# 2011–12 Phoenix Coyotes season

The 2011–12 Phoenix Coyotes season was the franchise's 33rd season in the National Hockey League (NHL), their 40th overall and the 16th in Phoenix, Arizona.

## Off-season

On May 10, 2011, the Glendale City Council voted (by a 5–2 count) to keep the Coyotes in Arizona for the 2011–12 season on an interim basis while it tried to find a new owner to keep the team in Glendale. Before this vote, there was widespread speculation that the team would be re-locating back to Winnipeg as the Jets before the start of the 2011–12 NHL season. Potential owner Matthew Hulsizer ended his bid to purchase the Coyotes on June 27, leaving no current potential buyers of the team, once again leaving the Coyotes' future in question.
Pending free agent goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers prior to the start of free agency.
The Coyotes ended their minor-league affiliation with the San Antonio Rampage and signed an affiliation with the Portland Pirates.

## Regular season

The Coyotes finished with their third straight 90-point season, with 97 points. On April 7, 2012, the Coyotes defeated the Minnesota Wild with a score of 4–1 to win the Pacific Division title—their first and only division title as an NHL team.

## Playoffs

As Pacific Division champions, the Coyotes were the third seed in the Western Conference. They faced the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, and defeated them in six games for the franchise's first playoff series win since 1987, when as the Winnipeg Jets, they defeated the Calgary Flames in the first round. The Coyotes defeated the fourth-seeded Nashville Predators in five games to advance to the first Western Conference Final in franchise history. The eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings knocked the Coyotes out of the playoffs in five games. This was the only season where the Coyotes advanced beyond the round of 16 teams, won two playoff series, and reached the Conference Finals before eventually suspending operations in 2024.

## Standings

Pacific Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | y – Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 42 | 27 | 13 | 36 | 216 | 204 | +12 | 97 |
| 2 | x – San Jose Sharks | 82 | 43 | 29 | 10 | 34 | 228 | 210 | +18 | 96 |
| 3 | x – Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 40 | 27 | 15 | 34 | 194 | 179 | +15 | 95 |
| 4 | Dallas Stars | 82 | 42 | 35 | 5 | 35 | 211 | 222 | −11 | 89 |
| 5 | Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 31 | 204 | 231 | −27 | 80 |
Western Conference :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | NW | p – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 51 | 22 | 9 | 43 | 249 | 198 | +51 | 111 |
| 2 | CE | y – St. Louis Blues | 82 | 49 | 22 | 11 | 45 | 210 | 165 | +45 | 109 |
| 3 | PA | y – Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 42 | 27 | 13 | 36 | 216 | 204 | +12 | 97 |
| 4 | CE | x – Nashville Predators | 82 | 48 | 26 | 8 | 43 | 237 | 210 | +27 | 104 |
| 5 | CE | x – Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 48 | 28 | 6 | 39 | 248 | 203 | +45 | 102 |
| 6 | CE | x – Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 45 | 26 | 11 | 38 | 248 | 238 | +10 | 101 |
| 7 | PA | x – San Jose Sharks | 82 | 43 | 29 | 10 | 34 | 228 | 210 | +18 | 96 |
| 8 | PA | x – Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 40 | 27 | 15 | 34 | 194 | 179 | +15 | 95 |
| 9 | NW | Calgary Flames | 82 | 37 | 29 | 16 | 34 | 202 | 226 | −24 | 90 |
| 10 | PA | Dallas Stars | 82 | 42 | 35 | 5 | 35 | 211 | 222 | −11 | 89 |
| 11 | NW | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 41 | 35 | 6 | 32 | 208 | 220 | −12 | 88 |
| 12 | NW | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 177 | 226 | −49 | 81 |
| 13 | PA | Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 31 | 204 | 231 | −27 | 80 |
| 14 | NW | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 27 | 212 | 239 | −27 | 74 |
| 15 | CE | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 29 | 46 | 7 | 25 | 202 | 262 | −60 | 65 |

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2011–12 Game Log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

