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It’s win-or-go-home time for the Phoenix Coyotes — and whether Coyotes captain Shane Doan plays in game seven of the Western Conference playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings tonight in Glendale is once again a game-time decision.
The team announced yesterday that an upper-body injury that sidelined Doan in game three might still be a problem that could keep him off the ice tonight.
“His will and desire to play is unquestioned; it’s his function to play,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett told reporters yesterday. “These aren’t exhibition games where you can come in and just kind of tiptoe your way in.”
After practice yesterday, Doan told reporters that “it feels pretty good.”
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Doan had a lengthy scoreless streak at the end of the regular season but his physical play in the playoffs has created scoring opportunities for other players, and, at the very least, scared the shit out of the Red Wings.
“You got to be all in in these games, and before he can be a player for us, we’ll have to decide if he’s going to be able to get through that challenge. It’s not a question of his desire to play. If we said, ‘Shane, you’re playing,’ he’d be playing, but it’s a matter of function and making sure he can get the job done,” Tippett continued.
Tonight’s game starts at 6 p.m. The game can be seen on Fox Sports Arizona.
