Soderberg's Perspective Could be a Key Against Colorado

Rick Tocchet chuckled and said, jokingly, "Carl Soderberg is going to be rooming with me for the next two-three days."
Tocchet smiled when he said that during a conference call Sunday about the Coyotes' playoff opponent, the Avalanche, a team Soderberg knows well. The Coyotes' forward spent the previous four years with Colorado, two of which included playoff runs.
"We're really going to pick his brain," Tocchet added. "He knows this Avalanche team, their tendencies. He'll almost be another coach for us in the next couple of days."
Saturday afternoon, the Avalanche lost in overtime to the Golden Knights, establishing them as the Coyotes' first-round opponent. Colorado finished with the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference; Vegas earned the No. 1 seed. The Golden Knights will play the No. 12 seed Blackhawks.

The dates and times for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have not yet been released.
Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet watched the game without rooting for either team.
"Didn't matter either way," he said. "Both are top echelon teams, pick your poison. Either team is dangerous, so I wasn't picking. Didn't matter to me, it was more of a scouting thing for me."
Derek Stepan echoed Tocchet's consideration of Soderberg's newly assessed value. He praised Soderberg's smarts. The Coyotes acquired the veteran power forward in a trade with Colorado last June.

"I want to pick Carl's brain every single day," Stepan said. "And not just for the Avalanche. Carl is one of the most interesting guys to me. He brings so much to the table, just with day-to-day conversation. And then you add the hockey aspect to it. He's a veteran guy. He's been around a long time. His game is molded to be playing this time of the year, and he was a big part of our series win against Nashville. He's a huge add for us, and we're going to need him big time here, going against Colorado."
Arizona previously played Colorado on November 2, more than nine months ago. Tocchet and his staff re-introduced themselves to the Avalanche on Saturday evening.
"They've got one of the best players in the world (in Nathan MacKinnon)," Tocchet said. "(Cale) Makar on defense, he's world-class. (Gabriel) Landeskog is a two-way, gritty forward who can score. They've got a high-powered offense. Their stats, I think they're fourth in the league in scoring, goals-for, and Top 10 in shots."
The Avalanche ranked No. 4 in scoring this year, averaging 3.37 goals per game; they are No. 9 in shots with 32.2 per game.
"Defensively, I think they're sixth in the league," Tocchet added. "They're Top 10 in everything. So, it's quite a challenge for us. Saying that, it's going to be exciting for our young guys to play against these guys."
The Coyotes' young corps comes into the series after gaining a valuable dose of experience.
"That maturation curve just develops quicker when you put these guys in those positions," Tocchet said. "That Nashville series for us, there was a lot of pressure, a lot of situational stuff, a lot of heat, and that's the stuff you want these guys to go under."
Seven Coyote players registered their first-career playoff points in the qualifiers; five scored their first playoff goals.
"Going into the next round, it's going to get harder," Tocchet said. "I talked about it today: 'If you think the other series was hard, it's only going to get harder and harder.' I think guys are ready for it, I think they understand it."
Oliver Ekman-Larsson feels the Coyotes are in good hands with the plans in place.

"It's going to be a good challenge for us," Ekman-Larsson said. "But I'm feeling good about our team. Everyone bought in from Day One. So, we're going to go out, work hard, and do whatever we can do to win the series."
Of the Avalanche, Stepan added: "They have (skill) throughout their entire lineup, but they defend extremely hard, too. They're one of the best teams at defending. They've got shot blockers. We certainly have our hands full. This is one of the best teams in the NHL, so we better be ready to play."

Lead Photo Credit: Andy Devlin - NHLI via Getty Images // Second Photo Credit: Andy Devlin - NHLI via Getty Images //Third Photo Credit: Matthew Stockman - NHLI via Getty Images // Fourth Photo Credit: Dave Sandford - NHLI via Getty Images // Footer Photo Credit: Michael Martin - NHLI via Getty Images