Coyotes roll into All-Star break after victory over Ottawa

The Phoenix Coyotes head into the All-Star break on a mini one-game winning streak, following their 3-2 win over the previously red-hot Ottawa Senators. 

Ottawa headed out West on a major roll, going 10-1-1 in their last 12 games. They won in San Jose to start the trip, and then followed that with three straight losses to Anaheim, Los Angeles and Phoenix to end the trip. 

For the Coyotes, the win improved them to 8-9-8 in one-goal games. Their last one-goal victory came on Dec. 21 in Carolina. They had lost their last 10 one-goal games between then and Tuesday’s game. 

“In my history with this team, one-goal games were our forte,” Coyotes defenseman Adrian Aucion said. “We’ve taken a lot of pride in it. It got us to the playoffs twice. This year, it’s been tough on us and when you’re down by a goal it’s hard hockey. It’s nice to pull one off like that and we’re going to need more.”

The team is off until next Tuesday, when they welcome the Anaheim Ducks. It’ll be the fourth of six consecutive games for Phoenix at Jobing.com Arena. 

I stand corrected…the great majority of the team is off. There’s one Coyote who will be quite busy this weekend in Ottawa, as defenseman Keith Yandle will be taking part in the 2012 Tim Horton’s NHL All-Star Game on Sunday afternoon. 

“It’s gonna be quite an experience,” Yandle said. “It’s gonna be fun, a great weekend and I’m looking forward to it.”

Yandle’s teammate and captain, Shane Doan, wouldn’t be surprised to see Yandle hoist some hardware after the game. 

“He’s the guy that you expect to win an MVP of one of those things,” Doan said. “He’s so talented, and offensively he creates so much.”