The Phoenix Coyotes may just have something going here.

Two games into the season, a team that has the playoffs set in their sights, have shown it playing excellent hockey on the way to 2-0 record in a very young NHL season.

In an opener to a season that the team and its fans hope will end in the team's first playoff appearance since 2002 the Coyotes looked dominate in a 3-1 victory over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.

Olli Jokinen, the center Phoenix acquired in an offseason deal with the Florida Panthers, made his presence felt early scoring the game's first goal less than 7 minutes into the game off a beautiful feed by rookie Kyle Turris with the team on the power play. Jokinen added an assist on a first period power play score by Peter Mueller and Keith Yandle slapped home a tally in the second as the team looked to get the season started on the right foot.

The Coyotes showed off their speed and displayed an incredible amount of toughness handing out several bone crushing hits to the Blue Jackets who just seemed to lose steam after Yandle's goal made it 3-1. Goal tender Ilya Bryzgalov was solid in the net for the 'Yotes only giving up a power play goal where he had a Blue Jackets player draped all over him blocking his vision.

An impressive victory that had a scout for an opposing team telling me during the game that he thought the Coyotes looked "much improved" and that their chances of making the playoffs were "very good".

Getting the first win was definitely a start in the right direction, especially when the win came at home where the team had a horrific record last season and was the number one reason Shane Doan gave when asked why the team didn't reach the playoffs.

The momentum from that victory carried over to the next night's road tilt against the Anaheim Ducks where the Coyotes took it to the home team in a 4-2 thrashing with Captain Shane Doan leading the way with his first two goals of the season and also getting goals from Kyle Turris and 2008 first round draft pick Mikkel Boedker, career first for both players.

In both games scored the team continued trends from last season that led to victories. The Coyotes scored first, which led to a 27-4-4 record last season. They also outshot their opponents, a stat that led to a 21-16-2 record when doing the same last season.

After both games the players and coaches were of course careful not to get carried away with two wins.

"Every day is a learning experience for us," Head Coach Wayne Gretzky said after the victory over the Ducks. "To get wins like this is a big step. Listen, we have a long way to go and we know that, but we're very proud of where we are right now."

Doan echoed his coaches sentiments about a 2-0 record, "Talk to me again after 20 games, but at the same time, we have the capabilities of being really special".

Even with the careful comments there is a different feeling about and surrounding the team, something that has been missing the past few seasons. Newcomer Olli Jokinen said it best after the Anaheim game.

"I don't know what it was like before I got here, but we believe we have the chance to win every game."

So far the team has shown they have better then just a "chance" to win every game and with every victory the Coyotes will continue to add to the expectation of a playoff appearance at the end of the season.

For now the expectations seem well founded. Whether the Coyotes live up to them is a different story but for two games at least, the story is a good one.