Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes must feel good about themselves as they head out on the road. The Yotes have all the momentum as they head out on their final road trip, starting with a matinee matchup against the San Jose Sharks today.
The Coyotes ended their previous seven-game homestand with one of the most impressive comebacks in franchise history. After giving up four unanswered goals in the second period, it looked like the Vegas Golden Knights were just 20 minutes away from an easy win against one of the worst teams in the Central Division.
Instead, the Coyotes responded with six goals over nine minutes and six seconds. Josh Doan, Nick Bjugstad, Michael Carcone (twice), Josh Brown, and Logan Cooley all light the lamp for the Desert Dogs in the final frame, while Alex Kerfoot started the offense in the second period.
And while this season may be a lost cause, the mix of young and old scoring in the third should give fans hope moving forward. You have younger players like Doan and Cooley, with veterans like Bjugstad helping lead the team along with Keller and Schmaltz, who both registered two assists.
After facing off against a team destined for the playoffs, the Coyotes will face the worst team in the NHL. The San Jose Sharks have just 44 points this season, seven points lower than the second-worst Chicago Blackhawks.
Despite their poor performance this season, the Sharks did pull out a win in their last matchup. San Jose beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime yesterday, ending a two-game losing streak. The team they beat before that losing streak started was also the St. Louis Blues, so maybe they just match up well against them.
The Sharks are the worst team in the NHL by almost every metric. They, along with the Blackhawks, score the fewest goals per game, and they give up the most by a wide margin. Their power play may be surprisingly average, but their penalty kill is one spot below the Coyotes (which is not good).
But if Friday’s match teaches you anything, it doesn’t matter who is supposed to win on paper. The Coyotes can’t be cocky going into tonight’s match; they need to play hard and don’t fall into any traps.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Josh Doan – Doan has six points in five games this season and started the Coyotes’ comeback against the Golden Knights.
San Jose: William Eklund – Eklund’s hat trick carried the Sharks to a win yesterday as he recorded his 13th, 14th, and 15th goals. He has six points in his last four games and has had an impressive first full season in the NHL.
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Boyd (pectoral), Barrett Hayton (lower body)
San Jose: Alexander Barabanov (lower body), Matt Benning (hip), Logan Couture (groin), Ty Emberson (lower body), Vitek Vanecek (lower body)
Puck Drop
Today’s game will be in San Jose and will start at 3:00 p.m. Arizona time.