Pool Outlook for Arizona

The Arizona Coyotes were a very pleasant surprise in the 2019 season, as they were remarkably competitive and in the hunt for a playoff spot for the better portion of the regular season.  The team is finally starting to come around from just being the league's dumping ground for older contracts, they are now a hard-working bunch with a little bit of finish and some goaltending.

The Coyotes went from 29th in the 2018 season and moved themselves up to 18th overall in the entire league in the 2019 season, thanks in large part to a better team defense and a goalie that they could really lean on in the back half of the season, Darcy Kuemper.

2nd year coach, Rick Tocchet, should get a fair amount of credit as well, as he has done a pretty good job, tightening up the on-ice product of this team, which has been exceptionally leaky for a long time.  The only thing he really needs now is just that extra touch of offense in his lineup, which could tip the scales more in their favour, especially in those close games.  Nevertheless, you can't argue with their first season over the .500 mark since the 2014 season.  That's how you know, for sure, that things are going in the right direction.

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Darcy Kuemper was the team's best player in the hockey pool this season, he had some exceptional hot streaks that had the whole team smelling that sweet playoff air, if only to come up just 4 points shy of that last wild card spot in the west.  The 28-year old made 55 appearances in the Coyotes' net this season, posting 27 wins and 66 points this year, good enough for 75th overall in pool scoring and he was 13th among all goalies.  A very fine year.

Nine players, in total, including Kuemper, made the cut for the hockey pool worthiness conversation, which does show the lack of offensive depth the team had in the year, highlighting the need for improvement next season.  Clayton Keller, Alex Galchenyuk, Vinnie Hinostroza, Derek Stepan and Richard Panik were all among the top 200 forwards this season, Keller leading the way ranking 116th among all forwards.  On the blueline, Oliver Ekman-Larsson was 21st among all defenders, leading the way for Alex Goligoski and Jordan Oesterle, who were also in the top 100 at the position.  Thanks to injuries, no other goalie finished in the top 50, but it was Kuemper's net down the stretch and no one else was going to get in during the meaningful part of the schedule.

What I Said Last Year, At This Time...

Having a good number of kids with entry-level deals on the list as pool worthy players is very promising for the Coyotes, but they still miss that X-factor that brings a team up to the ranks of being relevant in the standings. Management seems to be confident in their goaltending tandem at the end of the year, but I could see them shop for an upgrade. Their defense is very mobile, but needs to tighten up, while the offense is a collection of young talent that is a spark away from really setting the league alight. Can the Coyotes find that X-factor to bring it all together? That's the big question and the difference between being competitive, fighting for a playoff spot, and being an early post in these Pool Outlook overviews.

Just because the Coyotes didn't make the playoffs, doesn't mean they didn't find their X-factor and we go back to the goalie, Kuemper, for that.  He was the right guy for the job, even if he needed a little bit of time to find his feet and an unfortunate injury to his platoon partner, to eat up all of those minutes for him.

How did my intriguing or breakout player fare?

The new surroundings didn't exactly make Alex Galchenyuk break out in the desert, but that's not to say he wasn't a decent contributor to this team.  He was still worthy of a pool selection, 19 goals and 41 points in 72 games in his first season with Arizona, but he wasn't the game-breaker that he was initially drafted as by Montreal either.  It would have been something, if he was that kind of player, the Coyotes may have been that much closer to the promised land.

