Vegas good test for Coyotes
Arizona’s exhibition lone tuneup for playoffs
The waiting game is just about over. Now in Edmonton, the Coyotes will get their first taste of NHL action at 7 p.m. Thursday against Vegas in their only exhibition game before their qualifying playoff series against Nashville.
The Coyotes fell into the final slot of exhibition games, with almost every team getting in their tune-up before the Golden Knights and Coyotes square off. In that time, Coyotes players and coaches have been keeping up with their competition and picked up on some trends.
“You’re watching games and the same guys are scoring and some teams are winning by a lot,” coach Rick Tocchet said Wednesday on a conference call. “(Washington’s Alex) Ovechkin scored twice against Carolina and Tampa won 5-0. I don’t know if teams are missing a beat or not. It’s one game watching, but it’s been pretty good hockey for guys who’ve been off for a few months and started training a few weeks ago.”
On his own team, Tocchet said he’s been impressed by forward Clayton Keller and defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson during training camp. Last week in Glendale, Keller scored five times over the course of three scrimmages.
“Clayton Keller has really jumped out and you can tell he’s done his stuff over the pandemic,” Tocchet said. “I really like Hammer and OEL (Oliver Ekman-Larsson). I can name a bunch of guys who’ve had their spots. As a team, I think we’re really starting to get excited and the execution is getting better. A week ago I was getting worried, but I’m seeing better execution.”
One thing that the Coyotes are looking to take away from Thursday night against the Golden Knights is combating a strong forecheck, similar to what they’ll see in their series against the Predators. Both Nashville and Vegas held similar penalty-killing percentages and goals-allowed numbers over the course of the regular season.
Also, Vegas offers the Coyotes a trial run against a team with playoff experience. The Golden Knights have made the playoffs in all three seasons of existence, including a Stanley Cup Final appearance in their inaugural season of 20172018. Nashville made the Final a year earlier. Vegas is one of four teams playing in round-robin games instead of a play-in series.
“We’ve been working on our breakouts a lot in practice and watching video on what Nashville does,” forward Taylor Hall said. “They’ve had a coaching change, so obviously things might’ve changed a little bit, but they’re still a fast team that wants to get on top of you, get the puck in the (offensive) zone and get the puck in their d-mans’ hands. Going against Vegas will give us a measuring stick on how we have to play.”
While the Nashville coaching change in January, from Peter Laviolette to John Hynes, might have shaken things up scouting-wise, Hall gives the Coyotes some insight as to what the Predators might bring to the ice. Hall played for Hynes for three and a half seasons in New Jersey, including one playoff season in 2018.
“If I look back to training camps, playing under Hynzie, it would be playing fast and forechecking,” Hall said. “Sometimes he’ll make adjustments in the neutral zone depending on what team they’re playing. He wants his guys to hunt pucks, be tenacious on the forecheck and be a quick and fast team to play against.”
The Coyotes are focused on starting off quick and making sure all their systems are sound against Vegas. They aren’t expecting a perfect game, but simply to put into action what they learned in camp.
“It’s going to be tough, and we’re not expecting a perfect game by any means, but if we can play fast and play to the qualities we instilled in camp, that’s what we’re looking for,” Hall said. “We just want to get out of this game healthy and feeling good. We’ll get our systems in place, hopefully we’re dialed in with details and how we have to play. From there, lines and d-pairs can feel good together and our goalies can get some touches.”