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Tippett calls out Coyotes goalies ... but not just their goalies

Anders Lindback

Anders Lindback

AP

Fair or not, goalies are paid in part to bail their teams out when they make mistakes.

Arizona’s netminders Mike Smith and Anders Lindback have failed in the role of escape valves more than most pairings so far this season, something that Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett admitted after Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

That’s not to say that Tippett threw the netminders under the bus alone, mind you.

Indeed, it would be foolish to pin it all on Smith and Lindback, even with Smith’s paycheck stinging a team that needs to make every buck count.

Arizona came into Sunday in the bottom third in save percentage, yet their possession stats are just as bad (if not worse).

The Coyotes were a fairly popular pick as the worst team in the NHL coming into 2015-16, but that doesn’t ease Tippett’s frustrations. Sometimes the reality of the situation stinks even if most saw it coming a mile away.

It’s tougher to foresee what Tippett can do to improve things, beyond ... being patient?