Thanks To COVID, The Blues And Coyotes Will Play Each Other Seven Times In A Row

Holy shit, I don't think anybody foresaw this scenario when the schedule was drawn up, even knowing that some games would inevitably be postponed. A best-of-seven in the midst of an already truncated season. But here we are in this on-the-fly season. 

The Arizona Coyotes just played the Blues in St. Louis four straight times. After dropping the first game, the Yotes rattled off three wins. It was only supposed to be a two-game set but because of COVID issues with both Minny and Colorado, the league had to adjust and it became four games. And now, the two teams head to the desert to play three times in four nights starting Friday night.

This seven-game set is the first real test to see just how much hate two teams can work up for each other in the first quarter of the season. We got just one fight in each of the last two games between the Blues and Coyotes and neither game was a particularly brutal affair. Having three days and a venue change between the fourth and fifth games may take a little steam out of things as well. 

But if we get three relatively routine games with a low level of violence, then it might just be that guys don't want to shoot their angry, emotional wad in Game 14 of a 56-game season. Especially if there's a good chance the teams face each other again in one of the first two playoff rounds. I think what also helps keep this calm so far is that, outside of Keith Tkachuk, the Blues and Coyotes don't have much of a history together. They last met in the playoffs 22 years ago when the Blues won a 1st round series 4-3. Before that, the 1982 Jets lost to the Blues 3-1 in the first round. So these are hardly two teams that make a fart face when they see the opposing jersey. Of course, that can all change with one dirty hit or by a goalie getting run.

A few more buds for your bowl…

Mikko Koivu, who signed a free-agent deal with Columbus after a long tenure in Minnesota, retired Tuesday morning after nine games as Blue Jacket citing his level of play and his passion.

“I didn’t get the feeling that I wanted to really get back in there,” Koivu said. “It’s been on my mind for a while now. I didn’t make the decision based on one night.

“What it came down to was I wasn’t able to play at the level I want to play at. I feel for myself that, if I can’t do the job on the ice the way I want to do it, it impacts me in the (dressing) room with the things that I trust and want to do.

“Every game was kind of like I had to push to get ready. I just couldn’t get into the rhythm. I just didn’t feel the way I wanted to feel as a hockey player and being also able to enjoy the game.”

The lazy and popular take was that the 37-year-old Finn didn't want to deal with head coach John Tortorella, who had just benched the recently-acquired sharpshooter Patrik Laine. But that couldn't be further from the truth. 

“That was hard; it was hard to go into the meeting,” Koivu said. “I didn’t know what to expect. They (GM Jarmo Kekäläinen and Tortorella) were both very supportive. That kind of gave me the peace of mind that the decision was right for me. Once I had a really good talk with them, I felt … that it was the right thing to do for myself.

“It was something I’ll never forget — that meeting — and that tells you everything about those two, the way they run their team, what they expect from their players. Nothing but respect for those two.”

Not that Koivu would ever go out shootin' off about a coach but this was clearly a performance and desire-based decision by the player. His former team also issued a statement congratulating the classy and hard-working forward.

Jarmo took a shot on an aging countryman he's known forever in what he hoped would be a mutually beneficial deal. It just didn't work out. And Koivu has no regrets. 

Koivu could easily have retired last offseason and spent his entire career with the Wild. But, he said, he has no regrets about signing with the Blue Jackets, even though his tenure was so brief.

“For myself, it’s knowing that I gave it my all,” Koivu said, appearing at times to fight back emotions. “It’s time to let go as a hockey player. I don’t think I would get this feeling if I didn’t come and try it. But at the end, I need to be honest with myself.

“I just want to be very clear: the room, my teammates, the coaching staff, the management here in Columbus … it’s been first class. That’s the sad part. I’ve really enjoyed my time with them, really enjoyed my time in the room and playing with those guys and playing for Tortorella and his coaching staff. It was an unbelievable experience for myself after all those years in Minnesota.”

As for Laine getting benched? Yikes. Many observers thought that Torts stapled him to the bench because of lazy defensive play (an issue with him in Winnipeg). But The Columbus Dispatch reported that he was benched because he "mouthed off" to one of the assistant coaches and the report was corroborated elsewhere. Laine has been a Blue Jacket for four games. I've never been on an NHL team but I'm guessing a guy needs to be around a lot longer than that before he can mouth off to an assistant. Especially when he's a 22-year-old kid. That's a tough look. It's also creates a potentially prickly situation with a front office that will be looking to extend the pending RFA. But it's certainly fixable and nothing cures shit in the NHL more than winning. Laine is in the second year of a 2-year/$13.5M deal and has three goals in four games with Columbus.