The Arizona Coyotes are back on the road for another back-to-back.
Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes have been on a hot streak lately. They are currently riding a seven-game point streak and have won their last two games.
Arizona’s last matchup was a one-game stop at home, where they hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. Connor Ingram stole the game for the Coyotes, making 47 saves to shut out the Lightning and force a shootout. Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz both scored in the shootout, while Ingram continued to stand tall, making two saves to give the Coyotes a 1-0 win.
Wednesday’s game was a departure for the Coyotes. They have been better at generating offense lately, a long way from getting shut out in back-to-back games in January. The lack of offense could be concerning if it becomes a trend, although it would help their lottery chances.
Thankfully, the Coyotes’ match against the Lightning did have some positive elements. The solid game from Connor Ingram can not be overstated, especially for a goaltender who struggled when the Desert Dogs first acquired him. Arizona has a bad habit of letting their opponents take over for long stretches of the game, and it was a nice change of pace to see them bend but not break.
Like their last matchup against the Lightning, the Coyotes have a tough one ahead of them tonight. The Los Angeles Kings are currently second in the extremely tight Pacific Division division with 69 points. They are just one point behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights and two points ahead of the fourth-place Edmonton Oilers.
The Kings also come into tonight’s game riding a point streak. They have won their last three games and have points in their previous four.
Arizona will be the rested team tonight, as the Kings played last night in Anaheim. The Kings took an early lead and didn’t trail once as they beat the Kings 6-3.
A big part of the Kings’ win last night was their power play, which could prove to be a problem for the Coyotes. The Kings scored on three of their four power plays, allowing them to take over the game. Los Angeles has the second-best power play in the league, which could prove troublesome for a team that takes a lot of penalties and doesn’t have a good penalty kill.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Nick Schmaltz – Schmaltz had a shootout goal last night, although it won’t keep his point streak going. But before that, he had seven points in three games.
Los Angeles: Kevin Fiala – Fiala had a goal and two assists last night against the Ducks. He leads the Kings with 58 points, ten more than the next player Anze Kopitar.
Injuries
Arizona: Shayne Gostisbehere (upper body), Bryan Little (ear), Andrew Ladd (knee)
Los Angeles: Carl Grundstrom (lower body)
Trade-related Reasons
Arizona: Jakob Chychrun
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be at 8:30 pm Arizona time and will air on Bally Sports Arizona and 98.7 FM.