Since the injury of Darcy Kuemper back on December 19th, the Arizona Coyotes had to rely on backup Antti Raanta to get by. They also had to call up Adin Hill from the AHL Tucson Roadrunners to be the new backup. On Saturday night during the game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Raanta took himself out of the game after two periods. He told head coach Rick Tocchet, “he felt something.”
Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said goalie Antti Raanta pulled himself from the game after the second period because he felt something. Tocchet didn’t have a further update. We’ll know more tomorrow.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) January 5, 2020
It was commendable that with a 4-0 lead at the time, Raanta felt it best to seek medical advice as to what or how serious his condition may be.
If Antti Raanta is Hurt, the Coyotes Face Tough Choices in Net
Right now, goalie Antti Raanta is being listed as day to day. I am told the Coyotes do not believe the injury is serious.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) January 5, 2020
According to Craig Morgan, Raanta is being listed as day-to-day. This means that they need to raid the Roadrunners roster again for ANOTHER backup goalie. If Raanta can’t go, Adin Hill will slide into the starter spot and Ivan Prosvetov will be on the bench as the new backup. That may put the Roadrunners in a tough spot to find a second goalie, but that’s what AHL teams are tasked with doing.
Raanta has been plagued with injuries issues for a while now and last season he only participated in 12 games due to a season-ending injury. In fact, during his three years in Arizona, he has only played in 78 games. Some due to injury and some due to being the backup goalie. After being out so much last season and Kuemper filling in so admirably, Raanta had been thought to be on an equal status as far as who would be the starter this season.
The Kuemper/Raanta Duo is Now Split
It seemed that the way Kuemper was playing with a 15-8-2 record carrying a 2.17 goals-against-average and a .929 save percentage he would be the primary starter. Now with Kuemper injured and not expected to be back until the All-Star break, losing Raanta adds to the challenge in net.
The team had the luxury of a 1A/1B goalie situation and that is now not the case… for now.
Hopefully, Raanta’s injury is something minor and the team can get along without him for a couple, few games. The team is scheduled to start a three-game road trip. It will take them to Florida on Tuesday, Tampa Bay on Thursday and Carolina on Friday. That back-back situation may be difficult if the team doesn’t want to play Hill both games.
What This Means Going Forward
The Coyotes have turned things around after a three-game losing spell. They defeated the St. Louis Blues and then the Flyers in good order. Both games were on home ice and they are now a more respectable 11-10-1 at Gila River Arena.
They have been quite a good road team with a 13-6-3 record. But, having to play without Kuemper and Raanta may be a detriment too much to overcome. Yet this team showed last season that they can step up and let the next guy fill in when necessary.
It’s too bad about Raanta who stopped all 17 shots he faced against a road-weary Flyers team who just wanted to get this one to end. He was playing very well and now his status is up in the air. It’s just hoped that the lower-body injury he sustained last season and needed surgery to correct has not been aggravated.
That would be a nightmare for the team’s future going forward.
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