Kessel consistency: Phil Kessel refuses to let Father Time slow him down. The 33-year-old forward has scored 18 goals, tied with defenseman Jakob Chychrun for the Coyotes lead, and his 38 points in 54 games match his 70-game total from last season. Kessel leads the Coyotes with 10 multipoint games and his 16.5 percent shooting percentage is the highest of his 15-season NHL career.
Emergence of Chychrun: Jakob Chychrun, the No. 16 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, evolved into a true top-pair defenseman this season. The 23-year-old showed he could take over games with his skill set, skating, big shot and ability to defend and move the puck, all while averaging 23:18 in ice time this season, the most of his five-season NHL career. Chychrun leads NHL defensemen with 18 goals, is tied for ninth with 39 points, and is sixth with 26 even-strength points (13 goals, 13 assists). He's also tied for first with three game-winning goals.
Goaltending: Goalies Darcy Kuemper and Adin Hill have provided the Coyotes with solid play in most games. Kuemper has a 2.58 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage and two shutouts in 26 games, and a .911 save percentage at even strength. Hill did an admirable job stepping in when Antti Raanta was injured, going 8-9-1 with a 2.67 GAA, a .913 save percentage and two shutouts in 18 games (16 starts). He has a .916 save percentage at even strength. Their strong play especially was noticeable on the penalty kill, where Arizona was 13th in the NHL with an 80.3 percent success rate despite being shorthanded 162 times, tied for the ninth-most in the League.