Coyotes playing for pride as finale nears

It's uncomfortable, playing games that have no bearing on the playoff picture, but that's the risk the Coyotes took with a slide out of contention in the final weeks of the regular season.

After the Dallas Stars eliminated the Coyotes Friday with a win, the Coyotes still had two games on tap – Saturday's meeting with the San Jose Sharks, which resulted in a 3-2 loss to push their losing streak to seven, and now a finale Sunday against the Stars that could have been meaningful but no longer is.

"Nobody likes it," captain Shane Doan said. "It's frustrating. It's a long year, and you want to play in the playoffs. You want to play in the extra ones. Those are the ones you enjoy playing the most, the reason why you play all the others. You kind of feel like you played the rest of them for nothing. It's depressing. It's not a fun feeling."

All that's at stake now is pride, but the Coyotes still had some positives to pull from the game. Goalie Mark Visentin made his NHL debut to the tune of 29 saves.

And center Mike Ribeiro snapped a 12-game goalless streak with a second-period marker.

"I don't know if it did feel good," Ribeiro said. "It didn't really matter."

The Coyotes have struggled to score down the stretch, and Ribeiro hasn't been excused from the blame. Overall, it's been an up-and-down transition into the team's core after Ribeiro was a prized free agent signing last summer, inking a four-year deal.

"I don't even know if you can view it," he said about his season. "I wasn't really present during the games and stuff. I think we'll have plenty of time to talk during the week. Let's finish the season first."

His offensive woes weren't the only culprit this season, though. Blown leads and inconsistency were glaring issues with the Coyotes throughout the season and despite how close they came to nailing down a playoff spot, those are the mistakes that have come back to haunt them.

"I don't' think it's (Dallas) that knocked us out," Ribeiro said. "I think the team that knocked us out was the team here. We did it to ourselves."

The regular season finale was hyped as a potential win-and-get-in scenario against the Stars but instead all it is now is a chance to end the season with a win.

"We gotta be better," Doan said. "We gotta find a way to end this stupid streak."

First of many

Visentin didn't have to wait long to rack up his first NHL save.

Only 10 seconds in, he was forced to swallow up a shot from Sharks winger Patrick Marleau.

"Yeah, I think he was being a good guy," Visentin said. "He put it right in my chest for me. So I have to say a big thanks to him."

It was a challenging first period for Visentin, who gave up two goals in the frame, but he seemed to find a comfort level after that.

"They weren't the greatest of goals but at the end of the day, you just put that behind you," Visentin said. "When you're a goalie, there's not many nights when you don't let one in. The biggest thing for me was just resetting mentally between periods and coming out with a fresh mindset for the second."

Unfortunately for Visentin, he didn't have any family in the stands to take in the memorable night. His parents are in Ontario and although he told them Saturday morning he'd be starting, they weren't able to catch a flight to Phoenix in time to make the game.

"I wish they could be here," Visentin said. "But I made sure to call them and talked to both of them and told them I wouldn't be here without you guys, and they mean the world to me and when you look at the sacrifices they made when I was growing up, it's great to see it pay dividends. I love them, and they mean the world to me."

Injury update

Although goalie Mike Smith's apparent right knee injury wasn't as serious as initially feared, it appears to have sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season.

Smith isn't expected to play in Sunday's finale, which is almost three weeks shy of when his injury occurred.

"I've had that injury before and for a skater or a guy out, you might be able to get away with it," coach Dave Tippett said. "But he's been practicing with a brace on, and he looks normal in there. But there's a couple movements he can't do, and I know where that comes from. It just grabs you and bites you.

"You can't get in the game and function that way and especially in that position. A forward might be able to get away with it. A goalie you're not going to get away with it."

Still, Tippett wasn't able to pin the team's slide in the final few weeks of the season on Smith's absence. Backup goalie Thomas Greiss has been steady minus a few miscues, and goaltending really wasn't a sore spot for the team during this losing streak.

"You have to do things well if you're going to be a playoff team, and you gotta earn the right to be a playoff team," Tippett said. "You just look at the last 10 games or so the comparison between us and Dallas. Dallas got the job done, and we came up a little short."

The Coyotes have also played the last three games without center Martin Hanzal (lower-body injury).

Hanzal skated Saturday but isn't expected to play Sunday.

"We'll see," Tippett said. "If he's healthy enough to play (Sunday), I've got no problem playing him (Sunday). But he's got to be healthy enough to play."

Defenseman David Schlemko, who's been out since March 6 after blocking a shot with his left foot, won't return before the season ends.

Youth movement

Visentin wasn't the only youngster to crack the lineup after Friday's elimination.

The Coyotes inserted defensemen Connor Murphy and Brandon Gormley into the mix after both had been healthy scratches. Both will also play against the Stars.
"That's the biggest part of it for me," Tippett said. "Visentin, he's a guy that's a good prospect for us to get him a game see how he reacts in it. That's a positive for us right now and Gormley and Murphy every time they get a chance to play, that's positive steps for them."

Prospect signing

The Coyotes announced Saturday they signed forward Dan O'Donoghue of Mercyhurst College to a two-year entry level contract.

O'Donoghue tallied 15 goals and 43 points in 38 games with the Lakers last season. He tied for the team lead in points, tied for second in goals and ranked first in assists.

The Coyotes also officially announced the call-up of forward Tyler Gaudet from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. Gaudet, who scored 26 goals and 61 points in 65 games this season, has been practicing with the team since Friday.

Finale for fans

The Coyotes are hosting Fan Appreciation Night Sunday when the team closes out the regular season against the Stars.

Giveaways will be presented during the game, and everyone in attendance will receive a rally towel and poster recognizing the team award winners, who will be announced before the game.

Twenty-three fans will also receive a game-worn jersey.

Up next

Stars at Coyotes

When: Sunday at 6 p.m.

Where: Jobing.com Arena.

TV/radio: FSAZ, NBCSN/KMVP-AM (860).