Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes will be on the road for a two-game East Coast trip. First up tonight will be the third meeting between the Coyotes and the Nashville Predators.
Arizona returned to action on Thursday with a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. It wasn’t the Yotes’ best start, but they played two really competitive periods against a very good team.
It may be an excuse to blame the loss on the team being rusty, but it fits what happened. The Vegas Golden Knights had returned to action two days prior, and they came ready to play. The Coyotes were playing in their first game since January 27th and it showed.
Thursday’s game featured two significant returns: defenseman Matt Dumba and center Barrett Hayton. Hayton centered Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther, and while they didn’t show up on the scoresheet, they looked dynamite in the third period.
The Coyotes have won the first two matches against the Predators this season. They won 7-5 in November and 3-2 on January 20th. One was a come-from-behind victory that saw the Predators score twice in the first 7:11, and the other saw the Coyotes take the lead midway through the opening frame and not trail for a second.
After the Predators fell to the Coyotes in January, things did not go well for them. They went 1-3-1 to finish out the month, giving up four goals in all of their losses. Their one win managed to help the Coyotes, a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.
While the Coyotes started their All-Star break early, the Predators played until January 31st. This means that tonight will be the Predators’ first game of the month.
Arizona needs to start tonight’s game on time and take advantage of a rusty Predators team. Thursday’s game showed that an early start could make a difference, and now it is the Coyotes’ turn to take advantage of a team coming off a long break.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Clayton Keller – Keller had the Coyotes’ second goal against the Golden Knights, his 21st of the season. He had a goal and two assists in the first meeting between the Yotes and Preds and two goals in the second game.
Nashville: Philip Tomasino – Tomasino isn’t the go-to Nashville player, but he was getting hot before the break. He had three points in his last two games, with goals against the Senators and Kings.
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Boyd (pectoral), Troy Stecher (lower body)
Nashville: Egor Afanasyev (undisclosed), Alexandre Carrier (upper body)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be at 6:00 p.m. Arizona time in Nashville and will air on Scripps.