With Tippett on board, Coyotes aren't howling gently into the night

The Phoenix Coyotes could play their last home opener ever this weekend, what with the team in bankruptcy, the ownership situation unsettled and the possibility of relocation never all that far from the conversation about their future.

If that wasn't bad enough, chances are the Coyotes -- a mix of minimally experienced young players, castoffs and a sprinkling of talented veterans -- will miss the playoffs for a seventh straight season while bringing up the rear in the Pacific Division, if not the entire league when all is said and done.

Tippett says he has a good core of players and wants to prove a few things to a lot of people. (AP)

To call this a mess would be to understate the situation and how much it has consumed the organization at every level for the last five months. But for the time being at least, the off-ice problems seem to be on the back burner with Phoenix becoming one of the NHL's early pleasant surprises thanks to an impressive start that includes a well-earned road win against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

• Recap: Sabres 2, Coyotes 1

"We have that 'us against everybody' thing going," said Coyotes captain Shane Doan, "and we're trying to use it as much as we can."

No doubt, having a new coach thrown in the fire at the last minute probably helps. Dave Tippett took over the job when Wayne Gretzky resigned a few days before the season opened. He replaced the game's greatest icon and stepped into circumstances where failure seemed more likely than not. Yet in the space of a couple of weeks, Tippett has managed to instill a level of structure and discipline that has made Phoenix's game virtually unrecognizable from last season, and certainly a lot more effective than anyone realistically could have imagined.

The new and improved Coyotes were on display in the season opener last weekend in Los Angeles when Tippett's high pressure fore-checking system pushed the Kings' young group of defensemen into turnovers that led directly to three goals in a 6-3 win. And Phoenix was even better in the follow up in Pittsburgh, using its speed and a systematic breakout ability to push the Penguins into nine penalties that kept the host Penguins off balance and off the scoreboard all night. "He's been the best fit for our team right now," Doan said. "To have a guy like that available when the change was made was lucky for us."

More so when you consider Tippett really didn't have to be there. A veteran coach widely respected for his teaching ability and no-nonsense approach to things, Tippett was fired unceremoniously by Dallas' new management in June after averaging more than 45 wins in six seasons and with two more seasons remaining on his contract. Someone with Tippett's pedigree could have waited for another opening, but instead he took what might be described as a leap of faith and has become a steadying force for a team that was in disarray.

"It's not about the paycheck, it's about the challenge that you always look for in this kind of job, that's the fun part," Tippett said. "We have a good group of guys in here who are very focused and determined to prove things to a lot of people and I'm excited to be part of that.

"And I was very fortunate to have someone like Ulf [assistant coach Samuelsson] who is a good friend and a very good coach and thinks along the same lines I do, instilling what he did right from the start of training camp. I think the players have done a phenomenal job blocking out all the distractions and stuff that was in the media. Now it's up to us, and the big thing now is that we're playing and we can control things on the ice."

It doesn't hurt that the Coyotes have backed off a little from the all-out youth movement that characterized the organization's philosophy last season. General manager Don Maloney decided to send top prospects Kyle Turris, Viktor Tikhonov and Kevin Porter to the minors before the coaching change was made. All of them were regulars in the Coyotes lineup last year, but the move gives them a chance to hone their skills at a more appropriate level while the big club fills in the gaps with veterans.

"We're better off this way because we don't have to hope that a bunch of 19- and 20-year-olds get it done for us," Maloney said. "What I like about us now is that everybody's is where they should be."

Including behind the bench, where the ultra organized Tippett was being targeted by the team before he was hired. Maloney said he had an idea in August that Gretzky might end up leaving because of the uncertainty surrounding the club, and began talking to Tippett about the possibility of joining.

"I had a feeling we were going to need a coach, and it was clear there was one guy for us," Maloney said. "Back then, Wayne also thought Dave would be right for this. He's got a quiet strength to him, and knowing what our team looked like, we thought he was a perfect fit."

So far, he has been.