Could the Coyotes take over the Pacific Division?

The Pacific Division has had its fair share of surprises in the young NHL campaign, with the success of the Arizona Coyotes being one of the most pleasant.

Yes, the team that occupied the bottom rung of the divisional ladder last season has found early season success despite being in rebuild mode. Heck, the Coyotes were even leading the division at one point — well, for a brief moment anyhow, before the L.A. Kings retook the top slot that same evening.

So now comes the question asked of any once-beleaguered team on a success streak: Will the Coyotes be able to keep up this pace? If they keep getting contributions up and down their lineup, they have a fighting chance.

Coyotes beat writer Sarah McLellan of AZCentral noted last week that a rallying spirit has contributed to Arizona’s recent victories:

“…  ranking among the division leaders while nearing completion of the first quarter of the schedule isn’t too shabby. But what might be more impressive is how the Coyotes are achieving their climb.

"All of three of their most recent victories were come-from-behind efforts; the Coyotes erased a two-goal deficit to eventually surpass the Ducks in overtime, rallied twice from a one-goal hole against the Kings and scored four unanswered in a 4-1 win over the Oilers.”

Add to this push of rally-from-deficits victories that the Coyotes are getting scoring from up and down their lineup, from veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson to rookie standout Max Domi.

They’ve also been successful against the West, topping the Colorado Avalanche and beating division rivals Anaheim and L.A. handily in the month of November alone.

All of these components will be paramount as they brush off a weekend loss to the Blue Jackets and roll through the rest of the month. Arizona continues a road trip out east — they have had better success away from home this season but visit hefty competition right off the bat, facing the  gritty Islanders and dominant Canadiens. They’ll have to keep watch on the rest of the division out of the corners of their eyes, as they don’t face any Pacific Division competition except for a home tilt with the Ducks No. 25.

The Coyotes seem to have found their stride and have a good thing going. If they can harness their current confidence, there’s no reason they can't keep pace in the division — or possibly overtake the top spot in the Pacific, for a longer stretch next time.