The Arizona Coyotes have a chance to get a win-streak going as they host the Washington Capitals.
Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes losing streak is finally over! After dropping nine straight games, the Coyotes beat the Detroit Red Wings and finally have some momentum again.
On Tuesday, the Coyotes managed to do something against the Red Wings they have struggled to do lately, mount a successful comeback. The Coyotes have been playing from behind for much of the season, but they usually run out of time before they can tie things up.
The shift after a goal is so important, and far too often, the Coyotes stumble during that next shift. But after Dylan Larkin scored on Tuesday, Nick Bjugstad tied it up two and a half minutes later. And when Pius Suter and David Perron made it 3-1, Travis Boyd and Dylan Guenther scored three minutes later to tie it up again.
While it would be nice for the Coyotes to take an early lead and keep it, the fact they continue to keep fighting after giving up goals is encouraging. And if they can respond right away, all the better.
The Coyotes managed to win against the Red Wings with poor special teams, but that’s not something they should try repeating. Arizona went 0-for-2 on their power play opportunities, and the first goal they gave up was on the penalty kill.
Tonight’s opponent isn’t one of the top teams in the NHL, but they are still a step up from the Red Wings. The Washington Capitals are fourth in the Metropolitan, and if the playoffs started today, they would have the first Wild Card spot.
The Capitals score a fair amount of goals, but most of that is primarily thanks to Alex Ovechkin, who is having a monster season. The Great 8 has 30 goals on the season, one-fifth of the total goals scored by the Capitals.
Former Coyote Dylan Strome has been benefiting from his time playing with Ovechkin and comes into tonight’s game with nine goals and 23 assists in 46 games. He is third in points behind Evgeny Kuznetsov and having a great first season with the Capitals.
Of course, Strome isn’t the only former Coyote to significantly impact the Capitals this season. Darcy Kuemper comes into tonight’s game with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 29 games.
Washington comes into tonight’s game after falling 4-2 to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. It’s possible they were tired, it was an away game, and they had beaten the New York Islanders 4-3 in overtime the night before.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Lawson Crouse – Crouse has three assists against the Red Wings in what continues to be an excellent season. He leads the Coyotes in goals and is third in points behind Shayne Gostisbehere and Clayton Keller.
Washington: Alex Ovechkin – Ovechkin had two assists against the Wild and comes into tonight’s game riding a three-game point streak. He is having a monster season and is definitely a player the Coyotes need to keep an eye on.
Injuries
Arizona: Matias Maccelli (lower body), Liam O’Brien (upper body), Bryan Little (ear), Andrew Ladd (knee)
Washington: Nic Dowd (questionable, lower body), John Carlson (face), Connor Brown (knee), Carl Hagelin (eye)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be at 7:00 pm Arizona time and will air on Bally Sports Arizona Extra and 98.7 FM.