As the calendar on the NHL’s 2018-19 season flipped to January, the Arizona Coyotes found themselves uncomfortably close to the bottom of the standings. With 17 wins and 36 points in 39 games, the Desert Dogs were just two points from the bottom of the league.
Over the following three months, however, the Coyotes became one of the league’s hottest teams. They won 22 of their next 43 games to finish the season with 86 points, just four points short of a wild-card spot.
It was a significant improvement over last season’s 70-point campaign.