The NHL All Star Game is on Sunday, January 29th and the lone Phoenix Coyotes representative is Keith Yandle. After the fan voting was tallied the Coyotes didn’t have a Forward amongst the Top 50 vote getters, a Defenseman amongst the Top 30 nor a goalie in the Top 20. Despite the lack of fan recognition the Coyotes have a trio of players that should be representing the best that the NHL has to offer in Ottawa on January 29th.
Goalie Mike Smith has been a great off-season acquisition for Phoenix and can be considered a snub for the upcoming NHL All Star Game. Going into Tuesday’s game against Ottawa he has 18-wins (12th in the NHL) a 2.44 GAA (20th in the NHL) and a .922 save percentage (10th in the NHL).
Ray Whitney is having a sold first half of the 2011-2012 campaign. His 27-assists are 24th in the NHL and he has tallied 42-points, which ties him for 28th in the NHL.
The Coyotes rely heavily on the goal scoring of Radim Vrbata and he has responded with 23-goals going into the All Star break. His 23-goals are tied for eighth in the NHL.
Despite the lack of players selected for the NHL All Star Game the Coyotes are three-points away from the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. Their recent slump aside, eight losses in their last 11-games, the Coyotes prove that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts as they attempt to make the playoffs for the third straight season.
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