5 questions for Coyotes in Stanley Cup Qualifiers

NHL.com is looking ahead to the Stanley Cup Qualifiers by examining five of the biggest questions facing each of the 24 remaining teams. Today, we look at the Arizona Coyotes.

The Arizona Coyotes were 33-29-8 (.529 points percentage) and will enter the Stanley Cup Qualifiers as the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference. They will play the No. 6 seed, the Nashville Predators (35-26-8, .565 points percentage), in one of eight best-of-5 series.
The West qualifiers will start Aug. 1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Here are 5 key questions facing the Coyotes:

1. Is Taylor Hall ready to make an impact?

The left wing was acquired in a trade from the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 16 and led Arizona with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 35 games from Dec. 17 until the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. The Coyotes finished 23rd in the NHL in scoring (2.71 goals per game). Hall will need to make a big impact for them to win the qualifier series.

2. Will Phil Kessel again thrive in a big-game setting?

Kessel, acquired in a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 29, 2019, scored 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 70 games after he scored 82 points (27 goals, 55 assists) in 82 games last season. But don't be surprised if the right wing finds his scoring touch in the qualifier series. Kessel, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh (2016, 2017), has scored 77 points (33 goals, 44 assists) in 87 Stanley Cup Playoff games; his average of 0.89 points per game is sixth among active NHL players with at least 70 postseason games.

3. Will Darcy Kuemper be a difference maker?

Kuemper was an early candidate for the Vezina Trophy as best goalie in the NHL with a 1.97 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in his first 24 games, but he sustained a lower-body injury Dec. 19 that kept him out more than two months. He returned Feb. 25 and played four games, allowing 10 goals on 131 shots (.924 save percentage), before the season was paused. The Coyotes need Kuemper healthy and playing at a high level to win the qualifier series.

4. Who will provide secondary scoring?

Hall and Kessel will need help against the Predators, so center Nick Schmaltz, who led the Coyotes with 45 points (11 goals, 34 assists), and forwards Clayton Keller (44 points) and Conor Garland (39 points) will need to contribute consistently on offense. Garland, who led Arizona with 22 goals and five game-winning goals, stood out for his willingness to battle for space in front of the net despite his small size (5-foot-10, 165 pounds). A sleeper offensive contributor could be rookie forward Barrett Hayton. The No. 5 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft was limited to 20 NHL games this season, in part because he injured his shoulder playing for Canada at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in January, but he has a high compete level and could provide some production in a limited role.

5. Where could the Coyotes have an edge?

Special teams. They were 18th in the NHL on the power play (19.2 percent); the Predators were 25th (17.3 percent). The Coyotes had the No. 5 penalty kill (82.7 percent); the Predators were 29th (76.1 percent). Kuemper was a big reason for Arizona's high ranking on the penalty kill, his .888 save percentage against opposition power plays was 10th among NHL goalies who played at least 20 games. The Coyotes also received solid contributions from forward Derek Stepan and defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski. Stepan led the NHL with 29 shorthanded shots on goal and 34 shorthanded shot attempts. Ekman-Larsson is a staple on Arizona's power play and penalty kill, and Goligoski led the Coyotes in ice time on the penalty kill (165:18), averaging 2:22 per game shorthanded. Also, Arizona averaged 6:29 penalty minutes per game, fewest in the NHL.