Preview: Coyotes Host Hurricanes at Mullett Arena on Friday

Feb. 14, 2024 | 7:00 pm MST | Mullett Arena, Tempe, Ariz.
TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: 98.7 FM Arizona Sports

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The Arizona Coyotes are set to host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, wrapping up a two-game homestand before making a quick trip to Colorado on Sunday.

The Coyotes and Hurricanes meet for the second-and-final time this year, with Carolina taking the first matchup 3-1 on Jan. 27.

“We really just have to dig in,” forward Barrett Hayton said. “We’ve done some good things the last couple of games that we can build on, and we just have to stick with it at this point.”

Goalie Karel Vejmelka is expected to get the start tonight, and the 27-year-old netminder is 6-12-2 with one shutout, a 3.36 goals-against average and .897 save percentage this season. He is 1-3-0 with a .923 SV% in his career against the Hurricanes.

Forward Clayton Keller continues to climb in the Coyotes team record book, and is just one point shy of reaching 50 on the season. The 25-year-old would become the fifth player in team history to record four-or-more 50-point seasons, joining Shane Doan (11 times), Jeremy Roenick (five times), Keith Tkachuk (4 times), and Radim Vrbata (four times).

Coach André Tourigny said forward Michael Carcone will re-enter the lineup, having not played since Feb. 8, taking the place of Adam Ružička.

“Carcs brings a lot of speed,” Tourigny said. “He has pace. I think tonight the pace will be really high.”

Arizona plays in Denver on Sunday before returning home for two more games, against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday and Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

Player to Watch: Forward Dylan Guenther has three assists in two career games against the Hurricanes, including one earlier this season.

ABOUT THE HURRICANES
Carolina is second in the Metropolitan Division, and most recently dropped a 4-2 game to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. They are 5-2-0 over their last seven games, and are led by Sebastian Aho’s 57 points, which have come on 19 goals and 38 assists.

Seth Jarvis (41), Martin Nečas (35), Teuvo Teräväinen (34), and Michael Bunting (32) round out the top five.

“They have a clear identity. It’s a team that’s predictable, but predictable doesn’t make it easy to play against them,” Tourigny said. “You will see a hard forecheck from them, you will see a lot of pinching and a lot of defensemen involved … and you will see a team that plays man-on-man everywhere on the ice, so there’s a lot of pressure.”

Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov has appeared in the last four games for the Hurricanes, and is 13-9-3 with a 2.52 GAA and .902 SV% this season, while Spencer Martin, who is on the bench due to an injury to Antti Raanta, is 1-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .929 SV% with the Hurricanes after being claimed off waivers on Jan. 19. He’s 4-8-1 this season.

Starting lineups were not yet available, but Kochetkov is 0-1-0 with a 3.16 GAA and .885 SV% in his career against the Coyotes, while Martin is 1-0-0 with a 1.87 GAA and .913 SV% in his only career game against Arizona.

The Hurricanes rank 10th in the league with 3.31 goals-for per game while allowing the 11th fewest (2.88), and their power play (2nd, 27.49 percent) and penalty kill (4th, 84.34 percent) are near the top of the league.

Player to Watch: Nečas has three goals and one assist over his last three games, and eight points in seven career games against the Coyotes.