Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes are back in action after their toughest loss of the season. After falling 6-3 to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, the two teams will face off again today at Mullett Arena.
Tuesday’s game shows why the Kings are a team to watch this season. The Coyotes may have scored first, with Jack McBain getting his first of the season, but Los Angeles took control with three unanswered goals. It was reminiscent of last season when the Coyotes would completely collapse and give up three goals in one period.
The Kings started their comeback with a power play goal, which is, unfortunately, part of a trend this season. It is still early, but the Coyotes’ penalty kill has been bad through six games. They have killed only 70% of their penalties, 28th in the NHL. They have also taken the fifth-most penalties this season, which is not a good combination.
If there is one bright spot in Tuesday’s game, it is the second period. After giving up three straight goals, the Coyotes came back with goals from Nick Bjugstad and Clayton Keller. The Kings also scored a goal, making it far from a perfect period, but it was good to see the Coyotes push back.
Arizona is going to need to tighten up and play better defensively tonight. The Kings are a formidable opponent, but the Coyotes have faced tough opponents this season. They started their road trip with tight games against the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders, and they kept it tight all three of those games. They can play good games against the top teams, they just need to come in with a plan and execute it.
That doesn’t mean just coming out, getting an early goal, and expecting everything else to slot into place. As we saw in the last game, the Coyotes can not expect the Kings to go down easy. Arizona can not let up until the whistle blows; they need to keep pushing and scoring and do whatever it takes to keep LA on the back foot. They need to score with the man advantage, stay out of the box, and get good goaltending from Karel Vejmelka.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Nick Schmaltz – Schmaltz had an assist on Keller’s goal and has four points in his last games. He has been playing excellent hockey to start the season, and he and Keller have been elevating each other’s games.
Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar – Kopitar started the scoring on Tuesday and finished with a goal and an assist. He comes into tonight’s game with seven points in six games.
Injuries
Arizona: Jason Zucker (IR)
Los Angeles: Vikto Arvidsson (IR)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be the second game at Mullett Arena this season with a 7:00 p.m. start time. It will air on Scripps.