It’s hard to remember Radim Vrbata’s early-season slump given the year he’s turned in for the Coyotes. But Vrbata remembers.
"I
think I had one goal in my first nine games," he recalled with the same
pinpoint accuracy he’s shown with his shot this season. "Of course, it
was very frustrating, but you have to look at your game -- if you’re
still getting chances -- and I was, so you just go with it. You try to
prepare the same every game, play the same."
The method has
worked for the humble, soft-spoken Vrbata, who tied his career high with
his 27th goal Thursday in a 1-0 win in Los Angeles, moving him within
nine points of his career high of 57 with 24 games still to play.
"Everything
has come together here," Vrbata said. "I like it here in Phoenix. I
like the guys in this room, I like the coaches and we like it here as a
family, so it all goes together."
Vrbata’s production is all the
more amazing when you consider the Coyotes’ dearth of offensive
firepower and the attention it allows teams to focus on him.
"I
think the two stats that stick out the most are nine game-winning goals
and 19 goals on the road,” coach Dave Tippett said. "You look at what
happens, a lot of times on the road those guys are getting the hardest
checkers, and that line of (Martin) Hanzal, (Ray) Whitney, Vrbata --
teams are watching them pretty close."
Vrbata admits that
breaking the 30-goal barrier for the first time in his career would be a
nice feather in his cap. But it’s not his primary (or even secondary)
source of motivation.
"Everybody's here to help the team the way they can," he said. "That's my focus. Nothing else."
That response is music to Tippett’s ears.
"That's
who he is, and that's what makes him a great person and a great player,
and he fits very well with our team," Tippett said. "He's concerned
about how our group does, not how he does personally. He's been a great
fit for us here. It's not just his play -- he's a quiet leader in that
dressing room and very well respected."
