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Goaltender Antti Raanta has been listed as day-to-day by the Arizona Coyotes after suffering a lower-body injury.
Eyes were raised when the Arizona Coyotes named Adin Hill as their starter against the Boston Bruins after originally announcing Antti Raanta, with the Finn sitting on the bench during the team’s 4-2 road loss.
After the game, it was revealed that Raanta had suffered yet another injury, raising more concerns and discussion about his long-term future in the desert.
The loss of Raanta, who holds a 10-12-13 record with a 2.86 goals-against average and .915 save percentage, is undoubtedly a disappointing development for the Coyotes, but it sounds like he will be back on the ice far sooner than later.
Head coach Rick Tocchet has also dropped a small drop of hope for Arizona Coyotes fans with regards to the team’s other sidelined goaltender, Darcy Kuemper.
Kuemper (15-8-2, 2.17GAA, .929 Sv%) has been sidelined since before Christmas Day with his own injury issues, leaving the Coyotes to rely heavily on Raanta and Adin Hill.
However, Tocchet revealed that Kuemper would be training with the team ahead of Monday night’s road game against the Montreal Canadiens, with some hope that he could take to the ice in a competitive NHL game for the first time in almost two months.
Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said that Darcy Kuemper is expected to practice tomorrow with the team in Montreal. If he feels good afterward, they are hoping for some good news. In other words, there is a chance he could play against the Canadiens.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) February 8, 2020
Seeing the 29-year-old Saskatoon native return to action will be a huge boost for both the team and the fanbase, with Kuemper having a Vezina-worthy season before suffering his injury.
The Coyotes have typically relied heavily on their goaltender tandem this season and were looking far more assured of themselves when both were fit and playing regularly.
Since Kuemper’s injury, things have become somewhat shaky for Tocchet’s team and having him back between the pipes could be the much-needed turn in fortunes the playoff chasers need.
If Raanta’s injury also proves to be as minor as initially hoped, the Coyotes could have their ideal tandem back together ahead of the crucial final run of the regular season, with the playoffs still very much the goal.