2020 Pool Outlook

Forwards	Cap	Defense	Cap	Goalies	Cap
Derek Stepan	6.500	Oliver Ekman-Larsson	8.500	Antti Raanta	4.250
Nick Schmaltz	5.850	Alex Goligoski	5.475	Darcy Kuemper	1.850
Marian Hossa	5.275	Niklas Hjalmarsson	5.000
Alex Galchenyuk	4.900	Jakob Chychrun	4.600
Christian Dvorak	4.450	Jason Demers	3.938
Michael Grabner	3.350	Kevin Connauton	1.375
Vinnie Hinostroza	1.500
Brad Richardson	1.250
Barrett Hayton	0.925
Clayton Keller	0.886
Christian Fischer	0.822
Conor Garland	0.775
Michael Chaput	0.675

The Coyotes don't have all nine of their pool worthy players signed on for next season just yet, but they aren't missing too many.  There are a few names on this list, which were hampered by injury last season, like Nick Schmaltz and Christian Dvorak, who could still make an impact next season and are on the list, so that's a big plus.  I think the outlook here is still pretty positive.  I would imagine that the team will remain fairly active this summer, trying to tinker and making those necessary improvements.

Free Agency and the Salary Cap

Forward Richard Panik and defenseman Jordan Oesterle are both headed to unrestricted free agency this summer, unless they can be extended by the club before July 1st.  They are the only two worthy players heading to market and they did play a solid role with the club, so I would imagine that they get a long look at extensions.

The RFA situation isn't overly dire for the team, but they do have a few kids on the list that are in need of a new deal, who likely have a strong future with the club, like a Lawson Crouse or Nick Cousins.

The Coyotes still have a bit of flexibility left in their cap situation, thanks to hanging on to Marian Hossa's deal, as he awaits its expiry before officially retiring.  Hossa still has one more season left on his deal, but if the Coyotes get to the cap ceiling, Long Term Injury Reserve relief will kick in.  Right now, even with his deal on the books, I am showing that 21-man roster in at $74.1 million, which also includes a buyout, which leaves them some space to make some moves still.

Could this finally be the year that Nick Merkley finally cracks the big club?  The 2015 1st round pick has had nothing but bad luck in his pro career, injury after injury, but now it looks like he's turned the corner a bit and he finally could be ready for a spot on the big club.  The Coyotes certainly have some bubble spots open for him and if his skill set, which was good enough to make him a 1st round pick way back when, is any indication, he could be one to watch this season as a sleeper rookie.

Needs at the 2019 Entry Draft


The Coyotes hold the 14th overall selection in this year's draft and it's a very low pick by their recent standards, which isn't a bad thing, if the team truly wants to be progressing.  The team is starting to see some of their previous picks bear some fruit at the top level and I think there will be a push on patience on another pick, there's no real need to push a kid through too early, they just want to make sure that they have some good talent developing through the system.  One kid that fell through the picks a bit in this mock entry draft has been centre Peyton Krebs of the Kootenay (soon to be Winnipeg) Ice in the WHL, as he has been branded as an exciting centre, who plays a decent two-way game.  He could be a good fit for the club in a couple years or so.

As much as the Coyotes are trending in a positive direction, I am not completely sold on this team being a playoff team just yet.  Expectations are certainly going to ramp up on this club, which means that there will be teams keeping a closer eye on them and there isn't enough leadership-type character players on this team to help guide these kids through to the next level, especially when the times get tough.  If the Coyotes are going to get to the next level, they should be shopping for that kind of player that can not only put the puck in the net, he should be experienced in the ways of getting to the playoffs and playing in the playoffs.  If that's something they can provide for themselves, I think we really have something here.

Evening Preview (Apr 4)

I'm not sure how these posts have necessarily gotten better since I've changed it up from just the goalie starts to a more well-rounded post, because it looks like I've written a whole lot more than normal again today.  Where did I ever find the time?

It's the second-to-last busy day on the regular season schedule, Saturday being the last one.  I won't go much into the race detail here today, because I've already written a ton and it covers most of it already, so let's just get right to it and you can figure it out from there.

Joey Daccord (N/A) versus Carter Hutton (Wes)
It's a nothing game between the Senators and Sabres tonight and the Sens will be playing on back-to-back nights, sending NCAA signing Joey Daccord out for his NHL debut tonight.  He was one of the top goalies signed out of college in these last few weeks, so the team is certainly interested to see what he can bring to the table.

