He'll have to and that is all there is to it.

I hope he improves from last year and I have no question that he will, but he is not Keith Ballard.

Understand that I get it. Acquiring a guy like Olli Jokinen in the trade improves the offensive punch that the Coyotes will need, but the forwards will have to play both ways to get the job done. Plus, having Ilya Bryzgalov for the entire won't hurt either. However, good defense wins championships and Yandle will have large shoes to fill.

There were times last year when Keith Yandle was a solid puck handler, being able to pass up ice to the forwards to generate offense. But he was not as consistent as I would have liked and it might prove to be a problem. He does have help as Zbynek Michalek was the highest rated player with a plus-9 rating, and every defensemen on the squad save for Nick Boynton and Ed Jovanovski were in the plus category for 2007-2008. Though overused and over analyzed, it is a troubling statistic when three of the six defensemen were in the minus category and Yandle was a minus-12 right behind Jovanovski's minus-13. In fact, every Coyote forward save for Shane Doan could use some improvement with their plus/minus rating.

So, do I think Yandle can do the job? As one of the top 50 prospects rated by The Hockey News two season ago, he doesn't have a choice - the Coyotes created an opportunity for Yandle and for Jones.

It is up to them to take it.

The 20th anniversary ofthe Wayne Gretzky trade between the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings was on Friday August 8, and the impact of that trade could be lauded as the sole reason of having hockey in the Sun Belt, espeically when the Detroit Red Wings was a possible suitor in the transaction.

I for one am glad that the influence of hockey spread westward, and to the locale of Phoenix Arizona and there are local products who play the sport professionally or in the development stages who most likely feel the same way. David Spina is from Mesa, Arizona playing with the Coyotes' affiliate the San Antonio Rampage and Brian Esner saw some time with the ECHL teams of the South Carolina Sting Rays and the Pensacola Ice Pilots.

Without Gretzky's influence, the sport of hockey would not reach a new generation of hockey fans, and that overall is a good thing for the sport.

Radim Vrbata might test the free agent market as he, his agent, and Coyotes' General Manager Don Maloney are far apart in the contract negotiations. The issue must be his overall value to the team.

During the final push toward a playoff spot last season, Vrbata went ice cold. He could not score when the Coyotes needed him too. It's true that all players get into a long funk, but in the last 22 games, he did not score a goal and only notched seven assists.

Based on his performance, I would not categorize him as clutch player. His value is certainly less than what his agent suggests.

"Look at the World Championships. He put the puck in the net when he

got there (five goals in seven games). He played well, and any concern about

putting the puck in the net was dispelled by real good work at the World

Championships, playing against the elite players in the world."

Richard Evans, Vrbata's agent quoted in the Arizona Republic

Elite players in the world? Maybe but, in a short tournament of less than 20 games.

Radim Vrbata was a streaky player last season, and it was difficult to determine the rhyme or reason behind it. However, when we did go cold, other players would pick up the slack. But the favor had to be returned some time, and that favor went unpaid in the last two months of the season.

Even though Evans states to the contrary, Vrbata will most likely not wear a Coyotes' sweater for next season.

The Coyotes wanted to prove something to their fan base Monday afternoon, that they were deadly serious of pushing hard to the playoffs.

Right now, they control their own destiny as all they have to do is win and the only thing stopping them was their home ice.

The arena was full for a Monday afternoon game, and again with a large contingent of Buffalo Sabres fans. The only way to cultivate a true fan base is to keep winning...

And send opposing fans to the exits before the regulation buzzer sounds.

Only one point separates these two teams as both franchises have discovered a resurgence on the ice and in the standings. They are both headed in the right direction.

And it's at each other.

The Phoenix Coyotes successfully opened their home stand with a win against the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night, and Thursday night's game against the Blue Jackets is more important as it could have future playoff implications.

Radim Vrbata will not skate on Thursday. The leading goal scorer for the Coyotes has been ice cold lately, but his scoring presence will be missed. Steven Reinprecht is 50-50.

Other players stepped up to fill the void on Tuesday when Vrbata and Reinprecht left the game and those players were able to put in five goals. They will need the same performance Thursday night.

The Phoenix Coyotes snap the road win streak for the San Jose Sharks and improve their record at home by beating the Sharks 5-3. Ed Jovanovski had a huge four-point night, and Shane Doan along with Peter Muller had a three-point night. Doan had two goals.

They won without Radim Vrbata who left due to a lower body injury during the game and Steven Reinprecht who left with neck spasms. Vrbata leads the team in goals scored with 18.

Ilya Bryzgalov shut the Sharks down in the third period when Joel Perrault scored the game winning goal in the opening seconds of the period.

The Coyotes have won four games in a row at home.

