Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes may have grabbed a point against the Winnipeg Jets, but the losing streak continues. The Coyotes forced overtime against the Jets, but a mistake in overtime led to a Jets win just 33 seconds in.
It was a rough first period for the Desert Dogs, something we have seen a lot during this losing streak. The Jets scored just over two minutes into the game and had two power play goals in the latter half of the period. By the end of the opening frame, the Coyotes were down 3-1.
Nothing about the Sunday’s start was new. We have seen the Coyotes take off periods before, just like we have seen them take dumb penalties. We have also seen the penalties come back and bite the Coyotes like they did when the Jets scored twice with the man advantage.
But after the weak start, the Coyotes had a solid response. They tied the game with goals from Matias Maccelli and Nick Schmaltz in the second and third periods and forced it into overtime. The Jets don’t give up a lot of goals, and under normal circumstances, stealing a point against one of the top teams in the Central would be a minor win. But with a losing streak this long, the Coyotes are long past moral victories.
Unfortunately, the loss isn’t the worst part. Clayton Keller, the Coyotes’ best player, was limited to just eight minutes and 16 seconds after sustaining an upper-body injury. It doesn’t look like Keller will be ready for tonight’s game and may even miss the Coyotes’ next match.
After facing off against some of the top teams in the league, the Coyotes will get a break today. The Montréal Canadiens are the worst team in the Atlantic Division and come into tonight’s game riding a five-game losing streak. And while that isn’t as bad as the Coyotes, it could prove to be the Yotes’ best chance to break their losing streak.
The Canadiens have just two wins since the All-Star break, a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals and a 5-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Those two wins show that the Coyotes can not underestimate the Canadiens, although, given how they have been playing, that seems unlikely.
If the Coyotes want to have a chance tonight, they need to keep things simple. They need to play a full 60-minute effort and do their best to stay out of the box. The Canadiens’ power play is ranked 19th at this point in the season, good enough to do some serious damage to the Coyotes.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Matias Maccelli – Maccelli comes into tonight’s game riding a two-game goal streak and four points in his last four games. He registered an assist in the Coyotes’ first game against the Canadiens.
Montréal: Nick Suzuki -Suzuki had two goals against the Devils in the Canadiens’ last game and leads the Canadiens in goals and points. He was held off the scoresheet in the prior game against the Coyotes.
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Boyd (pectoral), Clayton Keller (upper body), Troy Stecher (lower body)
Montréal: Kirby Dach (ACL and MCL), Christian Dvorak (pectoral), Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (lower body), Carey Price (knee), Jayden Struble (lower body), Chris Wideman (back)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be at 5:00 p.m. Arizona time and will air on Scripps.