Wes' team lost its grip on its top 10 spot last night in the limited amount of action, but his team starts 1 point back of 10th place and he gets a goalie start from Carter Hutton and the Sabres, who are trying to finish the season on a positive note.  Wes' pool team is trying to do much of the same at this point.

Mikkel Boedker is expected to return tonight for the Sens after a couple of games as a healthy scratch, which is good news for Chelsea's team tonight.  Another healthy body is good news.  Coming out of the lineup tonight is Bobby Ryan, who ended up blocking a shot against the Rangers and will get the night off.  Jeremy loses out on a skater game with this news, but his 19th place team is still comfortable.

Andrei Vasilevskiy (Dale C.) versus Frederik Andersen (Wilton)
Nothing new at stake for these two teams tonight, when Tampa goes into Toronto for a tune-up game ahead of the playoffs.  This potential 2nd round match-up may not have the same bite that a playoff game might, but that's no excuse to not leave a mark tonight.

The Leafs are sending their number one goalie out for their last two regular season games, just to make sure Frederik Andersen is sharp going into the playoffs, which is good news for Wilton's team.  Wilton's team has been able to maintain 9th place and is 8 points clear of 10th, which is comfortable... for now.  The Lightning are chasing down some records of their own, so they are going to go with Andrei Vasilevskiy tonight, which is good news for Dale C., who has now moved into 10th place after Wednesday night and is chasing Wilton's team now for 9th.  There's a little bit of intrigue there, I guess.

Jake Gardiner is set to make his return to the Leafs' lineup tonight after being out for over a month with a back issue.  It's too little, too late for Troy's team, but he is in a battle for some bragging rights, so it is a positive in that way.  More on that below.  Nazem Kadri is also coming out of the lineup tonight, considered a maintenance day/healthy scratch.  Since this game has no real meaning, he'll need the extra day ahead of the playoffs.  This will be a missed skater game for John P. and his 14th place team.

Thomas Greiss (Stuart) versus Sam Montembeault (N/A)
The Islanders have an outside chance at the Metro Division title, but they need to win out and Washington needs to lose their last two in regulation for that to happen.  The Islanders are on the road for their last two, starting with Florida tonight, who is playing for pride, on the way out to the off-season.

Stuart gets the only hockey pool start in this one, as Thomas Greiss was the first goalie off from their morning skate today, which is one of the better indicators on game day.  There's very little hockey pool importance, since Stuart is miles ahead of the everyone else in the standings.  It would have been better if Chelsea got a start from Robin Lehner, but he'll be backing up, dealing with some general soreness.

Jimmy Howard (Tony) versus Matt Murray (Scott)
The Penguins did indeed take the Red Wings for granted in the first half of their home-and-home series, so they are still looking to lock up their playoff spot tonight, but this time it will be in their own barn and probably with a little bit more desperation.  A win would indeed clinch their spot, but a single point could do it with a little bit of help from the rest of the schedule.

Scott's team starts play tonight 6 points back of 24th place, so if there is any hope to get out of last place, he'll need the Penguins to clinch their playoff spot tonight with a win, so Matt Murray can collect those 2 (or more) points.  Murray has been given the green light tonight and there's no sense in waiting for other teams to lose, right?

Carey Price (Stacey M.) versus Braden Holtby (Stacey C.)
The Montreal Canadiens still have a real shot at a playoff spot tonight, but they do not control their own fate.  They do, however, still need to win the games that they have left, starting with tonight in Washington.  The Caps need a win to earn the Metro title outright or else they could rely on some help in the schedule, but they will likely continue playing like they have something to play for.

We know Stacey M. will get her second start of the night from the visitors, who are pushing for that spot.  Carey Price gets the nod in this crucial game for the Habs, who don't have control over their destiny, but Price's success will certainly leave Stacey's fate in her team's hands.

