Arizona Coyotes: Full line combination predictions for 2018-19
By Nick McAdam
Goalies
Antti Raanta
Darcy Kuemper
The most questionable area of the ice remains in between the pipes. It will be a test of consistency and complete trust from both Raanta and Kuemper in the upcoming campaign.
Supporters will find out quite a bit from the two netminders in the season ahead. Arizona at the moment is a team on the fine line between playoffs and the golf course, and that’s just based off paper. As a result, that’s more than likely going to set expectations for the season ahead.
That only means that this goalie duo will have to live up to those expectations. The biggest test of Raanta’s career is going to be to stabilize Arizona’s defense, while setting the momentum going forward with the new offense.
A record of 21-17-6 last season from the Finn was nothing short of impressive, but he’ll really need to step things up if Arizona even wants to sniff the postseason. Heavy improvements will be needed to Raanta’s goals against column, because anything over 2.00 will mean that the Yotes’ will be in an offensive battle in almost every contest. That’s too much to ask for at the moment.
The same thing goes for Kuemper, who posted the same win-loss pace as Raanta but in less games. The former Minnesota Wild goalie had a nice save percentage with Arizona as the backup last season, but again, his goals against in a crucial amount of 20-30 games will really dictate the pace of Arizona being able to win games especially in the dog days of the regular season.
The goal is the postseason for these two, and anything beyond that is an added bonus. They’re both hopefully prepared for what’s ahead, because a lot of questions Coyotes fans have about their goalies will be answered in the upcoming season.
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Give us your predictions for the Arizona Coyotes’ lineup for the 2018-19 season in the comments section below.