Need to Know: Bruins at Coyotes

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Bruins will be aiming to snap their two-game skid on Friday night as they visit the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. The meeting marks the first in Arizona between the teams since Oct. 5, 2019.
"We're not in any position to take anyone lightly," said Taylor Hall. "We need points just as much as anyone. I've been on struggling teams and sometimes you never know what you can expect. All of a sudden, they get some momentum, they put a few shifts together in the first period and it can be a very tough night for us. Or we can play well right off the bat, enforce our will on the game and roll our lines over and hopefully, eventually take over the game.
"It's up to us. Last game, there were two points that we should've had, and we only came away with one. I don't think we're in a position to take anyone lightly. We've got to find our game. We haven't won in two games, so we've got to get back on track here."
Here's everything else you need to know ahead of tonight's 9 p.m. ET puck drop on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub:

Grzelcyk is Game-Time

After missing the last two games with an upper-body injury, Matt Grzelcyk took part in the morning skate and could make his return against the Coyotes, per coach Bruce Cassidy.
"Grizz looks better," said Cassidy. "If he gets through warmups and clear, he will go. It looks that way. We'll decide what D we'll take out once that's finalized. But that would be the only one."

Opposing View

The Coyotes, who have dropped three straight, enter Friday's matchup with a 10-27-4 record and 24 points, which places them last in the Western Conference.
Clayton Keller paces the Coyotes with 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) in 41 games. Former Bruins winger Phil Kessel ranks second in team scoring with 27 points (5 goals, 22 assists), while blue liner Shayne Gostisbehere has a line of 7-19-26.

A Fighting Chance

Hall spoke to the media for the first time since his hit on Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon during Wednesday night's overtime loss to the Avalanche, saying in hindsight he might have dropped the gloves - though he did not necessarily believe he had anything to answer for despite Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog challenging him on multiple occasions throughout the night. Hall ended up drawing a cross-checking penalty on the Avs' Erik Johnson after the blue liner took multiple shots at the winger in the second period.
"In the moment, that was my thinking. If I could get one or two power plays out of them, I thought that would help our team more than me fighting," said Hall, who has just two fights in his NHL career, including one with the Bruins against the Islanders Scott Mayfield during last spring's second-round playoff series.
"But I guess looking back, maybe initially I just drop the gloves with Landeskog and get it over with and then I'm able to kind of play the rest of the game without as big of a target on my back. But I don't know, it's hockey. Someone told me one time, never fight on someone else's terms. I'm not a fighter by any stretch of the imagination. I don't know.
"It was a clean hit, it was a hockey hit. I never want to see anyone leave the game and certainly my intention was to just end the play when he had the puck there. I didn't want to see him bloodied or anything like that. It was a little bit of a stressful night for the rest of the game there. Just a weird night overall."

Friday's Projected Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Craig Smith
Taylor Hall - Erik Haula - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - Charlie Coyle - Oskar Steen
Anton Blidh - Tomas Nosek - Curtis Lazar
DEFENSEMEN
Urho Vaakanainen/Matt Grzelcyk - Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Connor Clifton
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark
Tuukka Rask