Hub City Horrors (Diary of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs)

Tyson Jost's Diary: Thursday, August 20, 2020

Edmonton, Canada

Western Conference, JW Marriott

Today is the day that we send the Arizona Coyotes golfing! And I'm playing still!!! After we dominated them last game with a 7-1 win, I thought for sure that they'd fight back. So we prepared for just that to happen.

As the first gets underway, there's back and forth action for the first few minutes. Then Chychrun takes a delay of game penalty and we head to the PP. That's Arizona's first error! On the PP, our passing has them spreading out until Naz strikes!

It's 1-0 Avs just like that!

From that we draw upon the energy and put on some pressure for a good three minutes. And then Grabner hooks Donskoi and we head back to the PP. Again, an error from Arizona, their second!

Landy slaps a shot on goal and then the powerplay units change out. I watch as Val screens the goalie and Sammy G winds up for a shot. He sends a bomb on goal to get us another deadly powerplay goal.

2-0 Avs!

The clock winds down to halfway and thing settle down a little with a few minutes of back and forth action.

And then once again, Arizona takes a penalty. This time it is Fischer (you all know him as Nathan MacKinnon's ragdoll bitch from last game lol) as he serves a 'too many men' call. And we're back on the powerplay.

This time they are able to shut us down, but we have all the momentum and we get some good zone pressure for a few minutes before things settle down once more some solid back and forth game play.

With 1:20 left to play in the first period, Naz gets loose for a sick breakaway. Error number three, letting Naz get free. He stickhandles and sneaks the puck under Darcy Kuemper's pads for another goal!

3-0 Avs!

It's turning out just like the last game. And we're not slowing down!

In fact, it's frustrating Kuemper off. The third goal is enough for him to slam his stick on the goal post and almost break it in half. I can't say that I don't blame him. His team is letting him down after he played a solid three games.

And that's the end of the first period. A very dominating performance indeed. (Naz times two and Sammy G scoring for us!) Our powerplay is on fire too!!

The second period begins with us having more pressure on them. Just cause we have a three goal lead, doesn't mean we should take our foot off of the gas pedal. I glance across the bench to see Burky chewing on his helmet's strap.

"Hey, man, you okay?" I question with a laugh.

Burky looks at me and releases his strap from his mouth. "I'm good. A little hungry, I guess."

"You're always hungry," EJ chuckles, punching him in the arm.

Naz gets another chance from Mikko, giving him a shot at completing the trio of goals. (Shhhhh, don't jinx it!) They return to the bench and Mikko elbows Naz as he says, "You miss that? I give it right to you."

I watch as Kessel comes after and jaws with Z (that's really smart...). The refs break them up and the game continues.

Then Z goes for a hit and actually ends up going into the bench. He heads up, laughing about it as he sees the replay.

The Coyotes pressure us on a shift, but it's easily stifled and we take back control with our fourth line, pushing back at them.

Nathan spanks the puck off of a one-timer and into the back of the goal.

4-0 Avs!

Here we go again...

You can't stop us!

Then Mikko is hooked by Chychurn and we head to another powerplay (as if we didn't dominate enough on the PP already).

The passing is just amazing on the PP and Nathan shoots and scores. Another PPG for us and now it's...

5-0 Avs!

Calvy gets a chance now to score with about six minutes left in the SECOND period.

And with four minutes left, I get off a shot. I want a goal too! (Sorry, Arizona!)

With time winding down fast and our foot kept on the gas, Z ends up scoring, tipping a shot in by the net (a rare spot for him to be). You know you're in trouble when Nikita Zadorov scores!

6-0 Avs!

The third period begins with Antti Raanta in net now for the Coyotes. We chased Kuemper again. There's back and forth action and then Arizona gets temporary life in them to get some kind of pressure on us.

It's enough so that I take a holding penalty against someone and have to go to the box. I'm laughing actually with how ridiculous it is and how much of a lead we have. In all honesty, I remember thinking that I don't care if they score on the PP cause we're still going to win and move on!

Geez, I'm a terrible person sometimes...

Val gets a shorty chance during the PK for us, but he can't score. We kill off my penalty and return to five on five.

But they've turned up the pressure on us. I think we're letting them, feeling a little bad. Naz makes a nice defensive play with his stick and is able to cancel out an Arizona chance. He just zooms across the net and steals the puck and launches out of our end and into Arizona's with one swift move.

There's a line change for the fourth line with Calvy and they get pinned in our zone and Clayton Keller is able to get a goal for them finally.

6-1 Avs.

Dvorak cross-checks Comphy in the face behind the net and there is no call, but then Burky gets called for holding Barrett Hayton. (Not gonna lie, if I were Burky or Vladdy, I'd wanna hold Barrett too. Guy is young and good looking.)

So we're back on the PK.

I get the puck out of the zone with a nice stick-pokecheck and clear it down the ice to kill time. Donskoi then builds on it, getting a shot off and a chance for a shorty goal. We kill the penalty to Burky off.

Then Nietsy and Naz combine to get Comphy a goal.

7-1 Avs!

I look over on the bench, we're all having fun, enjoying ourselves. Of course, we are, we're in the lead, dominating the Coyotes and about to move on in our mission...our quest...our goal! I see Nathan making weird faces and chatting with Landy and Mikko I think. I can't make out what he is saying or understand him, but he's laughing and having fun.

With thirty seconds left, I'm on the ice. I get around a player and take a shot, really wanting a goal for myself. I know I shouldn't beat the dead horse though...but c'mon, I wanted one!

Time is ticking away...and we can feel the end. Nathan is on his feet at five seconds left. He's already fistbumping and celebrating the win. And he almost gets Mikko in the process. They laugh it off and pour over the boards with the rest of us.

One..

The game is over!

A chorus of cheers erupts through us all as we head to Grubi to congratulate him and then get set for the traditional end-of-series handshake line.