The Arizona Coyotes look to end their three-game homestand on a high note against the Ottawa Senators.
Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes dropped their sixth straight game on Tuesday, falling 4-2 to the San Jose Sharks. Going into the second period, the Coyotes had a 2-1 lead, but the Sharks scored three unanswered goals and won the game.
Despite the score, it wasn’t the worst game for the Coyotes. They didn’t take too many penalties and had better possession than lately, but it wasn’t enough.
The Coyotes have had problems scoring the third goal lately, and they had plenty of chances on Tuesday. Arizona had four power plays, with three coming at pivotal moments, and they failed to score on any of them. The Coyotes’ power play started the season as one of the best in the league, but they are far from that now.
Tonight will be the last game of a three-game homestand before facing the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets in a back-to-back. If there were a time for Mullett Magic, it would be now.
The Arizona Coyotes first faced the Ottawa Senators early in the season, when there was still hope that the Ottawa Senators would be a good team. They had made significant moves in the offseason, and it looked like they would be competing for a spot.
That hasn’t happened. The Senators are the seventh-ranked team in the Atlantic Division but are eight points ahead of the Coyotes. They have lost their last two and are 4-5-1 in their previous ten.
Ottawa lost their last two games in two very different ways. They fell 3-0 to the Nashville Predators on Monday and 8-4 to the Seattle Kraken last Saturday.
The Senators don’t score a lot of goals, but they still have a few heavy hitters. Tim Stützle has 18 goals in 36 games, and Brady Tkachuk is on pace for another career season with 14 goals and 40 points in 40 games.
Ottawa is also getting decent goaltending. Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg have been splitting net duties evenly, and both look good. Either one should prove to be a challenge for the Yotes tonight.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Barrett Hayton – Hayton has goals in back-to-back games and eight points in his last seven. He is playing his best hockey, and that will hopefully continue tonight.
Ottawa: Tim Stützle – Stützle had a hat-trick in the Senator’s second to last game in a four-point night. The Senators lost that game, but he is the last Senators’ player to score.
Injuries
Arizona: Matias Maccelli (lower body), Liam O’Brien (upper body), Bryan Little (ear), Andrew Ladd (knee)
Ottawa: Nikita Zaitsev (lower body), Tyler Motte (finger), Rourke Chartier (upper body), Mathieu Joseph (lower body), Josh Norris (shoulder)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be at Mullett Arena with a 7:00 pm start and will air on Bally Sports Arizona and ESPN 620AM.