Game Preview
After one of their sloppiest games of the season, the Arizona Coyotes don’t have time to dwell on it. The Coyotes fell 2-1 to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, and they face off against another Central Division team tonight as they play the Nashville Predators.
There isn’t much you can say about the Coyotes’ performance against St. Louis. The Desert Dogs have been one of the most penalized teams in the NHL this season, but they took that to another level on Thursday.
Arizona took seven penalties against the Blues, all in the first two periods. They could barely build momentum through the first 40 minutes yet still found a way to lose by only one goal.
Penalties were a big issue last season and have been a problem this season. The Coyotes need to find a way to stay out of the box and play a full 60-minute game. Unfortunately, that will be hard to do in the middle of a five-game road trip.
Luckily for the Coyotes, their opponent tonight is not having a good start to the season. The Nashville Predators are at the bottom of the Central Division. They currently have the same number of points as the Chicago Blackhawks (10), but they have played one additional game.
The Predators come into tonight’s game after losing their last two matchups. They fell 4-2 to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday and 6-3 to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
The Nashville Predators do not score a lot of goals. The Predators are 23rd in goals scored per game with 2.85 compared to the Coyotes’ 3.08. Almost half of their 37 goals have come from three players, Ryan O’Reilly (7), Tommy Novak (6), and Colton Sissons (5), so shutting them down will be crucial to tonight’s matchup.
Arizona better stay disciplined tonight because they can not afford to give the Predators seven power plays. The Blues have the worst power play in the league by a wide margin, but the Predators are okay. Their power play is 16th in the league, converting 20.5% of the time, compared to the Blues’ 2.9% success rate.
If the Coyotes can find a way to draw penalties, they should have more success. The Predators have the second-worst penalty kill in the NHL, killing only 69.8% of their penalties. Arizona has a surprisingly efficient power play, so this matchup should benefit the Coyotes if they play their cards right.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Lawson Crouse – After being held off the scoresheet against the Kraken, Crouse had the Coyotes’ lone goal against the Blues. He has been great in November, with five goals and an assist.
Nashville: Filip Forsberg – Forsberg had two goals against the Winnipeg Jets, his second multi-point game of the month and fifth of the season. He isn’t the Predators player scoring all the goals but leads the team in assists (10) and points (14).
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Dermott (week-to-week, lower body)
Nashville: Ryan McDonagh (day-to-day)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be in Nashville with a 6:00 p.m. start time. It will air on Scripps.