EDMONTON, Alberta - The Arizona Coyotes got a reprieve when the postseason was expanded for the NHL's restarted 2019-20 schedule, only to face the distraction of their general manager unexpectedly resigning just before they left for the Western Conference bubble in Edmonton.
More adversity hit when the Nashville Predators sent Game 4 of the Stanley Cup qualifier series to overtime with a goal in the closing seconds of regulation play Friday afternoon.
Resiliency has become a trademark of the franchise in the desert, though, and the Coyotes found it when they needed it most to pull out one of the biggest wins in Coyotes history.
Brad Richardson scored on a rebound in overtime, Darcy Kuemper stopped 49 shots and the Coyotes advanced in the postseason for the first time in eight years with a 4-3 win over the Predators.
"I think we're all sick and tired of the Coyotes being out of the conversation, and at least we put ourselves in that," Richardson said.
Nashville, which reached the Stanley Cup Final as a No. 8 seed three years ago but has since regressed - the Predators lost in the second round of the playoffs in 2018 and in the first round last year - fell to 6-13 all-time in elimination games.
Arizona was 11th in the West when the coronavirus pandemic halted the season in mid-March, then earned a spot in the postseason when the bracket was expanded to 12 teams. General manager John Chayka surprisingly exited the day the Coyotes left the desert, putting the team in a delicate spot while trying to adjust to the bubble.
They seized control of the series against Nashville by winning Game 3 on Wednesday and seemed to be on their way to the next round after going up 2-0 on goals by Michael Grabner and Phil Kessel to open Game 4. Even after the Predators tied it in the second period, Jordan Oesterle put Arizona back ahead with a goal early in the third.
On the cusp of their first series win since reaching the 2012 conference finals, the Coyotes seemed to be on their heels when Nashville's Filip Forsberg tied it with 32 seconds left. Instead of panicking, Arizona dug down and pulled out the series-clinching victory when Richardson punched in a rebound off his own redirected shot past Juuse Saros.
Now the Coyotes move on to face the Colorado Avalanche or the Vegas Golden Knights in the next round.
"Throughout the year, we've had some resiliency, a little bit of noise with this club," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said, "and that's a microcosm for us being able to deal with that."
The Predators showed a bit of resolve of their own, rallying from a 2-0 deficit on goals by Viktor Arvidsson and Matt Duchene. Arvidsson took a puck to the ribs and left late in the second period, but Nashville had a huge push in the third, tying it when Forsberg one-timed a pass by Ryan Ellis from the left faceoff dot.
The Predators could not match the Coyotes in the extra period despite some big saves from Saros, and they bow out of the postseason as the West's No 6 seed.
"It's frustrating," said Forberg, who had three goals in the series. "We played well enough to win, but we've also got to find that little extra to win."
The Coyotes took control of the series with a 4-1 win in Game 3 behind Kuemper's 39 saves and three third-period goals.
Arizona followed a similar pattern to that game Friday, starting slow but scoring the first goal when Grabner beat Saro to the glove side with a wrister from the right circle. Kessel took advantage of a turnover by Saros 98 seconds into the second period by slipping a shot under the Nashville goalie's stick blocker.
Nashville came back to life when Duchene scored on a power play and Arvidsson one-timed a pass from Ellis past Kuemper to tie it.
Oesterle put Arizona back ahead early in the third, but the Predators bounced back again with Saros on the bench for an extra attacker, seemingly snatching momentum away on Forsberg's late goal. They just couldn't finish it off.
Kuemper made a couple of saves in overtime, and Richardson ended the series - and the Predators' season - with his goal after it bounced off Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm after an inital save by Saros.
Said Nashville coach John Hynes, who took over at midseason: "We just couldn't find a way to solve Kuemper, as much as we threw at him."