Key: Win Loss
2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Ray Whitney | 82 | 24 | 53 | 77 | 26 | 28 |
| Radim Vrbata | 77 | 35 | 27 | 62 | 24 | 24 |
| Shane Doan | 79 | 22 | 28 | 50 | −8 | 48 |
| Keith Yandle | 82 | 11 | 32 | 43 | 5 | 51 |
| Lauri Korpikoski | 82 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 3 | 14 |
| Martin Hanzal | 64 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 12 | 63 |
| Oliver Ekman-Larsson | 82 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 0 | 32 |
| Daymond Langkow | 73 | 11 | 19 | 30 | −4 | 14 |
| Raffi Torres | 79 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 2 | 83 |
| Mikkel Boedker | 82 | 11 | 13 | 24 | −2 | 12 |
| Boyd Gordon | 75 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 9 | 10 |
| Taylor Pyatt | 73 | 9 | 10 | 19 | −4 | 23 |
| Kyle Chipchura | 53 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 2 | 42 |
| Gilbert Brule | 33 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 11 |
| Rostislav Klesla | 65 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 54 |
| Michal Rozsival | 54 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 34 |
| David Schlemko | 46 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 10 |
| Derek Morris | 59 | 2 | 9 | 11 | −12 | 38 |
| Antoine Vermette$^†$ | 22 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 16 |
| Adrian Aucoin | 64 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 42 |
| Cal O'Reilly$^{†‡}$ | 22 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −5 | 2 |
| Patrick O'Sullivan | 23 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −4 | 2 |
| Marc-Antoine Pouliot | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −2 | 2 |
| Chris Summers | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −4 | 11 |
| Michael Stone | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| David Rundblad$^†$ | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −1 | 0 |
| Paul Bissonnette | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −4 | 41 |
| Petteri Nokelainen$^‡$ | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| Andy Miele | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 6 |
| Matt Watkins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| Alexandre Bolduc | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| Kyle Turris$^‡$ | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 4 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Antoine Vermette | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | −2 | 24 |
| Shane Doan | 16 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 41 |
| Keith Yandle | 16 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 10 |
| Rostislav Klesla | 15 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 4 |
| Mikkel Boedker | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Ray Whitney | 16 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −1 | 10 |
| Daymond Langkow | 16 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 4 |
| Derek Morris | 16 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 24 |
| Taylor Pyatt | 16 | 4 | 2 | 6 | −5 | 2 |
| Martin Hanzal | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 29 |
| Radim Vrbata | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −3 | 8 |
| Kyle Chipchura | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 |
| Oliver Ekman-Larsson | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −3 | 8 |
| Gilbert Brule | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Adrian Aucoin | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Raffi Torres | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Boyd Gordon | 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 6 |
| Marc-Antoine Pouliot | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Michal Rozsival | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 2 |
| Paul Bissonnette | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Lauri Korpikoski | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 2 |
| David Schlemko | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Stone | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | OTL | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Mike Smith | 67 | 3903 | 38 | 18 | 10 | 144 | 2.21 | 2066 | .930 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| Jason LaBarbera | 19 | 1015 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 43 | 2.54 | 486 | .912 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Curtis McElhinney$^‡$ | 2 | 72 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.67 | 36 | .944 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Mike Smith | 16 | 1027 | 9 | 7 | 34 | 1.99 | 602 | .944 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Coyotes. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only. $^‡$Traded mid-season. Bold/italics denotes franchise record.
    Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
    Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

## Awards and records
### Awards

Regular Season :
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Mike Smith | NHL First Star of the Week | February 13, 2012 |
| Mike Smith | NHL First Star of the Month | February 2012 |
| Mike Smith | NHL Third Star of the Week | April 2, 2012 |
| Mike Smith | NHL First Star of the Week | April 9, 2012 |

### Milestones

Regular season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Raffi Torres | 100th Career NHL Assist | October 13, 2011 |
| Andy Miele | 1st Career NHL Game | October 23, 2011 |
| Shane Doan | 300th Career NHL Goal | October 25, 2011 |
| Martin Hanzal | 300th Career NHL Game | November 10, 2011 |
| Keith Yandle | 300th Career NHL Game | November 17, 2011 |
| Taylor Pyatt | 700th Career NHL Game | November 19, 2011 |
| Ray Whitney | 600th Career NHL Assist | December 8, 2011 |
| Cal O'Reilly | 100th Career NHL Game | December 26, 2011 |
| David Schlemko | 100th Career NHL Game | December 29, 2011 |
| Shane Doan | 1st Career NHL Hat Trick | January 7, 2012 |
| Boyd Gordon | 400th Career NHL Game | January 13, 2012 |
| Boyd Gordon | 100th Career NHL Point | January 16, 2012 |
| Chris Summers | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | January 16, 2012 |
| Kyle Chipchura | 200th Career NHL Game | January 21, 2012 |
| Mike Smith | 200th Career NHL Game | January 24, 2012 |
| Oliver Ekman-Larsson | 100th Career NHL Game | February 4, 2012 |
| Ray Whitney | 1,200th Career NHL Game | February 6, 2012 |
| Rostislav Klesla | 100th Career NHL Assist | February 7, 2012 |
| Michael Stone | 1st Career NHL Game | February 18, 2012 |
| Matt Watkins | 1st Career NHL Game | February 21, 2012 |
| Martin Hanzal | 100th Career NHL Assist | February 25, 2012 |
| Radim Vrbata | 200th Career NHL Assist | March 5, 2012 |
| Michael Stone | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | March 8, 2012 |
| Michael Stone | 1st Career NHL Goal | March 10, 2012 |
| Dave Tippett | 400th Career NHL Win (coach) | March 19, 2012 |
| Mikkel Boedker | 200th Career NHL Game | March 20, 2012 |
| Mike Smith | 100th Career NHL Win | March 22, 2012 |
| Lauri Korpikoski | 100th Career NHL Point | March 24, 2012 |
| Daymond Langkow | 400th Career NHL Assist | March 24, 2012 |
| Derek Morris | 1,000th Career NHL Game | March 25, 2012 |
| Ray Whitney | 1,000th Career NHL Point | March 31, 2012 |
| Lauri Korpikoski | 300th Career NHL Game | April 7, 2012 |