Cory Schneider (N/A) versus Petr Mrazek (Stacey C.)
The Carolina Hurricanes can clinch their playoff berth with a regulation win and a Montreal loss in any fashion or they can gain a point in the standings and they would need Montreal to lose in regulation.  Either way is good for the Hurricanes, who get the New Jersey Devils tonight, a team coasting to the finish.

Stacey C. gets the only hockey pool start in this game, his team will get the Petr Mrazek start and look to close up the 7-point gap up to 7th place, the highest point he can finish this year.  It's a pretty good bet for the 2 points, but that's why they play the game. 

Brian Elliott (Troy) versus Jordan Binnington (N/A)
The St. Louis Blues start the night 1 point back of both Winnipeg and Nashville, all three teams start the night with two games remaining on the schedule, all three playing tonight and Saturday.  The Blues get the traveling Flyers tonight, as they try and keep the pace and make things interesting.  They'll be going back to their wonder-kid goalie, Jordan Binnington, to try and keep the pressure on.

The only pool start will be the last one for Troy in Philly this season, as Brian Elliott has been tapped for this game, as his team is in a 3-way tie for 15th place with Clayton and Brian at 617 points.  Troy's team only has 4 points this week, 1 clear of the basement, so one last win from Elliott would be greatly appreciated.

Jacob Markstrom (Chelsea) versus Pekka Rinne (John P.)
The Nashville Predators will welcome the Vancouver Canucks to town tonight, as they try to keep the pressure on the Winnipeg Jets for the Central Division title.  The Predators don't have the tie-breaker against the Jets, so they need to get the most points outright to take the title.

The Predators are treating this game as an important one and rightly so, sending Pekka Rinne out to the crease tonight.  If John P.'s team is going to have a late shot at the equator of the standings, he'll need a big outing from his keeper tonight, as his team start the night 9 points back of 13th.  Of course, if he gets that high, there are a couple more places he can get to as well.  At the visiting end, Chelsea gets another start out of Jacob Markstrom, making his 60th start of the season, and he's playing for a long-term contract with the Canucks, so he'll be motivated for that extra win to negotiate with.

Grant's team has fallen right out of the money picture in the last couple weeks, so the return of Jake Virtanen to the Canucks lineup is within the realm of too little, too late.  Grant's team has now fallen all the way down to 6th and is running cold, only 6 points this week.

Jaroslav Halak (Stacey M.) versus Alex Stalock (Ryan)
There isn't much in this game, as the Bruins already know who and where they are playing their opening round games next week, while the Wild are out of the playoffs in the west, so it will be going through the motions, some players looking to stay sharp, other players looking for job security next season.

Stacey M. is hoping that her second start of the night is a fruitful one, as she'll get another Jaroslav Halak start out of the Bruins, as her team defends 2nd place from the duo.  Now that the Wild are out of the playoff picture, we might get to see Alex Stalock a little bit more, which is of interest to Ryan's team, which is still holding out hope for a top 10 spot, opening up tonight only 5 points back, not getting any help from his goalies last night.

It sounds like the Wild are going to shut down Zach Parise for their last two games of the season, citing the flu tonight and likely going to give some ice-time to NCAA signing, Nico Sturm.  Dale C. is looking for help to stay in 10th place or even catch 9th, but no Parise for the last two games of the year won't be any help.  On the Bruins side, David Krejci appears to be getting a rest for the Bruins, coming out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.  This will make five bodies out of active duty on Neil's team, which still has some room to give in 7th place today.

Connor Hellebuyck (Jeremy) versus Philipp Grubauer (Jesse)
The fate of the last playoff spot in the west is in the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, since they control their own destiny.  They need 1 point out of the last two games in the regular season to make it and the first game is against the division leading Winnipeg Jets.  The Jets are in their dog fight for top spot in the division, so they will not be giving this game away.

