ARIZONA COYOTES

The Pulse: Most fans expect Arizona Coyotes’ bad season to get worse

Jan 24, 2015, 1:54 AM | Updated: 2:08 am

With a record of 16-25-5 (37 points), the Arizona Coyotes have entered the NHL All-Star break as the Western Conference’s second-worst team.

Most fans don’t expect the team to improve its conference standing by season’s end; in fact, most expect things to get worse in Glendale before they get better.

In Friday’s Sanderson Ford Poll Question of the Day, we asked: What do you expect from the Coyotes in the second half of the season?

Over three-fifths of the 600-plus voters believe the Coyotes are in store for a “complete collapse” that will allow them to secure one of the top picks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Just under one-third of respondents said coach Dave Tippett’s team will see a “slight improvement” after the All-Star break, and just 6 percent see the ‘Yotes improving enough to climb into the playoff picture by the end of the season.

The Coyotes made the playoffs in each of Tippett’s first three seasons in Glendale, but without an incredible turnaround during the next three months, they’re looking at a third consecutive season without a postseason berth.

Arizona has 36 games remaining on its regular-season schedule, beginning Tuesday at the Philadelphia Flyers.

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