Game Preview
It is a new year, and the Arizona Coyotes are back in action. After three days off, the Desert Dogs will return to Mullett Arena to host the Florida Panthers as they look to regain the top Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Coyotes come into tonight’s game with wins in their last two games, an exciting comeback win over the Colorado Avalanche, and a 2-0 shutout win over the Anaheim Ducks. At this point in the season, the Coyotes need all the points they can get; they need to beat the teams above and below them.
The matchup against the Ducks featured timely scoring from Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse and outstanding goaltending from Connor Ingram. That is the Coyotes’ formula this season: great goaltending and offense from multiple lines.
Per PHNX’s Craig Morgan, Karel Vejmelka will be getting the start tonight against the Panthers, and the game will see the return of defenseman J.J. Moser.
Vejmelka was in net for the Coyotes’ comeback win, his fourth straight win. Veggie struggled to start the season but seemed to come alive in mid-December, where he went 4-1-0 and completed back-to-back shutouts over the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators. When Connor Ingram started to play better, there was speculation that the Coyotes would look to trade Vejmelka, but last month proved that there are benefits to a solid tandem that can share the workload when one player is struggling.
Moser hasn’t missed much time compared to some of the Coyotes’ other injuries, but his loss was still felt. He hasn’t played since leaving December 23rd’s game after playing only 7 minutes and 10 seconds. Moser is second among defensemen in points with 15 and third in goals scored with three.
If the Coyotes’ last two opponents are two ends of a spectrum, tonight’s opponents are closer to the Avalanche end. The Florida Panthers are second in the Atlantic Division behind the Boston Bruins, and with 46 points in 36 games, they are third in the Eastern Conference.
They also come into tonight’s game with a win streak of their own, having beaten the last few teams. And it isn’t like they were racking up easy points; three of the four, the Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New York Rangers, are all currently in a playoff spot. You can even make a case for the Rangers and Golden Knights being two of the top teams in the NHL right now.
But that isn’t to say that the Panthers are perfect. Before racking up eight points, they dropped games against the Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues. Neither the Flames nor the Blues are bottom-of-the-barrel teams, they are closer to the Coyotes than to the Sharks, which could be a sign that the Panthers occasionally underestimate their opponents.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Lawson Crouse – Crouse comes into tonight’s game with three points in his last two games and back-to-back goals. The Panthers initially drafted Crouse, so tonight is the perfect time to have a great game against a team that traded him away.
Florida: Carter Verhaeghe – Verhaeghe is coming off a 42-goal season and already has 18 goals this season. He comes into tonight’s game with three two-point games in his last four games.
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Boyd (pectoral), Barrett Hayton (upper body), Vladislav Kolyachonok (lower body)
Florida: None
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be at Mullett Arena with a 7:00 p.m. start. It will air on Scripps.