Preview: Coyotes Face Hurricanes in Final Game Before All-Star Break

Jan. 27, 2024 | 5:00 pm MST | PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
TV: Arizona 61 | Radio ESPN 620

The Arizona Coyotes wrap up their three-game road trip on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes in their final game before the All-Star break. The team will then be off until it hosts the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, Feb. 8 at Mullett Arena.

Arizona and Carolina meet once more this season, on Feb. 16 in Tempe.

The Coyotes have dropped two straight games, but are 2-2-0 over their last four games, and are four points behind the Nashville Predators for the Western Conference’s second-and-final Wild Card spot with one game in hand. A mere six points separate seven separate teams in the race for both Wild Card spots in the conference.

Forward Clayton Keller continued his hot hand against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, and the 25-year-old has three goals and three assists over his last four games. He has now reached the 20-goal mark in three consecutive seasons – he has four overall – becoming the first player since Shane Doan to accomplish that.

Forward Logan Cooley, meanwhile, has a three-game point streak of his own, marking his second such streak of the season. If he records a goal or an assist on Saturday, he’ll have the longest active point streak among NHL rookies.

Forward Lawson Crouse is closing in on a milestone of his own, as the 26-year-old is one goal shy of 100 in his career, as well as 20 on the season.
 
Goalie Connor Ingram is expected to get the start, and is 17-10-1 with a 2.59 goals-against average, .916 save percentage, and a league-leading five shutouts. He has never faced the Hurricanes in his career.

Player to Watch: Forward Nick Schmaltz notched an assist in his second game back from an injury, and has two goals and one assist in his career against the Hurricanes.

ABOUT THE HURRICANES
Carolina is enjoying another strong season, currently residing in second place in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division with 59 points. They have won two straight and three of four, most recently beating the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in Raleigh on Thursday.

Forward Sebastian Aho leads the way with 17 goals and 37 assists in 44 games this season, while Seth Jarvis (36), Michael Bunting (31), Martin Nečas (30), and Andrei Svechnikov (30) round out the team’s top five scorers. Bunting, who played 26 games over two seasons with the Coyotes, is coming off back-to-back 20-goal seasons, and has 10 this year.

The Hurricanes have had their share of issues between the pipes this season, as five goalies have appeared in net as the team navigates through injuries.

Pyotr Kochetkov has done the lion’s share of work this season, posting an 11-7-3 with a 2.58 GAA and .900 SV% and one shutout this season, and was activated off injured reserve on Friday night. He last appeared against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 11 when he left the game with an upper-body injury.

Former Coyotes goalie Antti Raanta has posted similar numbers, going 11-7-2 with one shutout, a 3.14 GAA and .869 SV%. He has been in net for seven of the Hurricanes’ eight last decisions, with the other lone start coming from Spencer Martin (1-1-0).

Kochetkov is 0-1-0 with a 3.16 GAA and .885 SV% in his career against the Coyotes, while Raanta is 6-0-1 with a 1.84 GAA and .936 SV%, and the latter is expected to get the start today.

The Hurricanes rank 10th in the league with 3.38 goals-for per game, while their 2.98 goals allowed are tied for 12th-fewest. They also excel on special teams, boasting the league’s third-best power play (27.67 percent) and fourth-beat penalty kill (84.11).

Player to Watch: Nečas has three goals and two assists over his last five games, and seven points in six career games against Arizona.