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Coyotes know there’s room for improvement

Edmonton Oilers v Phoenix Coyotes

during the NHL game at Jobing.com Arena on October 26, 2013 in Glendale, Arizona.

Christian Petersen

The Phoenix Coyotes are 9-2-0 in their last 11 games. They’re scoring lots of goals and beating good teams like San Jose, Vancouver and St. Louis.

They’re also not satisfied.

Take Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime defeat of the Blues. A good win, obviously. But when you look at the shots -- 39-19 for St. Louis -- there’s clearly room for improvement.

“We didn’t get enough players playing at the speed of the game that needed to play,” coach Dave Tippett said, per azcentral.com. “That’s just executing plays under pressure. That’s winning a battle to create an opportunity.”

Despite all the W’s, the Coyotes have been outshot in eight of their last nine games. (Hey, if the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to get called out for winning that way, it’s only fair Phoenix does, too.)

There’s also the fact that four of the Coyotes’ last five victories have come in the shootout. (Take a bow, Radim Vrbata and Antoine Vermette.)

Phoenix is in Chicago tonight to play the defending Stanley Cup champs.

“If we want to be in the upper-class of teams in this league, we’re going to have to improve on some things,” goalie Mike Smith said.

But the wins are nice.