from Sarah McLellan of azcentral sports,

This week the team will cram a four-game road trip that starts Monday in Pittsburgh against the Penguins in six days, wrapping up Saturday in Minnesota for a matinee against the Wild.

And to help them identify how those gaps on the calendar can best be utilized as practices, optional sessions or complete rest days, the Coyotes have adopted more resources to have objective data point them in the right direction.

“It’s just showing our players that we’re willing to do whatever it takes, big and small,” General Manager John Chayka said. “Give them the best experience and make sure they feel cared for and that we’re willing to do whatever it takes to optimize their health.”

All season long, the Coyotes have been measuring their players’ heart rates to keep tabs on their workloads and how they recover. They purchased standard heart-rate monitors for each player and enlisted a company called Firstbeat to capture the results.

Firstbeat has done extensive research in hockey, Coyotes strength and conditioning coordinator JP Major said, and is used by about 10-12 other NHL teams.

read on