Coyotes couldn't generate offense against Avalanche in West First Round

The Arizona Coyotes were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 7-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday.

The Coyotes entered the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the West after defeating the Nashville Predators in four games in their best-of-5 series in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. Arizona was the No. 11 seed in the Qualifiers after finishing the regular season with a .529 points percentage (33-29-8).

Here is a look at what happened during the 2020 postseason for the Coyotes and why things could be even better next season:

The Skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents:Carl Soderberg, F; Taylor Hall, F; Brad Richardson, F

Potential restricted free agents:Vinnie Hinostroza, F; Christian Fischer, F; Ilya Lyubushkin, D

Potential 2020 NHL Draft picks:5

What went wrong

Not enough offense:Arizona averaged 21.6 shots per game against Colorado, including 14 in a 3-0 loss in Game 1, and 15 in a 7-1 loss in Game 4. Arizona's top two centers, Derek Stepan and Christian Dvorak, combined for one goal in the series while Colorado's top two centers, Nathan MacKinnon and Nazem Kadri, combined for 17 points (eight goals, nine assists).

Untimely injuries:One of the players the Coyotes were missing who could have helped generate offense was forward Nick Schmaltz, who led them with 45 points (11 goals, 34 assists) in 70 regular-season games. Schmaltz did not play in the postseason after sustaining an undisclosed injury in a 4-1 exhibition loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on July 30. The Coyotes also played without forward Conor Garland, who led them with 22 goals in the regular season, after he sustained an injury during the first period of Game 4 against the Avalanche and was ruled unfit to play in Game 5.

Under siege: Darcy Kuemper started every game in the playoffs and played the best he could given the circumstances. He faced 334 shots in nine postseason games (37.1 shots per game), including 51 in a 4-2 win against the Avalanche in Game 3, Arizona's only victory of the series. The Coyotes were never able to slow down Colorado's potent power play -- they were 5-for-11 on the penalty kill in Games 4 and 5 -- and as a result Kuemper was pulled on Monday after allowing four goals on 22 shots, and again on Wednesday after allowing six goals on 30 shots.

Reasons for optimism

Rick Tocchet: He helped the Coyotes finish with their highest points percentage (.529) in six seasons and win their first postseason series since 2012, when the lost in the Western Conference Final. Arizona sustained some key injuries, but Tocchet never used that as an excuse, and the Coyotes were fifth in the NHL on the penalty kill at 82.7 percent and tied for third in goals allowed per game at 2.61. The belief he was able to get from his team carried over into the postseason, when they upset the Predators, the No. 6 seed in the West, in four games in the Cup Qualifiers.

Kuemper: He was Arizona's most valuable player when healthy this season and was an early candidate for the Vezina Trophy as the League's best goaltender before sustaining a lower-body injury on Dec. 19 that caused him to miss 28 games. However, he still finished the regular season 16-11-2 with a 2.22 goals-against average and .928 save percentage, and he carried that play into the Qualifiers, when he had a 2.71 GAA and .933 save percentage, including a .950 save percentage at even strength.

Youth:The Coyotes have plenty of skilled young players making major contributions throughout the lineup, including 22-year-old forward Clayton Keller (44 points in 70 regular-season games), 22-year-old defenseman Jakob Chychrun (NHL career-high 12 goals and 26 points in 63 games), and Garland, 24, who led Arizona with five game-winning goals. 20-year-old forward Barrett Hayton, who was 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. However, he should see more ice time next season.