For 18 straight games, no NHL team has beaten the Nashville Predators in regulation. The team has been red-hot recording a point in 18 straight games. On Thursday, that streak officially came to a close at the hands of the Arizona Coyotes who have been sneakily good during their home stretch. The win against the Predators marks the third win in the past four games for the Coyotes. Here are some takeaways from the 8-4 win on Thursday.
The Youth Shines Once Again
Three of the youngest players on the Coyotes had fantastic nights which powered the team to their win. While Dylan Guenther didn’t have the game he had on Tuesday (March 26), he still looked great against the Predators. He has elevated his game ever since being placed on a line with Logan Cooley and both have pushed each other to make each other better. Guenther recorded an assist while springing Cooley for a goal.
Following up on a legendary night, Josh Doan had numerous fantastic chances to record his third goal in his second NHL game. At times, he looked like the best player on the ice for the Coyotes. He was rewarded with two assists bringing his total to four in his first two NHL games. He’s been incredible so far and has been making a case for himself not only to finish out the season as a Coyote but be in the opening lineup next season.
Cooley started the season out with mixed results. When Guenther arrived, the young forward got better. Now, the Pittsburgh native has five points in his past four games. He scored his very first hat trick in the game against the Predators. With that hat trick, he became the second youngest player in Coyotes’ history to score their first NHL career hat trick.
Related: Where Would Coyotes’ Dylan Guenther Be Drafted 3 Years Later?
“It’s a special moment,” Cooley said. “It was a good team effort. I thought we started off a little slow. We found our game after that, and we played the right way. That’s the outcome we get when we do that.”
Cooley now has 37 points in his rookie season and is tied with Marco Rossi for fourth place in rookie scoring. He also now has 16 goals. It’ll be interesting to see if he can reach the 20-goal plateau. If he can do so, his rookie season can be considered a slam dunk despite his slow start.
Clayton Keller With a Dominant Night
Clayton Keller has been a staple for the Coyotes’ offense and overall team for a very long time now. It seems like the 25-year-old just gets better every day. After his goal streak ended on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Chesterfield native decided to follow the game up with a four-point outing.
Keller’s line thrived against the Predators. Keller had four points, Nick Bjugstad had a goal, and Nick Schmaltz had two points. Head coach Andre Tourigny saw the impressive effort the line had last night and credited the trio with doing most of the heavy lifting while upsetting the Predators.
“You need to mention the fact they played against the top line on Nashville,” Tourigny said. “For me that sometimes goes under the radar and it’s so important. O’Reilly, Nyquist, and Forsberg are an elite line in the NHL. I think Kell’s line with Boogie and Schmaltzy had the heavy lifting tonight. They did a really good job.”
It’s no secret that Keller is trying his hardest to break Keith Tkachuk’s franchise record (while in Arizona) of the most points in a single season with 86. He tied it last season and this season, he’s managed to keep up despite a 14-game losing streak for the team. He’s back at nearly a point per game with 67 in 69 games.
While Keller will need to score 19 more points in the 13 remaining games to tie the record once again, it’s been another fantastic season for the Coyotes’ star. While points don’t count for everything, his leadership on the ice this season helping the young stars grow begs the question, when does Tourigny consider naming him captain?
For right now though, Keller is thriving with Bjugstad as his new center. He sees that the Coyotes currently have a lot of energy and momentum thanks to the great connections all of the lines are showing.
“I think we did a lot of good things,” Keller said. “We were moving our feet. Our lines have some chemistry right now. We’re reading off each other. We’re supporting each other. I believe it takes time to get chemistry in this league with the guys being so good and I think we communicate really well and help each other out in all areas of the ice. It’s good to have those two linemates as well.”
The Coyotes Are on a Hot Streak
For the first time since early February, the Predators have lost in regulation. It comes at the hands of the Coyotes who have been flying under the radar recently. They’ve now won three of their past four games and five of their past seven. It’s been an impressive stretch of hockey for the young team and they’ve won in a pretty convincing fashion too. They’ve outscored their opponents 14-6 in the past two games.
While it’s too late for the Coyotes to do anything due to being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs on Tuesday, it’s a good feeling to head into the conclusion of the season on a winning note. It’s also important for the youth to show that they’re thriving and the team to show they’re making steps in their development.
On top of that, the scoring has been noticeably improving from season to season. A couple of years ago, the Coyotes didn’t even have one 20-goal scorer. Now with Bjugstad getting his 20th goal against the Predators, they have four of them. However, there might be more incoming. Michael Carcone is one goal away from reaching 20, and Cooley with his impressive play recently has bumped his total up to 16. Six 20-goal scorers could be an impressive amount for the young team.
Despite a slow start thanks to former Coyote Jason Zucker scoring twice to open up the game, the Coyotes came back and put a plug in the Predators’ momentum. It was impressive to see the young team put together another massive win, especially against a team that has been so good with so many players with impressive resumes on their roster.
“I think we knew they had been hot lately,” Keller said. “They have a lot of veterans and a lot of guys that have won Stanley Cups and things like that. I think it’s a good job from our group going down 2-0 and fighting all the way back.”
The Coyotes will have another tough opponent visit Mullett Arena when the New York Rangers come to town on Saturday. The Rangers are 49-20-4 in the season, are first in the Metropolitan Division, and have clinched a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
