The Vancouver Canucks stand alone in first place with 58 points, but with each of the following four teams sitting at 57. Of course, not all point totals are created equal; Vancouver and Edmonton have played just 49 games, while Calgary has 50 games played and Vegas and Arizona have 51. The Coyotes are sitting two points behind the Vancouver Canucks for the final divisional playoff spot, but have played four more games thus far. Darcy Kuemper profile page, biographical information, injury history and news As such, the teamsâ point percentages differ more than their total points, especially in the case of the Canucks versus the Knights and Coyotes. 2 wild-card slot in the West, one point ahead of Winnipeg.Arizona hasn't qualified for the postseason since 2012. "He's been our best player for the last year, year and a half. "Goaltending hasn't been our problem, but this just strengthens our goaltending." However, with plenty of extra time to fully heal, could Kuemper bounce back and lead his team to another string of victories? If the regular season ended today, the Arizona Coyotes would not be heading to the playoffs. The 29-year-old was near the top of Vezina Trophy consideration in December before suffering a lengthy lower-body injury that held him out for nearly two months. That means there isn’t time to waste if Arizona wants to climb back upâthe wins need to start tonight.To make matters even more difficult for Chayka is that the team’s salary cap situation isn’t good right now and the GM will likely have to move out some players/contracts if Hall is willing to sign.Instead, the team has struggled since Hall joined the team, going 14-17-4 before play was suspended and it now looks like the 28-year-old will miss the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 seasons on the ice. There are currently eleven teams with 57 or 58 points, all of whom are in playoff positions or just outside.
With plenty of other teams ready to bid for the star’s services, likely with better playoff resumes, Hall may want to go elsewhere.Unfortunately, Kuemper went down with a lower-body injury on Dec. 19 and didn’t return to the ice until Feb. 25. The 57/58-point range at this point in the year is nothing to criticize either. They currently own a .529 points percentage with 12 games remaining. Kuemper is 15-8-2 with a 2.17 goals-against average and .929 save percentage this season and was a key cog in the Coyotes' impressive start to the season. Darcy Kuemper sustained a lower-body injury against the Minnesota Wild on December 19th.
So while the likes of Washington, Boston, and St. Louis might make the high fifties look light, it is actually a great pace for a playoff hopeful. While he played well in the four games upon his return, he did lose three of the four. The Central Divisionâs top three â St. Louis, Colorado, and Dallas â may all have better records than any team in the Pacific, but the rest of their division has been overtaken. Keep an eye on all of todayâs transactions here, as you never know what minor move could shift a season:His absence however means that the Coyotes will not have a representative at the game, unless someone else is put in as a replacement over the next few days.The team might have advantages with a healthy goaltender tandem, and a defense-first system, but even if they dominate in the final 12 games, they might still have to hope for several teams to struggle out of the gate to help hoist them into the playoffs.In the Pacific Division, where things are as tight as possible, his return could bring big dividends. That’s three teams they would have to jump over, suggesting that it might be quite a challenge for the team.Following last nightâs results, each of the top five teams in the Pacific Division are within one point of each other, top to bottom. It is the first time since 1978 that the top five teams in an NHL division have all been separated by such a small margin after January 1. With such a tight postseason picture right now in both conferences, though specifically the Pacific Division, every game counts and every little move made impacts those games. They still have a slim chance, but the word slim is optimal. General manager John Chayka is going to have to convince Hall, who had already decided he didn’t want to stay in New Jersey who was in a rebuild, that the Coyotes are a playoff team. It will be Kuemper's first game since he suffered a lower-body injury on Dec. 19. But entering Tuesday, the Coyotes are in the No. One other interesting candidate, Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper, might be an interesting one affected by injury. Arizona has struggled without him, including a five-game losing streak in January. Nonetheless, it is still a tight division, and one that has been on the rise this season to now occupy both Western Conference wild card spots. Find out Darcy Kuemper's latest stats, game logs, quality starts, news and analysis from dobberhockey.com Darcy Kuemper - Fantasy Hockey Game Logs, Quality Starts and more - Frozen Tools Frozen Tools on Twitter