Off the Ice: San Jose win sets tone for playoff push

Three points.

That's all that separates the Phoenix Coyotes and the eight playoff spot. Two wins will put them over the edge. A win and a loss during free hockey. Doesn't seem so tough.

But the three teams in the way are. Calgary, Dallas and Colorado are all just as hungry for that spot and cusp teams Minnesota and Los Angeles will want to keep their reservations for the postseason. Every win at this point becomes a necessity as the Coyotes eyes will likely go to the standings each night, whether they play or not.

"Every win is going to be a crucial win for us," said head coach Dave Tippett after Saturday's 5-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

Tip clearly couldn't be more right. The win over the Pacific Division-leading Sharks had the locker room in smiles and the confidence the players said they were feeling was palpable.

"It was big," said Coyotes captain Shane Doan. "We can't really worry about what we've done up to this point in the season. We've put ourselves in this position and we just have to make sure we find ways to get out there and get going."

Confidence will be key as the Coyotes go forward, because they're in for a tough road. In the 30 remaining games on the schedule, the Coyotes will face Western Conference teams in all but one game. A vast majority of the teams are currently above the Coyotes in the standings, meaning every loss presents a chance to tumble down the ladder, but every win could lead to a jump in the standings.

One thing the team will need is, as Tip calls it, "scoring by community." Without a true All-Star scorer on the squad (sorry, Vrby), the team will rely on numerous guys to step in and put points on the scoreboard. One of those is Lauri Korpikoski, who scored twice on Saturday.

"It was fun to score...it builds your confidence up and to score in a game like this is important," he said.

The guys are likely celebrating in their own ways Saturday night, and they deserve to. Let them blow off some steam, shake some hands and toast a game well played. A confident hockey team is a winning hockey team and, right now, the Coyotes have enough confidence to lift Lord Stanley's cup.

And that confidence will be the difference in the playoff push.