Game Preview
After months of struggling, the Arizona Coyotes put together one of their best games all season. The Desert Dogs embraced the role of spoilers, beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-0.
It was one of the Coyotes’ most complete games all season. Ten players registered a point, Connor Ingram made 28 saves, and the Coyotes limited themselves to just one penalty. You could not ask for a better performance or a better bounce-back effort after losing 5-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.
But after playing the Blackhawks, Wild, and Red Wings at home, the Coyotes will be on the road for three games. In a scheduling quirk, they will be playing the Blackhawks, the Wild, and the Red Wings, the same teams in the same order. With the Coyotes set to have three rematches, the team that makes the right adjustments will walk away the winners.
Going into the Coyotes’ last game against the Blackhawks, it seemed like it would be an easy win for the Yotes. The Coyotes had been on a two-game winning streak, which ended along with Chicago’s 22-game losing streak.
Chicago’s power play won the day on Tuesday. The Blackhawks couldn’t do much 5-on-5 but went 4-for-5 with the man advantage. Penalties have been a problem for the Yotes all season, but they rarely do as much damage as they did during that game.
After beating the Coyotes, the Blackhawks had three days off. After getting some rest, they turned around and lost 4-1 to the Washington Capitals yesterday.
Despite being the more rested team, the Blackhawks gave up three goals in the first period and a fourth in the second. They finally got on the board in the third, but by then, all they were doing was avoiding the shutout.
That game shows something significant: the Blackhawks are an awful team. If the Coyotes don’t beat themselves by taking too many penalties and are actually prepared to play, they should walk away with two points today.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Nick Bjugstad – The new dad had a goal and an assist against the Detroit Red Wings and comes into the game with three points in his last two games. After the Coyotes traded Zucker and Dumba, the Coyotes will depend on a veteran like Bjugstad to step up.
Chicago: Tyler Johnson – Johnson had three assists against the Coyotes and followed that up with the Blackhawks’ lone goal against the Capitals.
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Boyd (pectoral), Travis Dermott (undisclosed)
Chicago: Andreas Athanasiou (lower body), Taylor Hall (knee), Connor Murphy (lower body)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be at 3:00 p.m. Arizona time and will on Scripps.