizational meltdown following the suspension of Alex Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn for breaking curfew, all cylinders are humming in the Phoenix Coyotes organization, and the coaching staff deserves the credit.

2. Goaltending

Journeyman goaltender Mike Smith is having a renaissance season in Phoenix, to say the least.

Smith was the catalyst for the Coyotes' strong regular-season finish and division title. He allowed just two goals in Phoenix's last five regular-season games, recording three shutouts and setting an NHL record by stopping all 54 shots he faced from the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 3.

The Coyotes' goaltending has continued to be strong in the playoffs. Smith's .943 save percentage ranks second among goalies remaining, and he's easily out-dueling Vezina Trophy finalist Pekka Rinne so far in the series against Nashville.

Phoenix signed Smith last summer to a two-year, $2 million deal after incumbent Ilya Bryzgalov signed a $51 million contract with Philadelphia.

Smith's previous team, Tampa Bay, had thought so little of him that they'd put him on waivers in February 2011 before letting him walk as a free agent. Meanwhile, Bryzgalov has been under fire for his inconsistent play for much of the year in Philadelphia.

More and more, goaltending coach Sean Burke is being praised for the masterful job he's done of getting the most out of his netminders, past and present, in Phoenix. Out of the blue, Mike Smith is making a name for himself on the big stage.

1. Team Chemistry

Despite the topsy-turvy ownership situation, the Phoenix Coyotes have done a remarkable job of retaining players and fostering loyalty within their organization.

The Coyotes are anchored by Shane Doan—a lifer who was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets and has spent his entire career with the franchise. Captain since 2003, Doan is a character guy who sets the tone for the team.

The rest of the group is a savvy mix of youth and experience, North Americans and Europeans, grinders and skill players. Bryzgalov may have walked last summer but All-Star defenseman Keith Yandle signed a five-year, $26-million deal to stay. So far in the playoffs, he has seven points in eight games and is a plus-seven.

The Coyotes have also seen major contributions from emerging stars like Mikkel Boedker, with two overtime game-winners, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, leading the team with 26 minutes a game on the blueline.

Meanwhile, vets like Derek Morris, Adrian Aucoin, and Ray Whitney have brought the experience, and Antoine Vermette has proven to be a tremendous trade-deadline pickup.

With a payroll in the bottom-third of the league, the Coyotes have long been renowned for getting the most out of the players they have. Sometimes, toiling in relative obscurity can create a sense of unity that's more difficult to conjure up in a higher-profile atmosphere.

The Nashville Predators may be noticing this shift, now that expectations have been raised and everyone is watching.