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| ARIZONA COYOTES |
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2–13–1 (5 points; .156%) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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9 P.M. – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18 GILA RIVER ARENA GLENDALE, ARIZONA |
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BALLY SPORTS OHIO ESPN |
The Columbus Blue Jackets will look for their third consecutive road victory Thursday night when they play the league-worst Arizona Coyotes at the Gila River Arena in Glendale.
Both teams are coming off wins in the final minutes of regulation. Defenseman Zach Werenski broke a 3-3 tie just over a minute to go to give the Blue Jackets — who added an empty net goal — a 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. For the Coyotes, it was Barrett Hayton's second goal of the season with just over six minutes left that gave Arizona an eventual 3-2 win in St. Louis. The victory was just their second of the season, a league low.
Columbus’ late win, at least this season, is nothing new. The Blue Jackets have been behind or tied in a majority of their games — eight of 13 times, to be exact. They’ve won six of those. Impressive for any team, especially one chalked full of players aged 23 and under.
| BLUE JACKETS | COYOTES | |
|---|---|---|
| 3.23 | GOALS FOR | 1.63 |
| 3.08 | GOALS AGAINST | 3.81 |
| 19.4% | POWER PLAY | 16.7% |
| 81.6% | PENALTY KILL | 67.3% |
| 30.7 | SHOTS FOR | 24.9 |
| 34.2 | SHOTS AGAINST | 31.4 |
| 51.2% | FACEOFF WINS | 48.4% |
| BLUE JACKETS | COYOTES | |
| 58.9% | MONEYPUCK'S ODDS TO WIN | 41.1% |
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47.0% |
THE 538'S ODDS TO WIN | 53.0% |
| 30.0% | MONEYPUCK'S PLAYOFF ODDS | 1.3% |
| 23.0% | THE 538'S PLAYOFF ODDS | 2.0% |
| 100.9 | 82 GAME POINT PACE | 25.6 |
Know the Foe
If it can go wrong, it has gone wrong for the Coyotes. The 2-13-1 record speaks for itself, but injuries and off-ice drama have plagued the franchise since opening night — an 8-2 loss to the Blue Jackets inside Nationwide Arena.
One of those wins came Tuesday in St. Louis, so for just the second time this season, the Coyotes are coming off a victory. Their other victory this season - an overtime win over the Seattle Kraken - they laid an egg at home in the next game, losing 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild.
The Coyotes offense is led, statically, by Lawson Crouse, but he’s got just four goals on the season. It’s minimal, but the bits of offense Arizona does have is balanced. Clayton Keller, Phil Kessel, and Andrew Ladd are all scoring threats, and Keller may be the most potent of the bunch. It’s not exactly murderers row, but it’s not a team you can sleep on.
Storylines
- NO DRAMA: It's fun to watch this team come back and show no fear in the face of adversity. But it’s even more fun (not to mention less stressful) to go into the third period with a 4-1 lead. The offense hasn’t had trouble scoring in any period, but the defense has had some lapses in the first two periods. Can Columbus get a complete first 40 minutes from the blue line?
- YEGOR’S ENCORE: After getting stonewalled a few times, Yegor Chinakhov finally broke through with his first career goal in the NHL. Goal scorers have a knack for being streaky — was Monday’s goal the start of something for the 20-year-old rookie?
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RETURN OF THE BOQ: Adam Boqvist looked great in his return to the lineup Monday. Head coach Brad Larsen eased him into the lineup, as Boqvist played on the third pairing and had just over 16 minutes of ice time. Look for him to see the ice more Thursday as he continues to work his way back from injury.
Projected Lines*
LW C RW 59 Yegor Chinakhov 34 Cole Sillinger 93 Jakub Voracek 14 Gustav Nyquist 38 Boone Jenner 28 Oliver Bjorkstrand 50 Eric Robinson 7 Sean Kuraly 42 Alexandre Texier 15 Gregory Hofmann 96 Jack Roslovic 17 Justin Danforth LD RD 8 Zach Werenski 22 Jake Bean 44 Vladislav Gavrikov 27 Adam Boqvist 5 Gavin Bayreuther 2 Andrew Peeke Starting Goalie Backup 90 Elvis Merzlikins 70 Joonas Korpisalo *subject to change