azcentral sports Sun Mar 2, 2014 9:18 PM

Before it was time to return to the ice for the second period of Friday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, Coyotes center Mike Ribeiro poked his head out from the tunnel that led to the team’s bench and surveyed the ice.

Once he ducked back into the hallway, he slapped his stick against the wall and then mimicked taking a shot. Once, twice and then again.

In the first period, the Avalanche scored a power-play goal while Ribeiro was in the box for hooking, and he seemed eager to atone for that mistake. But he never really got the chance.

Ribeiro was tagged with an unsportsmanlike minor penalty in the second period for arguing with an official. While he was in the box, he tapped his stick against the glass and was given a 10-minute misconduct.

“I might have said something,” Ribeiro said Sunday. “I don’t think it was that offensive, but they still called it. But the 10 minutes, I’m still in shock about it, and it’s not like I was yelling. I just hit the glass softly. It was shocking to see he called that, but maybe I gave them too much power to make those decisions.”

Ribeiro was eligible to return in the third period, but he was benched for the remainder of the game by coach Dave Tippett. Before the Coyotes took to the ice for a morning skate Sunday, Ribeiro apologized to his teammates for his behavior.

“Obviously not being on the ice for 25 minutes hurt the team, and it’s not something I wanted to do,” Ribeiro said. “But it did happen, and it’s something I don’t want to happen again. I’m here to help the team win. Probably being in the box that long, I’m not doing it. I think we had a talk, and it’s good to talk and put things on the table and move forward, and I think I did that this morning.”

Expectations for Ribeiro were piled high upon his arrival via free agency last summer, and it’s hard to criticize his impact on the Coyotes. Entering play Sunday, Ribeiro was the team’s top points getter with 41, and he’s no doubt helped improve a power play that sat among the league’s poorer ones the past two seasons.

“Obviously, offensively, I’m sure he wants more,” captain Shane Doan said. “We all want more offense, but he’s leading the team in scoring. Off the ice, he’s fit in. He’s one of the guys everybody enjoys. He’s a guy who’s uniquely different than everybody and at the same time is so enjoyable.”

But with the Coyotes vying for a playoff spot, the spotlight on Ribeiro has increased. He regularly finds himself in shooting positions, yet his playmaking instincts take over.

Ribeiro ranked ninth on the Coyotes with 92 shots before Sunday’s game.

“Obviously, people have been telling me that for years, to shoot more,” he said. “I’m always trying to find a way to create that play that I think’s the best play.”

Ribeiro had three shot attempts Friday, a step in the right direction in his mind, but he also doesn’t plan to change his style too much.

“I think just keep working and create turnovers, and I think that’s where it comes from, and we did that, our line, for the last two games — or a game and a half,” Ribeiro said. “Hopefully we can keep pushing and help create offense for the team and help the team win.”

Up next

Coyotes vs. Canucks

When: Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Where: Jobing.com Arena.

TV/radio: FSAZ Plus/KTAR-AM (620), KPKX-FM (98.7).