Preview: Coyotes Face Wild in Minnesota on Tuesday

March 12, 2024 | 5 pm MST | Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn.
TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: ESPN 620

ST. PAUL, MINN. – The Arizona Coyotes are set to face the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, marking the second game of their three-game road trip. The meeting is the fourth-and-final matchup between the two teams; Arizona won the first meeting 6-0 on Jan. 13 at Xcel Energy Center, but Minnesota has won the last two, both at Mullett Arena, 3-1 on Feb. 14 and 5-2 last week.

Jack McBain has a six-game point streak against Minnesota, dating back to Jan. 14, 2023. He has one goal and six assists against them, and the 24-year-old has seven goals and 12 assists in 50 games this season.

Nick Bjugstad, meanwhile, registered his second career hat trick when the Coyotes visited the Wild on Jan. 13, and has four goals and two assists in 15 career games against his hometown team.

He played 101 games over two seasons with the Wild in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

“I love coming back here,” Bjugstad said. “This rink has meant a lot to me growing up, and I still keep tabs on the high school state tournament and the Gophers. It’s fun coming back, and after playing here, I know a lot of the guys and a lot of the staff.”

Head coach André Tourigny said it’s special to see so many players with connections to the state return.

“We have a lot of guys who have ties with Minny,” Tourigny said. “I think that brings a little more emotion, and that helps us for sure.”

The Coyotes also announced forward John Leonard has been recalled on an emergency basis, and if he plays tonight he will be making his debut with the Coyotes. The 25-year-old has played in 54 games with the Tucson Roadrunners this season, notching 11 goals and 16 assists over that span. He has played in 64 combined NHL games with the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators, registering 16 points.

Goalie Karel Vejmelka is expected to get the start tonight, having last started against the Wild at Mullett Arena on March 7. He has won two of his last three starts, and is 3-2-0 with a 3.60 goals-against average and .893 save percentage in his career against Minnesota.

Player to Watch: Nick Schmaltz is coming off a three-point game, and has seven points over his last five games. He has three goals and 15 assists in his career against the Wild.

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The Wild have won three of their last four games, with the lone 2-1 loss coming against the Avalanche in overtime. They remain in the Western Conference’s playoff race, six points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the second Wild Card position.

Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 70 points on the season, while Joel Eriksson Ek (60), Mats Zuccarello (54), Matt Boldy (52), and Brock Faber (37) round out the top five. Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury have split time in net this season, as the former is 17-15-4 with two shutouts, a 3.26 GAA and .804 SV%, while the latter is 14-11-3 with a 2.86 GAA and .900 SV%.

“It’s a team who has gotten better every time we’ve played them,” Tourigny said. “They’re a heavy forecheck team, and their first line is elite. They put a lot of pucks to the net.”

Lineups were not yet available, but Marc-André Fleury was first off the ice during morning skate and appears to be in line to get the start tonight. The veteran netminder has won his last two starts, and was in net for both of Minnesota’s wins over the Coyotes earlier this season. He’s 19-10-1 with three shutouts in his career against Arizona, posting a 2.11 GAA and .923 SV% against them.

The Wild rank 18th in the league with 3.09 goals-for per game, while allowing the 11th-most (3.28). Their power play is 16th with a 21.88 percent conversion rate, while their penalty kill is 29th with a 74.21 percent success rate.

Player to Watch: Matt Boldy is coming off a three-point game, and has one goal and four assists over his last four games. He has three goals and two assists in eight career games against the Wild