The Tucson Roadrunners are very close to securing a spot in the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Even so, the points matter now more than ever.
The Arizona Coyotes’ AHL affiliate currently resides in second place in the 10-team Pacific Division, with the top seven clubs qualifying for the playoffs. The top seed earns a bye in the First Round, while teams 2-7 face off in a best-of-three series; The second, third, and fourth-seeded teams host all three games (if necessary), though, so seeding is critical.
Just seven points separate positions 2-6 as of Tuesday, and a number of teams possess games in hand, so the postseason race is as hot as ever.
“It’s important, we've been attacking each game the same way we have all season, and we’re trying to take care of what’s happening in front of us,” head coach Steve Potvin said. “We’re trying to do all that we can to continue to improve. That’s been the message: We want to make sure we pressure ourselves to show up in a certain way, and that will alleviate a lot of the stress.
“We want to show up every day with the thought of growth.”
That growth has been evident throughout the season.
Through 59 games this season the Roadrunners’ points percentage of .636 is the third-best mark since the team relocated to Tucson prior to the 2016-17 season, behind the 2019-20 season (.647) and the 2017-18 season (.662). The latter marks the farthest they have made it into the AHL playoffs, falling in five games in the second round of the playoffs.
Tucson’s roster has performed well from top-to-bottom throughout the 2023-24 season, led by rookie Josh Doan’s 44 points. The 2021 draft pick (37th overall) also leads the team with 24 goals, while Aku Räty’s 25 assists are tops, and his 38 points are second-most on the club.