With little to no expectations on them to win much, certainly from many outside of the organization, the Arizona Coyotes opened the NHL regular season with the largest losing margin in franchise history in a season opener, 8-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Ohio.
Defenseman Anton Stralman scored the Coyotes' first goal of the season, at 18:57 of the second period. But by then Arizona trailed 3-0 and the talk of "tanking" for a better shot at the top lottery pick in next year's NHL Entry Draft, already surrounding the Coyotes, increased on social media.
Of course, the Coyotes have pride, with a lot of experienced veterans on the roster to bridge between the present and an organizational rebuild with prospects.