Coyotes Game Preview 28: Coyotes look to bounce back against Rangers

Game Preview

Times have been rough in Arizona. The stupid relocation rumors, the injuries, and the five-game losing streak all come into play. At least we’re not Montreal, though, hey?

Nonetheless, the Coyotes will look to get back on the right track with a win over the highly touted New York Rangers, who are currently 18-7-3 on the season.

The Rangers were coming off of a loss to the Colorado Avalanche last night and traveled to Arizona prepared to face the Coyotes.

Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in points, with nine goals and 33 points through 28 games played. He recorded a point in last night’s loss to Colorado and has points in five of his previous six games.

The Coyotes will also face one of the top goal scorers in the NHL in Chris Kreider. He has 17 goals through 28 games, ranking fifth in the league. He’s specifically a power play threat, with 58% of his goals coming from the special teams, so they need to mark him if Arizona gets into penalty trouble.

The Rangers went with Alexandar Georgiev last night, and with Igor Shesterkin still on IR, this means you can expect Keith Kinkaid to make his season debut at MSG.

For the Coyotes, you can expect to see Scott Wedgewood tend the twine. He’s 3-8-2 on the season with a .906 save percentage, with his performances getting worse as time has gone on. Nevertheless, he’ll hope to rebound against a tired and dejected Rangers squad.

The Coyotes will also hope to get their power play back on track tonight, as they’ve gone 1/24 through their last 11 games. Yeah, that’s not a typo, it’s actually been that bad. However, against a tired team and a goaltender that’s used to AHL action, they might stand a chance in that aspect.

Players to Watch

Arizona: Clayton Keller - One player that I recommend you watch closely is Clayton Keller. He’s tied with Shayne Gostisbehere for the team lead in points, and I think he surpasses him tonight. He hasn’t registered a point in two games, but he has been a dynamic player this season and crucial to the Coyotes’ success whenever they have it.

New York: Adam Fox - As Coyotes fans, the opportunity to watch Fox closely isn’t always there, as the team only plays against New York twice per season. That being said, you have to watch him. He’s so fun to watch with the puck, and he has been elite this season, per usual. He’s over point-per-game with five goals, 30 points through 28 games played, and is on pace for another Norris-trophy caliber season. He’s going to be hard to contain.

Injuries

Arizona: Jay Beagle (DAY-TO-DAY - Lower-Body), Carter Hutton (IR - Ankle), Johan Larsson (IR - Lower-Body), Ryan Dzingel (OUT - Upper-Body), Jakob Chychrun (IR - Upper-Body), Conor Timmins (IR - Knee), Dmitrij Jaškin (IR - Knee)

New York: Sammy Blais (IR - Knee), Igor Shesterkin (IR - Lower-Body), Nils Lundkvist (OUT - Illness)

Puck Drop

The game will be at Gila River Arena at 7 p.m. on BSAZ and MSG and 620 AM.