The Arizona Coyotes are the best story in the NHL.
They have four bazillion man games lost to injury, they are the team no one believes you about when you tell them they're good (my preseason prediction was they'd make the playoffs, it was roundly mocked, but appears to have been pretty bang-on, all things considered) and yet, somehow they've managed to put on a good show so far.
Entering last night, expectations were low.
The Coyotes were missing 37% of their starting lineup, which included their two best centres, their starting goalie and best defenseman. Not that a healthy Coyotes team would be a good match for the Sharks, but this looked like a beatdown waiting to happen.
But OEL made a surprise return, which was great and all, but then Jacob Chychrun was a surprise scratch, keeping the injury rate just below 40%.
Still the Coyotes out-played one of the best teams in hockey only to lose a heartbreaker in OT.
Honestly, it's the kind of game that makes you want to lose it.
The underdog outplays the heavy favorite, on the road, gets a goal called back for reasons no one understands, and then loses in overtime.
If the positives didn't so clearly outweight the negatives, I might be angry about it.
Either way, the Coyotes continue to be a great story.
Darcy Keumper - who I once called the best back-up in the NHL - is living up to his billing and the Coyotes, thanks to the hilarious abominations that are the Oilers and Mighty Ducks, are still somehow in a playoff race.
Weirdly they went from two points back to three points back on a night when they won, but thems the breaks.
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