Arizona Coyotes 3 Stars of the week 10/6 – 10/13
By Jim Lynch
The Arizona Coyotes have played 4 games thus far this season, and have a record of 1-2-1, very rarely does the record tell a teams entire story. You often have players that are standing out and lifting the team up, here is the Coyotes 3 stars of the week through the first 4 games of the season.
Could the Arizona Coyotes have had a better start to the season? Yes, they could be undefeated, but they aren’t. The players that we have included in our 3 stars of the week all deserve to be here, and are a big reason the Coyotes won one game, so here they are!
Number 3 Star of The Week – Derek Stepan
Derek Stepan has done almost everything for the Coyotes this season. Stepan is averaging almost 20:43 minutes of ice time a game, that is more than one entire period. Not bad for a 29-year-old player.
Stepan is someone the team calls on in all situations. He plays on the power play, the penalty kill, and the top line. The Coyotes center is a 50.9% in the face-off dot so far this year. Stepan has been a leader in Arizona the last few seasons, and scored the first goal of the season for the Coyotes.
Number 2 Star of The Week – Conor Garland
Conor Garland has shown flashes of the player he can be for the Coyotes. At just 23 years of age Garland has the best hockey of his career ahead of him. Just watch as he scores on Marc Andre Fleury during the Coyotes first win of the season.
This is Garlands second season in the NHL, so lets hope he can continue to grow with the ‘Yotes.
Number 1 Star of The Week – Darcy Kuemper
Darcy Kuemper has been the rock for the Arizona Coyotes. Through the first 3 games of the season that Kuemper has played in he has just one win. However Kuemper is a big reason for the team’s success thus far. He has kept the team in it and has helped give the Coyotes a reason to win every night.
Kuemper, who recently signed an extension with the team, is a central part on the Coyotes defense especially when he makes elite level saves night in and night out.
The Arizona Coyotes are going to be good this season, there is a lot of reasons for optimism revolving around this team. It all starts with great weeks from players like Kuemper, Garland, and Stepan.