Preview: Coyotes Face Senators in Ottawa on Friday

March 1, 2024 | 5:00 pm MST | Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: ESPN 620

Arizona Coyotes fans can now watch games anywhere, anytime! Sign up now for Coyotes Central, the team’s brand new direct-to-consumer streaming platform in partnership with Kiswe and Scripps Sports! Subscribe today at https://www.coyotescentral.com.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- The Arizona Coyotes are set to face off against the Ottawa Senators on Friday, marking the final Canadian stop on their five-game road trip, and also the second-and-final time the two teams will play this season.

Arizona won the first meeting 4-3 on Dec. 19 at Mullett Arena, rallying from a 3-0 deficit behind consecutive goals from Jack McBain, J.J. Moser, Clayton Keller, and Michael Kesselring.

The Coyotes are 8-3-0 in their last 11 games against the Senators.

"They've been a really good team since after the All-Star break," head coach André Tourigny said. "I expect them to come out hard. They know we played last night, so the first five minutes will be important."

Forward Alex Kerfoot has recorded a goal in two consecutive games and has a point in four straight. The 29-year-old scored a shorthanded goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, and has five goals and 16 assists in 25 career games against the Senators.

His career-long goal streak is three, which he set in 2017.

Goalie Karel Vejmelka is expected to get the start on Friday, earning the win against Ottawa earlier this season by stopping all 16 shots he faced in relief of Connor Ingram. It will be his first start since Feb. 21 against Toronto, and he is 1-2-0 with a 3.65 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in his career against the Senators.

Player to Watch: Matias Maccelli has six points, including two goals, over his last six games, and a goal and an assist in four career games against the Senators, including an assist earlier this season.

ABOUT THE SENATORS
Ottawa has lost two straight games – most recently a 4-1 defeat at Nashville on Tuesday – but is 3-2-1 over its last six overall and 5-4-1 in its last 10.

The Senators are in eighth place in the Atlantic Division and hold a two-point advantage over the Coyotes in the league’s overall standings with two games in hand.

Forward Tim Stützle leads the team with 54 points on 14 goals and 40 assists this season, while Claude Giroux (52), Brady Tkachuk (50), Drake Batherson (44), and Vladimir Tarasenko (38) round out the top five.

Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg have split duties between the pipes this season, with the former going 13-19-3 with a 3.41 GAA and .887 SV% this season, while the latter is 11-9-0 with one shutout, a 3.25 GAA and .889 SV%.

Korpisalo was in net against the Coyotes earlier this season, stopping 34 of the 38 shots he faced, and is expected to get the start tonight. He is 1-2-0 with a 3.05 GAA and .907 SV% in his career against the Coyotes.

"We need to just focus on ourselves," defenseman Troy Stecher said. We've been playing some good hockey, and we've got to stay positive and find a way to get out of this."

Ottawa ranks 11th in the league with 3.30 goals-for per game, but they allow the third-most goals as well (3.56). The Senators have struggled on special teams as well, as they own the league’s 26th-best power play (16.58 percent) and 31st-ranked penalty kill (73.68 percent).

Player to Watch: Batherson has three goals and two assists over his last four games, and three points in four career games against the Coyotes.