Coyotes Conclude Road Trip in Winnipeg on Saturday

Nov. 18, 2023 | 5:00 pm MST | Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, MB

WHERE TO WATCH:
• Antenna: 15.2 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson, 15.2 Cottonwood/Prescott/Flagstaff/Lake Havasu/Kingman
• Phoenix Cable: Cox 95, Orbitel 200, Mediacom 107 (Pinal County)
• Tucson Cable: Cox 85, Xfinity 1179, Orbitel 208
• Flagstaff: American Cable channel 4
• Sedona: Optimum Cable channel 6
• Prescott: Cable One Prescott channel 61
WHERE TO LISTEN:
• Radio: ESPN 620
• Stream: NHL Mobile App

The Arizona Coyotes are almost home.

Fresh off a win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, the Coyotes finish off their five-game road trip in Winnipeg against the Jets on Saturday. Arizona is 2-1-1 on its current trip, and will return home to play seven of its next eight games at Mullett Arena following the conclusion of Saturday’s game.

The Coyotes are battling through some injuries currently, as defensemen Travis Dermott and Juuso Välimäki, along with forwards Barrett Hayton, Matias Maccelli, and Jack McBain, have all missed time lately. Michael Kesselring, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Jan Jeník, and Miloš Kelemen have all been recalled from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners as a result, and Kesselring recorded a primary assist in his first game with the Coyotes this season.

The Coyotes’ power play continues to flourish, as the team has recorded at least one goal with the man advantage in seven consecutive games. That mark is just one shy of their team record of eight, set in the 2013-14 season. The franchise mark is 14, set in the 1987-88 season by the then-Winnipeg Jets.

Arizona’s penalty kill has also been strong lately, as the Coyotes have killed off 18 of the last 21 penalties against them (85.71 percent) over a span of five games.

Forwards Lawson Crouse and Clayton Keller lead the team with seven goals this season, and Crouse has recorded all seven of his goals within the last eight games. Keller, meanwhile, is on a five-game point streak, and leads all Coyotes with 17 points.

Goalie Karel Vejmelka is expected to start on Saturday, and though he has posted a 2-5-2 record in nine games this season, he’s still boasting a .906 save percentage alongside a 3.08 goals-against average. He took the loss when Winnipeg and Arizona met at Mullett Arena on Nov. 4, stopping 22 of the 27 shots he faced.

The two teams meet twice more this season: Jan. 7 at Mullett Arena, and Feb. 25 at Canada Life Centre

Player to Watch: In addition to Crouse’s recent goal streak, the 26-year-old recorded a goal and an assist against Winnipeg earlier this season.

ABOUT THE JETS
Winnipeg is playing in the second of back-to-back games, having defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Friday night. The Jets have won two straight, five of their last six, and their 20 points are tied with the Colorado Avalanche for second place in the Central Division, two ahead of the Coyotes.

Forward Kyle Connor leads the team with 13 goals and seven assists this season, and those 20 points rank 15th in the league. Mark Scheifele is right behind with 18, and Cole Perfetti is third with 14 points. 

Between the pipes, backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit appears to be getting the nod to start in the second of back-to-backs for Winnipeg, and the 30-year-old has played in just three games this season, posting a 1-1-1 record with a 3.25 GAA and .982 SV% this season. He’s faced the Coyotes four times in his career, going 2-2-0 with a 2.27 GAA and .930 SV%.

The Jets score the six-most goals in the league (3.63), and allow the 16th-fewest at 3.19. Their power play ranks 21st with an 18.33 percent conversion rate, while their penalty kill has struggled at times this season with a 73.12 percent success rate, which is better than only five other NHL clubs.

Player to Watch: Perfetti has scored in five straight games, and has 14 points on six goals and eight assists in 16 games this season. The 21-year-old has one goal and two assists in three career games against the Coyotes.