Unlike the more recent Coyotes teams, the earlier Coyotes were good offensively. This series showed that for sure. The 5th-seeded ’97-’98 Coyotes held a 5-4 lead going into the third period of Game 1. However, Mike Gartner scored a PP goal at the 4:25 mark of the third to tie the game for the 4th-seeded ’96-’97 Coyotes. They got the PP after Gerald Diduck received a 5-10-and a game for elbowing. So, Game 1 went into overtime and then Gartner scored the overtime winner nearly five and a half minutes in for the ’97-’98 Coyotes. The ’96-’97 Coyotes responded by taking Game 2, 6-1. Dallas Drake and defensemen Oleg Tverdovsky and Teppo Numminen all posted three points in the win. The ’96-’97 Coyotes kept the momentum going in Game 3 by winning 5-2. Jeremy Roenick scored two goals and defensemen Dave Manson and Diduck both tallied two assists. Then, three goals in both the first and second periods led the ’97-’98 Coyotes to a 6-4 win. Roenick and Tverdovsky both posted two goals in the win.
The ’96-’97 Coyotes held a 2-1 win in Game 5, but then they scored three goals in the third to finish off a 5-1 win. In Game 6, the ’97-’98 Coyotes dominated the scoreboard 7-1, despite being outshot. Cliff Ronning led the offense with two goals and two assists while Roenick and Gartner both potted two goals themselves. The ’97-’98 Coyotes then scored four goals in the first period of Game 7. Numminen and Rick Tocchet accounted for all four goals with each potting twice. After each team scored a goal in the second, the ’97-’98 Coyotes held a 5-2 lead heading into the third while outshooting the ’96-’97 Coyotes 46-27. The domination even picked up in the third for the ’97-’98 Coyotes, but it was the ’96-’97 Coyotes who would take advantage of their scoring chances. Roenick, along with Craig Janney and Kris King, scored for the ’96-’97 Coyotes to cut the lead down to 5-4. In the final minute of the game, the ’96-’97 Coyotes pulled goaltender Pat Jablonski who replaced the starter in the second, but Keith Tkachuk potted an empty-netter to seal the win and the series for the ’97-’98 Coyotes.
| 1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
| ’97-’98 Coyotes | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| ’96-’97 Coyotes | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
GAME SUMMARY: ’97-’98 PHX – 6 ’96-’97 PHX – 5 (OT) (1-0 ’97-’98 PHX)
STARS OF THE GAME:
1st Star: D – Teppo Numminen (’97-’98 PHX) – 1 G 3 A 4 P +2 4 S
2nd Star: C – Jeremy Roenick (’97-’98 PHX) – 2 G 1 A 3 P +2 7 S
3rd Star: LW – Kris King (’96-’97 PHX) – 1 G 1 A 2 P +2 2 S
| 1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
| ’97-’98 Coyotes | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| ’96-’97 Coyotes | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 5 |
GAME SUMMARY: ’96-’97 PHX – 5 ’97-’98 PHX – 1 (1-1)
STARS OF THE GAME:
1st Star: D – Oleg Tverdovsky (’96-’97 PHX) – 1 G 2 A 3 P +4 3 S
2nd Star: RW – Dallas Drake (’96-’97 PHX) – 1 G 2 A 3 P +3 7 S
3rd Star: D – Teppo Numminen (’96-’97 PHX) – 0 G 3 A 3 P +4 4 S
| 1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
| ’96-’97 Coyotes | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 5 |
| ’97-’98 Coyotes | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | 2 |
GAME SUMMARY: ’96-’97 PHX – 5 ’97-’98 PHX – 2 (2-1 ’96-’97 PHX)
STARS OF THE GAME:
1st Star: G – Nikolai Khabibulin (’96-’97 PHX) – W 2.00 GAA .962 SV% (51 SV’s)
2nd Star: C – Jeremy Roenick (’96-’97 PHX) – 2 G 0 A 2 P +2 9 S
3rd Star: D – Gerald Diduck (’96-’97 PHX) – 0 G 2 A 2 P +3 2 S
| 1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
| ’96-’97 Coyotes | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 4 |
| ’97-’98 Coyotes | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 |
GAME SUMMARY: ’97-’98 PHX – 6 ’96-’97 PHX – 4 (2-2)
STARS OF THE GAME:
1st Star: LW – Keith Tkachuk (’97-’98 PHX) – 3 G 1 A 4 P Even 10 S 2 PIM
2nd Star: RW – Rick Tocchet (’97-’98 PHX) – 2 G 0 A 2 P +1 5 S 2 PIM
3rd Star: D – Oleg Tverdovsky (’96-’97 PHX) – 2 G 0 A 2 P -1 4 S
| 1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
| ’97-’98 Coyotes | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| ’96-’97 Coyotes | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | 5 |
GAME SUMMARY: ’96-’97 PHX – 5 ’97-’98 PHX – 1 (3-2 ’96-’97 PHX)
STARS OF THE GAME:
1st Star: G – Nikolai Khabibulin (’96-’97 PHX) – W 1.00 GAA .977 SV% (43 SV’s)
2nd Star: C – Craig Janney (’96-’97 PHX) – 2 G 0 A 2 P +2 4 S
3rd Star: RW – Mike Gartner (’96-’97 PHX) – 0 G 2 A 2 P +2 2 S
| 1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
| ’96-’97 Coyotes | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 1 |
| ’97-’98 Coyotes | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | 7 |
GAME SUMMARY: ’97-’98 PHX – 7 ’96-’97 PHX – 1 (3-3)
STARS OF THE GAME:
1st Star: C – Cliff Ronning (’97-’98 PHX) – 2 G 1 A 4 P +3 8 S
2nd Star: G – Nikolai Khabibulin (’97-’98 PHX) – W 1.00 GAA .977 SV% (42 SV’s)
3rd Star: RW – Mike Gartner (’97-’98 PHX) – 2 G 0 A 2 P +3 3 S
| 1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
| ’97-’98 Coyotes | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 6 |
| ’96-’97 Coyotes | 0 | 1 | 3 | — | 4 |
GAME SUMMARY: ’97-’98 PHX – 6 ’96-’97 PHX – 4 (4-3 ’97-’98 PHX)
STARS OF THE GAME:
1st Star: D – Teppo Numminen (’97-’98 PHX) – 2 G 3 A 5 P +3 9 S
2nd Star: LW – Keith Tkachuk (’97-’98 PHX) – 2 G 2 A 4 P +2 11 S
3rd Star: G – Pat Jablonski (’96-’97 PHX) – ND 0.00 GAA 1.000 SV% (33 SV’s); Replaced starter Nikolai Khabibulin at the 14:21 mark of the second period
Up next is the 2-7 matchup between the ’09-’10 Coyotes and the ’99-’00 Coyotes!
