Is NHL’s next rivalry in desert?
Neighbors Arizona, Vegas set for Round 2
After goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had been selected by the Vegas Golden Knights from the Penguins in the expansion draft and Rick Tocchet became the Coyotes’ newest head coach following a stint as an assistant in Pittsburgh, Fleury texted Tocchet.
“Let’s start a rivalry,” Fleury said. The two teams have proximity covered, not only because they’re neighbors in the southwest but also in the Pacific Division, but a back-and-forth struggle that has the competitive edge rotating sides is also a key ingredient.
That part of the equation is still a work in progress since Arizona and Vegas have met only once, but it can start to develop as soon as Tuesday when the Coyotes visit the Golden Knights for their inaugural home game at T-Mobile Arena.
“We’re both trying to climb the ladder, so you should be able to butt heads,” Tocchet said. “Who wants to get to the ladder quicker?”
Vegas lassoed the first wave of momentum in the five-game series with a 2-1 overtime win Saturday at Gila River Arena, a rally the Golden Knights triggered late in the third before scoring the game-winner in the extra period even though they had control of the game much earlier.
Despite the sometimes lopsided feel to the action, neither team ran away on the scoreboard – suggesting this matchup has the makings to be a tight battle.
Both were boosted by strong goaltending, with the Coyotes’ Antti Raanta posting 40 saves in his team debut and Fleury turning aside 27 of 28 shots he faced.
Each netminder’s performance was impressive.
“That was super,” Tocchet said. “Those two guys went at it. It’s like two ace starting pitchers went at it, and it was who was going to budge. Those guys played great.”
Arizona has the potential to go with a different offensive look Tuesday.
Winger Jordan Martinook is questionable to play after getting banged up Saturday. He didn’t practice Monday, taking a maintenance day to deal with his lowerbody issue.
And the team recalled winger Mario Kempe from the American Hockey League and assigned center Dylan Strome to the Tucson Roadrunners.
Strome went pointless in two games after making the team out of training camp in his first year pro.
“He’s definitely an NHL player,” Tocchet said. “But what’s the right path to do it? I think this is the best path right now.”
The third overall pick in 2015 also made the Coyotes’ initial roster last season and appeared in seven games before being returned to junior. Now, the 20-year-old has the option to develop in the minors – which is the motive behind his demotion, as Tocchet wants Strome to play more minutes in more situations while trying to make faster decisions, be strong on the puck and in the right positions.
He’ll merit another look with the Coyotes if he accomplishes that. But when that happens is unclear.
“I don’t think he was horrible,” said Tocchet, who figured Strome is disappointed and plans to have lunch with him. “He’s gotta get a little quicker into situations, little quicker thinking. He’s a young kid. There’s some learning curves, but I think he’s had a nice camp for us, too. I think he made some strides.”
Kempe was among the final cuts at camp, a somewhat surprising move since he was a speedy presence on the wings. But his two-way contract made him a flexible option in the organization, a situation Kempe understood even though he was disappointed. He had a goal and two assists in one game with the Roadrunners after racking up 39 goals and 83 points in 166 games in the Kontinental Hockey League the previous three seasons.
“We need energy guys that are going to stop on pucks and keep pucks alive,” Tocchet said. “He’s on the bench, you call his number, you know he’s going to buzz around there. That’s infectious.”
The Coyotes have yet to roll out a combination that produces the first win of the season, as they’ve started 0-1-1.
If they find that lineup for Tuesday, they might achieve more than two points in the standings.
Arizona could also start to stoke a duel with Vegas.
“They are a rival team for us now, and I hope we get that feeling going now,” Kempe said. “They won the last game, so we gotta step up now and get that win in their building this time.”