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Don't look now, but the Phoenix Coyotes are the hottest team in the NHL. And no, it's not because they play in the desert.

It's kind of hard to believe that the team consistently known for being inconsistent has put together one of the best starts the NHL has seen in quite some time. Through the team's first 15 games, the Coyotes have only lost twice and tied twice. More impressively, however, is the fact that Phoenix has allowed more than two goals in a game only once this season - an opening night 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

As of press time, the Coyotes are currently riding an 11-game unbeaten streak and haven't allowed an opponent to score more than two goals in 14 straight contest. That 14-game run is an NHL post-expansion record, as the Coyotes are the first team since the Original Six era that has posted such numbers. The 1958-59 Montreal Canadiens held opponents to two goals or less 18 straight times.

Phoenix's streak of good luck is quite a turn of events from the last couple years when the Coyotes struggled just to win two games in a row. The only consistency they had then was that Nikolai Khabibulin would be in goal. But what version of Khabby opponents would see was always in question.

Nikolai Khabibulin by Meredith Martini

This season Khabibulin is back in between the pipes on most nights for the Coyotes. And this time he's been able to show his A game on every occasion. In an era when goaltender statistics have dropped to a minisucule level, Khabibulin's numbers have become darn near invisible. Khabby has posted a 7-2-1 record with a 1.67 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage and one shutout. Jimmy Waite, Khabby's backup, has been no slouch either. He's recorded a 4-0-1 record with a 0.98 GAA, a .962 save percentage and a shutout.

The goaltenders' jobs have been made a lot easier this season with the help of a solid defensive corps. The key to the defense is health. In past years the defense in Phoenix was hampered by injuries, causing an almost constant flow of players to come up from Springfield (AHL). The Coyotes used 14 different defensemen last season, including such household names as Brad Tiley and Sean Gagnon.

That combination doesn't make for much confidence on a team. Especially when you don't even know the names of the guys you're counting on to stop the opposition from getting near your goaltender.

This season has been a different story. The Coyotes' top six defensemen - Keith Carney, Gerald Diduck, Jyrki Lumme, Teppo Numminen, Oleg Tverdovsky and Deron Quint - have played in all 15 of the team's games so far this season. That consistency can do a lot for a team's confidence.

Speaking of consistency, Lumme, who was signed as a free agent in the off-season, has done wonders for the defensive corps. He has scored eight points and has posted a +9 plus/minus ranking. He has also taken a lot of the pressure off Numminen, who had been used to playing 30-35 minutes a game before Lumme arrived.

"We're getting solid play defensively, not just from the goaltenders, but I think from our defensemen," said captain Keith Tkachuk. "You have Jyrki Lumme and Teppo Numminen, they make a big difference. This is the best defense we've ever had in this organization."

So the defense and goaltending are solid. That leaves one question: What about the offense?

In all honesty, it could be a heck of a lot better. Outside of the team's top three forwards - Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick, and Rick Tocchet - the rest of the offense has been sluggish. Roenick leads the team with 18 points (five goals) in 15 games, followed by Tkachuk's 17 points (10 goals) and Tocchet's 14 (seven goals). The oft-injured Dallas Drake has chipped in eight points in 12 games, but from there the Coyotes are getting into slim pickings. The goal output of Juha Ylonen, Bob Corkum, Greg Adams, Daniel Briere, Brad Isbister, Mike Stapleton and Mike Sullivan combined is eight. That's not good. Plus, the power play is one of the poorest in the league, ranked somewhere around No. 24.

More forwards are going to have to step up and score some goals to take the pressure off the team's top three scorers. Adams, in particular, has been a disappointment. He's scored just once this season despite recording 57 goals during the past three seasons with the Dallas Stars.

But while the rest of the offense searches for its scoring touch, the combination of Roenick, Tkachuk, and Tocchet have saved the day.

Tkachuk definitely has been tearing the league up lately. His 10 goals ranks him among the league leaders. And his overall play and attitude have been improving as the season has gone on. That's a big step considering the amount of torture and suffering he went through at the hands of the Phoenix fans at the beginning of the year because of his contract situation. Barry Melrose of ESPN fame even went as far to say that Tkachuk could be the best player in the league right now. That's a bold statement, but there's no doubt the Coyote captain has played some excellent hockey. Tkachuk said he has faced a hard road to win back the people of Phoenix.

"I totally understood it," he said. "I just think half the people were booing me the first game of the year, I knew it was going to happen. I was ready for it.

"But now that we're winning. We're off to a fast start and I think it's been a lot better. There are no more boos. You just have to go out and play well as a team and to produce as an individual to win them back."

Rick Tocchet by Meredith Martini

Roenick and Tocchet have been excellent, as well. Tocchet seems to have regained that step in his game many thought was lost last season. He's pounding people along the boards and is getting into good position in front of the net. Roenick has been flying on all cylinders. He's throwing himself at people all over the ice like the JR Superstar of old and has regained the scoring touch he once had. He's not going to score 50 goals in a season anymore, but Roenick is still a talented player.

All of this adds up to a lot of wins in Phoenix. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Phoenix Coyotes are winning games. And they're doing it on a consistent basis. Those are welcome words for all hockey fans spending their winters in the desert.

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