Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes’ homestand continues, and the team desperately needs a win tonight. The Coyotes have dropped their last two games and are currently out of the playoffs. It is too early to worry about the standings, but correcting things before they become a problem is better.
The Coyotes dropped their last game against the New York Islanders 5-1, with Nick Schmaltz scoring the Desert Dog’s lone goal. While it is great to see Schmaltz light the lamp and the Coyotes scoring on the power play, the team needs to improve.
Arizona is having a few issues to start the new year. They are giving up a lot of goals (Florida scored 4 while New York scored 5), and their opponents are holding them to a single goal. It isn’t a goaltending issue because the Coyotes have tried both Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram in net this year.
Either way, the Coyotes will have reinforcements tonight, as Dylan Guenther earned a call-up from the Tucson Roadrunners. With Jason Zucker currently serving a three-game suspension, the Coyotes have recalled Guenther, who has 28 points in 29 games in the AHL. He is not expected to be in the NHL long term this time, but if he can have an excellent showing, he may force Head Coach André Tourigny and General Manager Bill Armstrong to keep him in the big league for the rest of the season.
Unfortunately for the Coyotes, things aren’t going to be easy for the Coyotes tonight. Their opponents tonight, the Winnipeg Jets, come into tonight’s game with 54 points in 38 games and are the top team in the Eastern Conference. They are undefeated in regulation in their last 11 games, with only two losses in overtime.
Surprisingly enough, the two teams that took the Jets to overtime are the Montréal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks. They recently beat the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks in a back-to-back last week, so maybe the Jets learned not to underestimate their opponents, but it could mean the Coyotes have a chance.
Special teams could be the defining factor for tonight’s game. The Jets do not have a great power play (22nd, 18.3%) or penalty kill (27th, 74.8%). The Jets are better 5-on-5, so if the Coyotes can be defensively responsible and score some timely power play goals, they may walk away with their first win of 2024.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Alex Kerfoot – Kerfoot had an assist on Schmaltz’s goal in the Coyotes’ last matchup and has a three-game point streak. He seems to be slotting well into the Coyotes’ top line, and the Coyotes will need the line to play their best tonight.
Winnipeg: Nikolaj Ehlers – Ehlers scored in the Jets’ last game and comes into tonight’s game riding a three-game point streak. He currently has 29 points in 38 games.
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Boyd (pectoral muscle), Barrett Hayton (upper body), Vladislav Kolyachonok (lower body)
Winnipeg: Kyle Connor (knee), David Gustafsson (lower body), Ville Heinola (ankle), Rasmus Kupari (shoulder)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be at Mullett Arena with a 5:00 p.m. start time. It will air on Scripps.