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The Arizona Coyotes will not have to stomach their most recent loss for long. The Coyotes are right back in action again at home when they take on the New York Rangers for the first time this season.
Matchup at a Glance
New York Rangers | Arizona Coyotes | |
Points | 69 (3rd Metropolitan) | 47 (6th Pacific) |
Goals For | 3.04 (4th) | 2.21 (27th) |
Goals Against | 2.38 (4th) | 3.20 (28th) |
Power Play | 20.0% (9th) | 22.8% (5th) |
Penalty Kill | 82.3% (13th) | 78.1% (26th) |
5v5 Corsi For | 50.0% (18th) | 48.6% (23rd) |
PDO | 101.7 (2nd) | 97.7 (29th) |
View from New York
View from Arizona
What Arizona does down the middle of its lineup may be the most intriguing question remaining in what has otherwise been a forgettable season. With Antoine Vermette among the league's most coveted trade targets and Martin Hanzal likely done for the season, the Coyotes are looking quite thin at center.
To allay some of those concerns, General Manager Don Maloney claimed former Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, and Pittsburgh Penguins center Mark Arcobello off of waivers earlier this week. He immediately rewarded Maloney's confidence by scoring on his first shift in Sedona Red. As a restricted free agent, Arcobello could actually prove to be a nice depth acquisition for a team sorely lacking in that department at the center position.
Keys to the Game
- Remember It's Not Lundqvist - Talbot is far less experienced and far more vulnerable than Lundqvist is. That could play to Arizona's advantage if they harass him a lot with net front traffic and shots from practically everywhere.
- Foot on the Gas - The Coyotes rocketed out to a 2-0 lead against San Jose last night before conceding the next four. The Coyotes are going to have to be better at managing the game in the future.
- Protect the Goalie - Chris Krieder has a...um, peculiar tendency to run into opposing goaltenders. Arizona needs to prevent that from happening.
Who's Hot
Don't mess with Rick Nash. The All-Star forward has three goals and five assists in his last five games. Nice to see he's sharing the love.
Keith Yandle cracked 40 points on the year with a helper last night. He doesn't score a whole lot of goals, but everyone around him does when he's quarterbacking the power play.
Injury Report
New York will be without the services of Henrik Lundqvist until early-March. They also will miss Jesper Fest until later this month.
Arizona is likely to do without Martin Hanzal for the rest of the season, while Joe Vitale and Mikkel Boedker remain on IR. Also questionable is Alexandre Bolduc, who missed yesterday's game with an undisclosed injury.
Puck Drop
Tonight's game begins at 6 PM Arizona time. You can watch the game on Fox Sports Arizona or listen on ESPN 620 AM.