Neither team appear to be giving up anything, as the Jets will run their number one out there tonight, Connor Hellebuyck getting the nod and giving Jeremy a start tonight.  Not that it really matters to his pool team.  The Avalanche have seemingly put all of their eggs into Philipp Grubauer's basket of late, as he is the choice to help lift the team into the playoffs tonight with the start against the Jets.  Jesse was hoping that this would happen this season, but at a much earlier point in the season.  Nevertheless, the starts does help his team in the last gasp for the money.

Jets forward Brandon Tanev has been sent back to Winnipeg to be evaluated for his upper-body injury and won't be available for tonight's game and it seems rather unlikely that he'll play on Saturday as well.  Brian's chances of getting out of the weekly Basement Dweller spot have just gotten a little bit longer.

Aaron Dell (Troy) versus Anthony Stolarz (N/A)
It's a nothing game in Edmonton tonight, when the San Jose Sharks visit the Oilers.  The Sharks may be tuning up for their playoff run, while the Oilers are probably looking at themselves and thinking, 'what do we do next?'

Troy gets the first of two starts from the San Jose Sharks, who are coasting through this match-up with their backup goalie, Aaron Dell.  From having very little action in the crease to two starts, Troy's team won't know what to do with all of this action.  The Oilers are also rocking their backup tonight, because why not?

In the lineup department, the Sharks will sit Joonas Donskoi tonight, according to some early afternoon reports.  He'll be out as a healthy scratch, possibly nursing some bumps and bruises, just ahead of the playoffs.  If Wes wants to see his team finish in the top 10, he's going to have to hope for his healthy players to really show up tonight or else it will be tough sledding going forward.

Darcy Kuemper (Neil) versus Marc-Andre Fleury (Troy)
The Arizona Coyotes don't control their own fate for that last wild card spot in the west, but they can still make things interesting, if the Avalanche were to drop tonight's game against the Jets.  The Coyotes don't have it much easier, heading into Vegas to take on the Golden Knights, who are already locked in for 3rd place in the Pacific.  Saying that, it will be interesting to see what their mind set is ahead of this game.

There was a bit of an eye injury scare for Arizona's Darcy Kuemper, but it sounds like he'll be good to go tonight against the Golden Knights, trying for that one last gasp for a playoff spot, you know, if the Avalanche hadn't quite knocked them out in the game earlier.  They won't know for sure until midway through their game, at least.  Neil is also trying to hold off Stacey C. for 7th place in the standings, so he's glad to get the start.

For the Golden Knights, Marc-Andre Fleury will try to shake off the rust of missing action since the middle of March, dealing with a lower-body injury.  Fleury has been given the green light, which is more positive news for Troy's team, which is teetering over top of the basement heading into action tonight.

Evening Preview (Apr 2)

There's going to be plenty of playoff ramifications in the 10 games on the NHL schedule tonight, which may be a little bit more exciting than some of the hockey pool races that are left, but we'll mix in a little bit of both, just like we have been doing for the last few weeks.

Stacey M. retook 2nd place on Monday night, gaining a 2-point advantage over Kristy & Don and Stacey still has a slight advantage in the projected games to be played column on the standings page as well.

Jesse and Tony both got off to good starts last night, Jesse passing Grant's team for 4th place and made up a little bit of ground on the duo, now 19 points back heading into tonight's action.

Dale C. and Ryan both made up some ground on Wes' team for a top 10 spot in the standings this year, Wes' team is now clinging to a 2-point buffer for that last coveted spot in the standings.

Finally, Derek B.'s team leads Scott's team 1-0 this week in the battle for the basement, Derek's team is now 4 points clear at the start of play tonight.  Scott's team had the chances last night, but couldn't post the points.

Lots to go on the schedule today, so let's get right at it.

Pekka Rinne (John P.) versus Carter Hutton (Wes)
The Nashville Predators dropped to 3rd in the Central last night, thanks to tie-breakers not in their favour, but they could retake 2nd with a win in Buffalo tonight.

