GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Connor Murphy admitted feeling relieved when the Coyotes' two-game series with Buffalo concluded with a 4-1 Sabres win on Monday night at Gila River Arena.
"Everyone talks about the bottom (of the standings) and about the draft stuff," Murphy said. "It's frustrating when people make it about the losing instead of about the team efforts and about how teams need to play."
Unfortunately for Murphy and the Coyotes, the talk likely lives another day. Buffalo's win -- just its fifth road win in regulation or overtime this season -- pulled the Sabres within four points of 29th place Arizona in the race for the last spot in the NHL standings and the guarantee of drafting either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel, two centers presumed to be franchise-altering players.
Buffalo has six games remaining; the Coyotes have five.
"There was certainly a lot more of that talk in Buffalo but for us, it's just another game where you have to show up and play," Coyotes forward David Moss said. "The circumstances are what they are. As a player, you try not to worry about that aspect of it. You try to prepare like a professional and go out and do your job."
"We couldn't win battles down low in the offensive zone and sustain anything," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "And we were sloppy with the puck in the rest of the ice. That's where we're at."
Arizona has lost 17 of its past 18 home games (1-15-2) and has dropped eight straight, which is one short of the franchise record set earlier this season. With just two home games left this season, the Coyotes are still stuck on 10 home victories. That would be the lowest total since the franchise relocated to the Valley in 1996, eclipsing the 11 the team posted in 2003-04. The franchise record belongs to the 1980-81 Jets who had just seven home wins.
The loss spoiled another spectacular effort from goalie Mike Smith, who stopped 32 of 24 shots.
"We didn't come to work, obviously," Murphy said. "We left Smitty out to dry and didn't show the effort that we need to in front of our own home crowd. We got the result that was deserved for how we played."
The Coyotes will have three days off before their next game on Friday at San Jose. Tippett plans to use them constructively.
"We won't practice (Tuesday) but the next two days we've got a plan in order; some things that we want to kind of tweak," Tippett said. "We've needed a couple practices here for a while."
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