Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes are set to play in the final game before the All-Star break, and they desperately need a win. The Yotes have dropped their last two games while giving up six goals in both games.
Arizona’s most recent loss happened on Thursday when they fell 6-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are a solid, high-offense team, so falling to them isn’t the worst thing, but the way they did was just awful.
After an okay first period, the Coyotes completely collapsed in the middle frame, allowing the Lightning to score three unanswered goals. They started the period down 2-1, but after twenty minutes, the game was all but out of reach, with the Lightning leading 5-2.
The Arizona Coyotes have struggled to play a full 60-minute game all season, and something similar happened in the Yotes’ first period against the Florida Panthers. If the Coyotes want to get into the postseason, they need to find a way to play a complete game.
Thankfully, forward Nick Schmaltz returned in the Coyotes’ last matchup. Schmaltz is one of the Coyotes’ best players and a big part of the top line, and it is great that he wasn’t out for long.
After playing two of the top teams in the Atlantic, the Coyotes will be playing one of the best teams in the Metropolitan Division. The Carolina Hurricanes are second in the Metro with 59 points and are 7-2-1 in their last ten games.
There isn’t much that the Hurricanes are doing wrong this season, and they are outclassing the Coyotes in pretty much any category. Their power play is third in the league, with their penalty kill being fourth. They are eighth in faceoff win percentage compared to the Coyotes’ pitiful 31st. And their goals for and goals against are 10th and 13th, both better than the Desert Dogs.
The Hurricanes have a balanced offseason this season, with five players registering at least 30 points. Compared to the Coyotes, who only have two players who have hit the 30-point plateau this season.
Tonight will be the first meeting between the two teams this season, with the Hurricanes coming to Tempe in the middle of February.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Logan Cooley – The Coyotes rookie is heating up, riding a three-game point streak coming into tonight’s game. He is playing well with Dylan Guenther and will hopefully bring his A-game tonight.
Carolina: Sebastian Aho – Aho leads the Hurricanes with 54 points and comes into tonight’s game riding a four-game point streak. He has two goals and four assists in his past four matches.
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Boyd (pectoral), Matt Dumba (upper body), Barrett Hayton (upper body), Vladislav Kolyachonok (lower body), Troy Stecher (lower body)
Carolina: Frederik Andersen (blood clots), Pyotr Kochetkov (concussion), Andrei Svechnikov (upper body)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be in Carolina, with a 5:00 p.m. start time in Arizona. The game will air on Scripps.