The pool goalie match-up will see Pekka Rinne going for John P. and his 15th place team against Carter Hutton and his 10th place team in the standings.  Right now, John's team could finish as high as 14th and as low as 18th, while Wes' 10th place hold isn't very strong, only 4 points clear of 13th, so both are jockeying for their own final placement, but where they are, they're not related at all, given the gap between 13th and 14th.

On the injury front, it sounds like Rasmus Ristolainen is ready to return for the last few games of the season for the Sabres, which is okay news for Jeremy's 19th place team.  As it has been mentioned over the last few days, his team is resting comfortably with no hope and no stress.

Tuukka Rask (Jesse) versus Sergei Bobrovsky (Kristy & Don)
The Boston Bruins are in and are now just jockeying for position in the Atlantic Division race, while the Columbus Blue Jackets have been red hot of late and looking to secure their spot in the playoffs in a come from behind sort of fashion.  The Jackets have very little breathing space to work with, but the teams they are racing against, much like themselves, have difficult opposition tonight, so a loss might not be the end of the world.

It's a pretty solid top four goalie match-up tonight, as Jesse's team is tracking down the money spots and he gets a key start for the Bruins and Tuukka Rask tonight, something to possibly shave down the gap between his team and 3rd place.  Kristy & Don occupy that spot and they have the reigning Player of the Week starting, Sergei Bobrovsky, so I would say that this is the hockey pool game of the night and one worth watching.

Petr Mrazek (Stacey C.) versus Garret Sparks (Grant)
The Hurricanes are one of those teams that the Jackets are racing against in that 3-team race for two wild card spots and Carolina has drawn the Maple Leafs tonight, who coincidentally, is racing against the Bruins for 2nd place in the Atlantic.  I'm sure they are looking at Columbus saying, "we'll scratch your back, if you scratch ours" tonight.

Grant gets the first of two starts tonight with Garret Sparks going for the Leafs tonight.  Grant's team lost 4th place in the standings last night to Jesse and starts 2 points out and 21 points out of 3rd, so he'll need some real help from the crease tonight, if he's going to have a chance at anything.  For Stacey C., it looks like the best his team can finish is 7th and his team starts 6 points back of that spot at the start of play tonight, but gets a start from Petr Mrazek and the Canes, as they hunt down a playoff spot.

Eddie Pasquale (N/A) versus Carey Price (Stacey M.)
The third team in the 3-team race, the one currently on the outside looking in, the Montreal Canadiens, don't get any favours tonight, drawing the President's Trophy recipients, the Tampa Bay Lightning.  If there is any saving grace to this, the Bolts played last night, where the Habs didn't, so that could work in their favour a little.

Stacey M. appears to be getting the only pool start with Carey Price heading back to the crease for the Habs tonight, as they try and make that big push to a playoff spot.  Stacey's team is also trying to make that push to get away from Kristy & Don in 2nd place and both of those teams are getting starts here tonight, which should keep things very interesting.

Matt Murray (Scott) versus Jimmy Howard (Tony)
The Pittsburgh Penguins can punch their ticket into the playoffs tonight in the first of a home-and-home series with the Detroit Red Wings tonight, if they post a win in any fashion on the road tonight.  The Red Wings are more than happy to play spoiler, as they have two players really motoring in the scoring department right now and they could make the Penguins sorry, if the Pens take these games for granted.

Matt Murray was the first off the ice at the Penguins' skate this morning, meaning that Scott will get another start out of the Pittsburgh number one tonight.  Scott's team is the only one sitting at zero points at the start of play tonight.  The race to get out of last is far from over.  It doesn't seem very logical that the Red Wings would bring out a keeper for his first start against the Penguins, so it seems far more likely that Jimmy Howard gets the start again, but that has yet to be confirmed.  I'm sure Tony is looking for this start, hoping the Wings can play a spoiling role at home tonight.

One scratch expected tonight, as the Penguins didn't have Brian Dumoulin on the ice at the skate, he is not expected to play against Detroit due to a lower-body injury.  A missed skater game from the blueline likely won't hurt Neil's team too badly, but his team has reached its ceiling of 7th, now trying to stave off Stacey C. for the spot.

