Preview: Coyotes Face Sharks in San Jose on Thursday

Dec. 21, 2023 | 8:30 pm MST | SAP Center, San Jose, Calif.
TV: ESPN+ / Hulu | Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM

SAN JOSE, CALIF. -- Fresh off a 3-0-0 homestand, the Arizona Coyotes face the San Jose Sharks for the second time in a week, this time at SAP Center on Thursday. Arizona won the last meeting 1-0 behind a goal from Matias Maccelli and a 21-save effort from Connor Ingram.

The Coyotes are playing in the first of two consecutive road games before returning home to face the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 27. They’ll play the Sharks once more this season, on April 7 at SAP Center.

"We have respect for them," head coach André Tourigny said. "We played well last game and we beat them 1-0 in our building."

Thursday's game marks the return of defenseman Sean Durzi, who has not played since Dec. 9 against the Boston Bruins due to a lower-body injury. Tourigny said Durzi would replace Juuso Välimäki in the lineup, as the Coyotes will skate 12 forwards and six defensemen.

Maccelli has two goals and two assists over his last five games, and the 23-year-old also has at least one point in each of his last three games against the Sharks. Clayton Keller has also scored a goal in two straight games, and has 18 points in 26 career games against the Sharks.

"They back-checked hard, and they played us very hard last game," Keller said. "It's going to be a good test for us to come out hard and play well, and hopefully take the win."

Though lineups were not yet available, goalie Karel Vejmelka is expected to get the start after stopping all 16 shots he faced in relief for Connor Ingram on Tuesday. He has not allowed a goal in 130:35 of playing time, which is a new career-best for the 27-year-old. He’s 1-3-0 with a 3.07 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in four career games against San Jose.

Arizona’s power play currently ranks 12th in the league with a success rate of 22.64 percent, but is just 2-for-24 over its last seven games. The Coyotes’ penalty kill, meanwhile, is tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for 16th in the league, killing off 79.59 percent of penalties taken. They have killed off seven of their last 10 penalties, a span of five games.

Player to Watch: Forward Nick Bjugstad’s nine goals are the second-most he’s scored against any team, trailing only his 11 goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 31-year-old has 12 points in 25 games against San Jose.

ABOUT THE SHARKS
San Jose has dropped three straight, most recently a 4-1 defeat at home against the Los Angeles Kings.

Forward Tomas Hertl leads the team in both goals (11) and points (26), while Mikael Granlund's 18 assists are tops. Mackenzie Blackwood and Kaapo Kahkonen have split time between the pipes, with the former posting a 4-12-2 record with a 3.75 goals-against average and .897 save percentage, while the latter is 5-8-1 with a 3.61 GAA and .899 SV%. Kahkonen made 23 saves in last Friday's loss to Arizona.

Blackwood is expected to get the start tonight, and the 27-year-old is 2-2-0 with a 2.33 GAA and .897 SV% against the Coyotes in his career.

The Sharks rank last in the league in goals-for per game (2.09) while allowing the most goals per game (3.91), and their power play (21.18) and penalty kill (72.97) rank 17th and 30th, respectively. San Jose’s scoring woes have been especially evident as of late, as it has lost its last three games by a combined score of 11-3.

"They have speed off the rush, they create off the rush," Tourigny said. "They're a shot-volume team. They put a lot of pucks to the net, a lot of bodies at the net, so they can strike you in many ways. Lately they have generated chances off their forecheck, they generate chances off the rush, and shot volume."

Player to Watch: William Eklund has three points over his last five games, and also had a goal disallowed against the Coyotes on Dec. 15. The 21-year-old has seven goals and eight assists in 31 games this season.