Over the last 20 games of the season, Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet had assigned his players with one task.
With his team having already been eliminated from playoff convention, Tocchet – coming off two Stanley Cup wins as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins – told his players to play the last 20 as if they were playoff games.
For the Coyotes, who were the first team to be eliminated from Cup contention, it had to be their playoffs. The team needed something to play for.
Tocchet said his team passed the test.