Game Preview
With a 2-1 overtime win over the Seattle Kraken, the Arizona Coyotes’ seven-game homestand is off to a great start. It was a tight game that saw the Coyotes force overtime with just 68 seconds left with a goal from Clayton Keller, but the Yotes walked away with the win and a bit of momentum.
Friday’s game was a goaltending duel of the highest order, with neither Karel Vejmelka nor Joey Daccord allowing a goal for much of regulation. It wasn’t until the third period that things started to slip, with Vejmelka letting in the game’s first goal just under 48 minutes in.
It is past the point where the outcome of games will make much of a difference, but that doesn’t mean that players are playing for nothing. And no matter what you think of the team’s lottery odds, you have to respect the fact that the Coyotes played a solid game and didn’t give up when faced with a bit of adversity. Many of the players on the team this year will be returning next year, and you don’t want them to think it is okay to give up after allowing a goal.
After beating the Coyotes last Wednesday, the Dallas Stars continued their win streak with a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was another come-from-behind victory that saw the Stars give up on the first goal only to respond with four unanswered goals.
Seeing a team come back twice in a row after giving up the first goal with a flurry of offense isn’t a pattern just yet, but it is definitely something the Coyotes need to be worried about. If the Yotes score first, they need to find a way to keep up the pressure and add to their lead. If nothing else, Wednesday should have taught them that they need to be ready for a full 60-minute effort tonight.
The Coyotes recently had a road trip of rematches, and the results were not great. They lost to the teams they lost to at home and beat the team that they beat at home. But since the rematch is at home tonight, maybe that will reverse it and allow them to win in the rematch.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Clayton Keller – Keller tied the game on Friday with his 29th goal of the season and comes into tonight’s match riding a four-game goal streak. He had a goal against the Stars in their last game.
Dallas: Jamie Benn – Benn had a two-goal night against the Penguins and comes into tonight’s game with goals in his last three games. With only 15 goals in 71 games, he took a step back after his 33-goal season last year, but he still has time to hit the 20-goal plateau.
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Boyd (pectoral), Barrett Hayton (lower body)
Dallas: Evgenii Dadonov (lower body), Jani Hakanpää (lower body), Jerad Rosburg (undisclosed)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be at Mullett Arena and will start at 5:00 p.m. Arizona time.