Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes’ losing streak continues, and they will have to try to break it against good teams. The Coyotes fell 5-1 to the Hurricanes on Friday, and this afternoon, they are playing the Colorado Avalanche in the first game of a back-to-back.
It took just 16 seconds for the Hurricanes to get on the board, and they didn’t trail for the rest of the game. Carolina kept up the offense and just added more goals.
Arizona did a good job not taking penalties against the Hurricanes, and things would have been much worse if they spent a lot of time in the box. Carolina had just two power plays, and they converted on one of their opportunities.
The Coyotes will want to stay out of the box again tonight because they are playing another top-ten power play. The Colorado Avalanche has the seventh-best power play in the NHL, converting 24.3% of the time.
The Avalanche aren’t the top team in the NHL or even the Central Division, but they still comfortably have a playoff spot. They are a high-offense team that allows their opponents to score a lot of goals.
Colorado is in a rough stretch right now, which could benefit the Coyotes. They are 4-1-1 since the All-Star break, with regulation losses to the Devils, Hurricanes, Panthers, and Lightning.
Tonight will be the first game of a back-to-back, with the Coyotes coming home to play tomorrow. Arizona may be tempted to save some for tomorrow, but at this point, the Coyotes need to go all out every night.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Dylan Guenther – Guenther had the Coyotes’ lone goal against the Carolina Hurricanes and had a goal and an assist on February 10th. He has not played the Avalanche this season.
Colorado: Artturi Lehkonen – Lehkonen comes into tonight’s matchup with six points in his last two games. He had a four-point night against the Capitals and followed that up with a goal and an assist against the Lightning.
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Boyd (pectoral), Connor Ingram (undisclosed), Liam O’Brien (upper body), Troy Stecher (lower body)
Colorado: Pavel Francouz (groin), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Logan O’Connor (lower body)
Puck Drop
Today’s game will be at 4:00 p.m. Arizona time and will air on Scripps.