Eric Comrie (N/A) versus Devan Dubnyk (Wes)
Big Central Division match-up in Minnesota, when the Jets take on the Wild.  The Wild are looking at this game with a serious level of desperation, 5 points back of the last wild card spot, so they most definitely need a win in any fashion to at least have a chance, while the Jets, they're just looking to pad their small lead in the division, looking for that division title.

We knew the Wild were going into this big game with Devan Dubnyk back in the crease, giving Wes another start tonight, getting both keepers into the nets tonight will certainly help his chances at defending 10th place tonight.  The Jets haven't confirmed their goalie, but seeing as though they are on back-to-back nights and they still have two games remaining after this one, it seems very likely that they will finally give Eric Comrie a spin in net, since Laurent Brossoit may not be ready to go from his injury yet.

Cam Talbot (Mike) versus Anton Khudobin (Grant)
The Dallas Stars only need 1 point to get themselves into the playoffs and they get a team now playing for pride in the Philadelphia Flyers at home, but they shouldn't be taking this team likely, as the Flyers are a sly bunch and will play spoiler at the drop of a hat.

Grant's team does have a little bit of hope with a second start tonight, thanks to the Dallas Stars and Anton Khudobin getting the call against the Flyers.  It's not going to be an easy game, but one that he could win and help Grant retake 4th place and possibly make that late push for 3rd as well.  The Flyers are doing Mike's team a favour tonight and giving Cam Talbot another audition for a job for next season, as Mike may or may not (I'm not exactly sure, to be honest) want that 20th overall spot from Benson.

Mikko Koskinen (Tony) versus Semyon Varlamov (Wilton)
The Oilers were officially eliminated last night, while the Avalanche can eliminate the Blackhawks and pad their slight lead in the wild card with a win tonight.  Both teams are coming off of losses last night, so the curse of the back-to-back will do one of these teams in tonight.

Surprisingly, with not a whole lot to play for, Tony is going to be gifted another start from the Oilers, as they'll send Mikko Koskinen back to the net, which will certainly give him at least a chance for 2 points, but the Avalanche are going to be hungry for those points and I can't imagine the mood in the Oilers room is all that giddy.

Martin Jones (Brenda & Seward) versus Thatcher Demko (Clayton)
The San Jose Sharks are locked into 2nd place in the Pacific and the Vancouver Canucks have been out of the playoff picture for a few days now, so there isn't a whole lot to play for tonight, except for jobs and pride.

The Canucks will be giving rookie goalie Thatcher Demko a chance to improve their chances against the Sharks, a team they haven't had much success against in recent history.  Clayton's 17th place team sure hopes that's the case, but the best his team can do is 14th, so the hope for the pool points is somewhat moot.  Brenda & Seward will get another start from Martin Jones and the visiting Sharks tonight, as expected, their only start of the night, chasing down Chelsea's team, which misses out on a Canucks start tonight.

And if Clayton's team wanted that win, he probably didn't want to see the return of his forward Joe Pavelski to the Sharks lineup tonight.  It looks like he's ready to return from injury, after missing the last few weeks and sinking his pool team into the depths of the bottom half of the standings.

Jack Campbell (N/A) versus Darcy Kuemper (Neil)
The Arizona Coyotes have the most hope remaining in the schedule to possibly climb into a wild card spot, as they start the night only 2 points behind the Avalanche with three games to go and they have the tie-breakers in their back pocket, so they just need to get the points to make it really interesting too.  They get the Kings tonight, who lost last night to the Flames, which may bode well for the dogs, but this is why we play the game!

No surprises with the Coyotes tonight, as they will definitely be going with Darcy Kuemper again, giving Neil another start and a good chance at points in this game.  His grip on 7th could be strengthened by a good effort from the dogs tonight, especially with a road-weary club as their opponent.