The San Jose Sharks return to the Valley for the first time since the injury to Daniel Carcillo. Carcillo is still a few weeks away from returning.

The Sharks have a incredible road record while the Coyotes home record is two games below .500.

Bryzgalov had an average road trip and both the goalie and the team look to bounce back tonight.

The Phoenix Coyotes end their road trip against the Minnesota Wild Sunday afternoon as they look to improve their current series to 3-1 and to improve their road record of 15-9-0, which is the third best in the NHL.

Ilya Bryzgalov will obviously get the start, but so far in his career he has yet to win a game against the Wild with a GAA of 3.13 and a save percentage of .892 in four appearances.

The opposing goaltender still looks to be decided. Number one goalie Niklas Backstrom may not get the start today due to his 2-2 record in his past five starts and a 3.40 GAA and a .868 save percentage. Even though the Wild won their game against Detroit 6-5 in the shootout, Backstrom was pulled after allowing four goals.

Josh Harding, meanwhile, came off the bench to enable the Wild to win the game against the Red Wings and earned the victory against the Blackhawks as he faced 43 shots but allowed 41.

Even though Backstrom's performance has been spotty for the past few games, against Phoenix, he is outstanding as he has posted a 1.17 GAA and a .963 save percentage. Plus, he became a little defensive when asked about his recent struggles and he has yet to lose to the Phoenix Coyotes lifetime.

There is a first time for everything.

In a game that Ed Jovanovski labeled a must-win, and a game that closely resembled a playoff situation, the Phoenix Coyotes prevail and beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3.

After the Canucks scored the first goal off a deflection by Taylor Pyatt, the Coyotes turned up the heat and kept going strong into the second period.

Through an aggressive forecheck where head coach Wayne Gretzky rolled all four lines, the Coyotes put the heat on the Canucks forcing them into plays that they didn't want to make. In addition, the intensity of the Coyotes' play caused the Canucks to take ill-advised penalties.

In the second period, the Coyotes scored three unanswered goals, with the last two in the waning seconds of the second period thanks to an ill-advised penalty by Jeff Cowen and a delay of game penalty by Alexandre Burrows.

The Canucks would be undeterred and they quickly scored shorthanded in the third period, only to have Niko Kapanen return the favor three minutes later.

The Coyotes break the Canuck's home winning streak at six games. Since November 9th, the Canucks record at home was 12-0-2. The Coyotes won an important game on the road.

The worst they can do on this road trip is .500 as they travel to Minnesota to face the Wild Sunday afternoon. Every game matters as the teams are bunching up again in the Western Conference.

The Coyotes won their fifth game in a row beating the Calgary Flames 3-1. They were prepared, and they were relentless - the Flames did not have answer.

Wayne Gretzky has his team playing well and sooner or later, he will get the credit he deserves.

Good coaches make something from seemingly nothing and inspire their team to be better, encourage them to do well, and teach their players the right way to win games - through hard work and perseverance.

The Coyotes were a team well prepared tonight to win a hockey game and they showed it on the ice. Good coaches do that - prepare teams to win.

Next stop, Edmonton.

The Phoenix Coyotes travel northward to face the Calgary Flames. The game against the Flames is the first on a four game road swing through the Northwest division.

In terms of Western Conference teams that have been hot in the last ten games, one should go no further than these two teams. Calgary, with its 7-1-2 record, and Phoenix with its 7-2-1 record are en fuego. Only the Detroit Red Wings post a better ten game series.

As far as the entire NHL goes, only the Pittsburgh Penguins can be included in this group with a recent stretch of ten games going 8-2, matching the Red Wings.

We all know that the Coyotes have fared better away from their barn 13-8 - the other top teams with similar dominance away from home are the Red Wings, Flames, and Sharks.

The Flames lead the Northwest Division, and it's clear the Mike Keenan has them playing well both at home and on the road.

The Coyotes are a confident group and feel that they can beat any team on the road. Calgary will be a good test for them.

Last season, the modus operandi of the Anaheim Ducks was to physically intimidate their opponents by forceful body checks and fisticuffs. They led the league in fighting majors and the Coyotes never had a response.

As I keep explaining over and over again, the 2006-2007 season was so last year. The Coyotes refuse to be intimidated by any team.

Last year, if the first goal was scored on the Coyotes, it would be an uphill battle. However, after Ilya Bryzgalov had the first goal go behind him, there was no collective groan from the Coyotes. They stepped on it and took over.

In the second period, Shane Doan scored his 11th goal of the season from a tape-to-tape pass by Peter Mueller. Doan had a great look at the net, and his slap shot goes right behind Anaheim Ducks' goaltender J.S. Giguere.

