Anaheim Ducks vs. Phoenix Coyotes Game 2 Preview: Swing Game

The Phoenix Coyotes and the Anaheim Ducks meet up for the second time in three nights this evening at Jobing.com Arena.The Ducks will be looking to even the mini-series tonight after losing in a shoot out on Saturday. Going into tonight's contest the Ducks lead the Pacific Division by 8 points over the second place San Jose Sharks. The Coyotes are one point behind San Jose and find themselves in ninth place in the Western Conference.

Five for Winning

1. Don't get caught up in trash talk. Things got a bit chippy at the end of Game 1. The Coyotes need to stay calm and not take any dumb penalties.

2. Speed. The fact that three of the four goals scored by the Coyotes on Saturday were by two of their fastest skater, Lauri Korpikoski and Matthew Lombardi. The Ducks defense appeared to struggle to keep pace when the Coyotes weren't stationary. Speed will also help with the next item.

3. Draw penalties. The Coyotes didn't have a single power play in Game 1. The Ducks have one of the weak penalty kills in the league (75.7%) which the Yotes should look to exploit.

4. Replay Saturday's 3rd period. Puck possession and shots. Rinse. Repeat.

5. Keep Ducks top line in check. Even though the Ducks scored 4 goals on Saturday, none of them came from the Ducks first line on Saturday night.

Players To Watch

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The OEL-Z pairing was by far the best pairing on the ice for wither squad on Saturday night. They completely shut down the Ducks offense when they were on the ice. In addition, they were on the ice for the Coyotes final two goals in regulation. Their team needs a similar performance tonight against the Duck's potent offense.

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The guy has had 2 hat tricks in a little over a year against Phoenix. The Coyotes might want to put a body on the guy.

Likely Starting Goaltenders

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Smith didn't look his best or worst in Saturday night's affair. However, he made big saves in the third period and the shootout which has to help make him feel confident going into Monday's game.

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Hiller had a rough start to the season, hence the rise of Saturday's starter, Viktor Fasth. However, Hiller looked solid on Friday night against the Wild, so I wouldn't be surprised if Bruce Boudreau calls on his former starter for tonight's contest.

Injuries

Coyotes:

Martin Hanzal (Upper Body)

David Schlemko (Upper Body)

Radim Vrbata ( Lower Body)

Ducks:

Kyle Palmieri ( Upper Body)