Jason Harrison – howlinhockey.com
Sophomore standout Max Domi was awarded the player of the game belt by the Arizona Coyotes after their 3-2 overtime win against Edmonton.
Consistency, or a lack thereof, has been the story of the Arizona Coyotes season thus far.
From breakouts and zone entries to individual players, the team has been a mess.
A few stand above the fray, however.
Radim Vrbata, Jordan Martinook, and Max Domi have been the catalysts for Arizona when the rest of the team is asleep at the wheel.
It’s no surprise that they sit in the top three in scoring for the Yotes on the season, and it’s a bit of a nightmare to consider where the team would be without the pickup Vrbata and emergence of Martinook.
Last night, however, Max Domi found his scoring touch again.
Shoutout to Vrbata for the nice setup and Martin Hanzal for manhandling Connor McDavid on the face-off.
After notching a hat trick against Edmonton last season, you could say Domi enjoys these matchups.
His third goal of the season – an important one, as the Arizona Coyotes were suddenly 2-0 down – prompted his teammates and Mike Smith to reward him with the player of the game belt after last night’s thrilling win.
While Anthony Duclair is mired in a full-on sophomore slump, Max Domi continues to find ways to chip in for the Coyotes.
He has 14 points in 19 games and is always good for a scoring chance or two each night.
The speedster is still on pace to score more than 60 points this season, which would be an amazing feat given his issues putting the puck in the net and the greater issues surrounding the Coyotes in general.
The last time Arizona had a 60+ point scorer was in 2011-12 when Radim Vrbata (62) and Ray Whitney (77) both surpassed that mark.
That’s a pretty lengthy wait in a league that is often carried by it’s offensive talent.
A lack of it hurts your record on the ice and creates issues selling it to fans.
As Domi continues to find a way to produce, he begins to look more and more like the real thing.
The Arizona Coyotes are no stranger to breakout rookie campaigns. Peter Mueller had an even better one than Max Domi in the not-too-distant past.
Mueller was unable to reach that level again, however, and the Yotes continued to search for answers.
The jury is most definitely out on the majority of the talented and touted prospects the Coyotes have accumulated in recent seasons.
Max Domi, though…he might just be the real deal.