## Transactions

The Coyotes have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| May 8, 2011 | To New York Rangers Oscar Lindberg | To Phoenix Coyotes Ethan Werek |
| June 7, 2011 | To Philadelphia Flyers Ilya Bryzgalov | To Phoenix Coyotes Matt Clackson 3rd-round pick in 2012 Future conditional draft pick |
| June 25, 2011 | To Tampa Bay Lightning 7th-round pick in 2011 | To Phoenix Coyotes Marc-Antoine Pouliot |
| August 29, 2011 | To Calgary Flames Lee Stempniak | To Phoenix Coyotes Daymond Langkow |
| September 8, 2011 | To Florida Panthers Justin Bernhardt | To Phoenix Coyotes Marc Cheverie |
| October 23, 2011 | To Montreal Canadiens Petteri Nokelainen Garrett Stafford | To Phoenix Coyotes Brock Trotter 7th-round pick in 2012 |
| October 28, 2011 | To Nashville Predators 4th-round pick in 2012 | To Phoenix Coyotes Cal O'Reilly |
| December 17, 2012 | To Ottawa Senators Kyle Turris | To Phoenix Coyotes David Rundblad 2nd-round pick in 2012 |
| February 22, 2012 | To Columbus Blue Jackets Curtis McElhinney 2nd-round pick in 2012 Conditional 5th-round pick in 2013 | To Phoenix Coyotes Antoine Vermette |
Player signings
PlayerDateContract terms
Ethan WerekMay 19, 20113 years, $2.17 million entry-level contract
Louis DomingueJune 1, 20113 years, $1.74 million entry-level contract
Jordan SzwarzJune 1, 20113 years, $1.84006 million entry-level contract
Justin WellerJune 2, 20113 years, $1.695 million entry-level contract
Jason LaBarberaJune 6, 20112 years, $2.5 million
Radim VrbataJuly 2, 20113 years, $9 million
Keith YandleJuly 5, 20115 years, $26.5 million
Matt WatkinsJuly 6, 20111 year, $550,000
Brett MacLeanJuly 19, 20111 year, $735,000
Marc-Antoine PouliotJuly 19, 20111 year, $605,000
Matt BeaudoinJuly 19, 20111 year, $525,000
Lauri KorpikoskiJuly 20, 20112 years, $3.6 million
Connor MurphyAugust 4, 20113 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Viktor TikhonovAugust 10, 20111 year, $826,875
Mikkel BoedkerAugust 18, 20112 years, $2.2 million
Paul BissonnetteOctober 5, 20112 years, $1.475 million contract extension
Martin HanzalOctober 6, 20115 years, $15.5 million contract extension
Kyle TurrisNovember 22, 20112 years, $2.8 million
Chris BrownMarch 29, 20123 years, $2.56 million entry-level contract
Mike LeeMarch 29, 20123 years, $1.92 million entry-level contract
Phil LaneMay 29, 20123 years, $1.75 million entry-level contract :

## Draft picks

Phoenix's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/junior/club team (league) |
| 1 | 20 | Connor Murphy | D | United States | U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL) |
| 2 | 51 | Alexander Ruutu | C | Finland | Jokerit (SM-liiga) |
| 2 | 56 (from Philadelphia) | Lucas Lessio | LW | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 3 | 84 (from Pittsburgh) | Harrison Ruopp | D | Canada | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
| 4 | 111 | Kale Kessy | LW | Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) |
| 5 | 141 | Darian Dziurzynski | LW | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) |
| 6 | 155 (from NY Islanders) | Andrew Fritsch | RW | Canada | Owen Sound Attack (OHL) |
| 7 | 196 (from NY Rangers) | Zac Larraza | LW | United States | U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL) |