When a hockey player hasn’t been in a game for almost a year, things can take some time to adjust. Just ask Arizona Coyotes Nick Schmaltz who only played 40 games last season before succumbing to a knee injury. 17 of those games were with the Coyotes and he is still brushing off the rust… so to speak. He seems to be getting back in the grove after scoring his first goal against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. On Saturday night against the talented Colorado Avalanche, another player will make his debut in the net. It will be Antti Raanta who will make his first appearance in a regular-season game since November 27, 2018. He played 40 minutes before being relieved by Adin Hill due to an upper-body injury revealed as a bone-bruise which put him on the sidelines for the rest of the season.
Antti Raanta Back in the Net
Even for a veteran of six NHL seasons like Raanta, there will certainly be some butterflies as he takes the ice in Denver. There were some concerns as training camp ended that he had an issue with his knee. He was sent down to the AHL affiliated Tucson Roadrunners to get back into playing condition. It seems all is well and he’s about to play in his first game after Darcy Kuemper has played extremely well just allowing four goals in the first three games for the Coyotes.
If the Desert Dogs can get strong net play from BOTH of their goalies, things will be easier for them. At this point, it doesn’t even matter which of the two netminders is tagged as the “no.1 goalie.” What matters is that they are both focused on winning games so the playoff hungry Coyotes can qualify for the playoffs. Accomplishing that will get the monkey off their backs of not making it to the postseason since 2012.
Coyotes Hope Injuries Are Not Going to be an Issue Again
Last season was horrific for the team’s health as they had about 400 man-hours missed due to injuries and were second in the NHL in that distinct category. Yet, they fought hard and long as player after player were not able to play due to injuries. They failed to blame injuries on them missing the playoffs, yet some blame had to be placed there. It’s tough to play competitive hockey when star players are not in the lineup.
For Antti Raanta, he is hoping that he is fully recovered and now just needs the work to get back into playing form again. Rotating between Raanta and Kuemper is the ideal situation to keep both goalies sharp and competitive. With the way NHL schedules have been, having two quality goaltenders ready to go will be a blessing. Back-to-back games are not uncommon and travel can make players exhausted at times.
Kuemper Showed he Belongs
Of course, Kuemper showed last season that he is capable of taking a workload, if necessary. He played 55 games and accumulated a 27-20-8 record. His stellar .925 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against average showed he deserved to get a two-year extension recently. He threw in five shutouts to add to his resume.
While Raanta is a competitor, he will need to be brought back slowly. That is exactly what head coach Rick Tocchet is doing. The other danger would be to bring Antti Raanta back and overwork him causing another injury. At this juncture, it is best to be conservative with his playing time until he can feel comfortable taking more minutes.
He is a quality goalie as displayed by his statistics. His career numbers of 73-46-15 with a .920 save percentage to along with a 2.34 goals-against average shows he can play. He also has 11 career shutouts.
Closing Remarks
The ideal situation may be that Kuemper plays another 55-60 games while Raanta picks up the remainder. Until and if Raanta can show he’s back to the playing level he was before his injury, it’s Kuemper who will get the call.
And why not, he almost single-handedly took the Coyotes to the playoffs last season.
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