NHL Playoffs 2012: Will the Extra Day Between Games Help Phoenix Coyotes?

As harrowing as a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven bout ought to be, the Phoenix Coyotes may be undertaking their task to take four straight do-or-die games in the least harrowing fashion.

The interlude between Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference finals is the longest of the series, namely the only gap lasting more than two full calendar days. The former ended at 8:35 p.m. local time Thursday night and the latter is slated to commence shortly after noon local time on Sunday.

And the two games in question are both being hosted by the opposing Los Angeles Kings. This means there will be none of the 700-mile travel it takes to go to Glendale and back at any point in the 64-plus hours between Thursday’s final horn and Sunday’s faceoff.

In turn, the Coyotes should benefit from being consistently assembled as one under the roof of their Los Angeles hotel.

That just means more quantitative and qualitative time to sweep away the shards from Martin Hanzal’s suspension and other discipline-related unpleasantness stemming from the last two games. It means more time to reassess the man-for-man matchups that have so far worked in the Kings’ decisive favor for the first three installments of this series.

And it means more time for the Coyotes to soul search, and just enough time for them to recall how they catapulted themselves from a non-playoff spot to this stage in a matter of three months.

Coming out on top in a volatile four-way Pacific Division derby, Phoenix indubitably appreciates its feat and how challenging it will be to follow up on it next season. Both the Kings and the San Jose Sharks had their own lengthy lulls during the 2011-12 regular season, which contributed to their respective finishes at the very bottom of the playoff bracket.

This is not to say the Coyotes must operate under a one-and-done mentality. They have nine players age 30 or younger under contract through at least next season, none more vital than goaltender Mike Smith, whose breakout year was only recently put on hold as LA’s Jon Quick has outclassed him so far in this series.

And of those who are more seasoned and more mature, the likes of Shane Doan and Daymond Langkow will likely allow the success of this season to influence their decisions ahead of free agency in July.

Even so, Doan and Langkow will both be 36 and going on 18 NHL seasons by the next training camp. And this is the closest either man has come to even playing in a Stanley Cup Final, which still isn’t saying much when you consider they still need four wins to claim that passport.

If that notion in particular sinks in and solidifies, it will only be a surprise if the Coyotes are not beaming with healthy desperation by Sunday. What that will do, if anything, to push up a narrowly open window against an assertive Kings team is another story.