Preview: Arizona Returns to Action with Monday Contest Versus Minnesota

Feb. 6, 2023 | 7:00 pm MST | Mullett Arena, Tempe, Ariz.TV: Bally Sports Arizona | Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM
The Arizona Coyotes open the post-All-Star Break portion of their schedule with a Monday night meeting against the Minnesota Wild. It's the third of four head-to-head matchups with the Wild this season and the first in Arizona.
Tonight also marks the first time the two teams have played in Arizona since Nov. 10, 2021 (5-2, L).

The Coyotes have posted a 10-8-2 record at Mullett Arena this season, including winning three of their last five contests in Tempe. The last time the Coyotes played at home (Jan. 26), Nick Schmaltz registered his first career hat trick as a part of his four-point night against the St. Louis Blues.
Schmaltz led the Coyotes with 12 points in the month of January (4-8-12) and enters tonight's game with a three-game home point streak, notching 4-3-7 in his last three outings at Mullett Arena.
Goaltender Karel Vejmelka is expected to get the start tonight for the Coyotes. 'Veggie' has posted a 2-0-0 record, a 0.50 GAA and a .986 SV% (68-for-69) over his last two outings, including a 33-save shutout on Jan 26 versus St. Louis. He'll enter tonight holding a 90:32 shutout sequence.
Player to Watch: Lawson Crouse has scored both times he's faced the Wild this season. A goal tonight would mark just the second NHL club he's tallied a three-game goal streak against in his career (San Jose, Dec. 28, 2021 - Dec. 13, 2022). The forward has also tallied four assists over his last three games.

ABOUT THE WILD
Minnesota won its last two games heading into the All-Star break and enter tonight's game with a one-point lead on the third spot in the Central Division. However, the Wild are looking to snap a three-game road losing streak.
Minnesota's All-Star representative Kirill Kaprizov has found the scoresheet in each of his last five games, posting 2-5-7 during that stretch. The 25-year-old leads the Wild in scoring with 59 points (27-32-59), ranking him 15th in NHL scoring.
Mats Zuccarello is on cusp of reaching the 50-point plateau tonight with 19-29-48 on the season. Meanwhile, Joel Eriksson-Ek rounds out trio of 40-point scorers for the Wild with 18-22-40, including a stretch of 4-3-7 in his final six games leading into the All-Star break.
Head Coach Dean Evason announced that Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start tonight for Minnesota, marking the third time he'll face the Yotes this season. The 19-year-veteran was the winning netminder in both Arizona-Minnesota matchups this season, including stopping 27-of-28 shots on Jan. 14. Fleury has also won his last two starts overall, beating Philadelphia on Jan. 26 and Buffalo on Jan. 28.
Player to Watch: Kirill Kaprizov has found the scoresheet in all but one game he's faced the Coyotes in his career. The Novokuznetsk, Russia native scored the last time the Wild were in Arizona. Overall, Kaprizov is coming off a month of January where he totaled 14 points (7-7-14) in 12 games that featured a trio of multi-point performances. The winger has been kept off the scoresheet just five times since Nov. 9.