Doug Weight makes it interesting with his goal one minute later. However, the Coyotes press on. They ramped up their forecheck. It seemed that Corey Perry kept looking for Keith Ballard to check him into next week.

The Coyotes then cash in on a power play chance when Steven Reinprecht buries a goal in an open net from a pass by Derek Morris. The set up from Keith Ballard to Morris and then to Reinprecht was beautiful as all Reinprecht had to do was to finish it off.

After the game went to overtime, the Coyotes ratcheted up their intensity even more trying to win the game before the shootout period. The Ducks, though, held on.

Peter Mueller, once again, buries a goal in the shootout. He is three-for-four and it should be no surprise to anyone because of his performance last year in the Semi-final overtime shootout against Canada in the World Junior Championship. 88 is a solid player and he is just fun to watch.

The Coyotes are beginning to play with a bit of a chip on their shoulder and that attitude should serve them well when they travel to the Canadian Northwest.

They have won four straight, and three straight on home ice. If they can keep going on this trend, they will begin climbing over teams.

After a break from the Pacific Division, the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks return to the Valley to face the Coyotes Saturday night. The Coyotes have a winning record against the Ducks this season at 3-1, but that was without Scott Niedermayer.

I don't want to suggest that the return of Scott Niedermayer is the sole reason that the Ducks have turned a small corner, but it's pretty close. From the beginning of the season to December 16 and without Niedermayer, the Ducks have a 15-15-4 record. Since his return, they are 6-2-1.

Offense may win games, but defense wins championships.

Overall, the Ducks' road record has been sub par at 9-11-1. The Ducks are on a back-to-back having beaten the Blackhawks 2-1 at home Friday night, so the Coyotes may have a slim advantage. However, as we learned Thursday night with the Coyotes playing their third game in four nights, back-to-back games should not matter in the slightest. The Coyotes were tired in their set, but they found a way to get it done.

The Ducks are having challenges scoring goals. Because of Niedermayer and excellent goaltending the Ducks lead the NHL with a 1.60 GAA since December 16. However, they have only scored more than two goals on two occasions in that stretch - once against the San Jose Sharks and another against the Calgary Flames.

The Coyotes are on a two-game winning streak at home, and a three-game winning streak overall. Radim Vrbata is on a four-game goal streak and has put up eight points for a plus-2 rating within that stretch. He leads the Coyotes in goals scored and has 18 goals which matches a career high for him.

Peter Mueller has been hot against Anaheim scoring four goals in four games with a hat trick. Hopefully, he'll be able to create some chances Saturday night.

It wasn't their best game, but an ugly win means the same in the standings.

Clearly, the Coyotes were sluggish from the second period onward in the tilt against the Chicago Blackhawks. Luckily for them, the breaks did not go the Blackhawks' way. With nine starters out of the lineup, the decimated Blackhawk squad could not take advantage of the Coyotes' funk and the Coyotes won the game 4-2.

Another concern is the scratch of Shane Doan due to a hand injury he suffered in the Avalanche game the night before. He jammed his hand in the third period and after testing out the hand in the warm up, he knew that he could not proceed. He is currently listed day-to-day.

Yardbarker blogger Danny Richmond is currently on the Blackhawks' roster and made an incredible save for Nikolai Khabibulin stopping a Radim Vrbata wrap around chance that without Richmond's stick blocking the shot, it would have been 3-0 earlier in the contest.

Steven Reinprecht takes the short path to redemption Wednesday night by scoring a hat trick against one of his former teams, the Colorado Avalanche. After receiving plenty of criticism for his work against the Detroit Red Wings last Saturday night, he answers by scoring four goals in two nights.

The Coyotes had a strong first period where they initiated their forecheck and had the Avalanche on their heels. Reinprecht scored his first two goals one minute apart and the pressure continued in the second period.

However, after Daniel Winnik's first fight in the NHL (and his first decision), the Avalanche took over with Marek Svatos scoring his second goal of the night, which tied the game at two. Ilya Bryzgalov had to make some timely saves once again to hold the score even.

Shane Doan then scored the game winner on a power play. Two empty net goals scored by Reinprecht and Radim Vrbata sealed the deal for the Coyotes.

They also have started to correct some of the deficiencies that lacked in the game as of late. For the past two games on the power play, the Coyotes have converted five out of nine chances. They have found their intensity and aggression by forechecking their opponents and utilizing their speed on the ice. For the first and the third periods of tonight's game, the Avalanche definitely found themselves skating backward rather than forward.

Radim Vrbata scored his 17th goal of the season, one away from his career high of 18 that he scored while in a Avalanche sweater. In addition, three Coyotes, Doan, Vrbata, and Reinprecht are now in double digits in goals scored. Peter Mueller and Fredrik Sjostrom have nine goals each.