All but one team in the NHL has scored fewer goals than the Coyotes, with their production particularly grim in the latter stages of regulation, but their effectiveness with the puck is second-to-none in one phase of the game:
The shootout.
After scoring twice in the one-on-one showcase last Saturday against the Sharks and having goalie Mike Smith stop two of three attempts to post a 3-2 win, the Coyotes improved their shooting percentage to 64.3 percent – tops in the league and a clip that currently ranks as the second-highest all-time in the NHL.
Only one team, the Red Wings, had more shootout wins than the Coyotes’ five entering play Thursday with six, and a fourth of Arizona’s first 40 points have come via shootout wins.