• Preview
• Bleachers

Coyotes face goaltender question against Rangers

Oct 28, 2006 - 4:18 PM NY Rangers (4-5-0) at Phoenix (3-8-0) 10:00 pm EDT

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- The Phoenix Coyotes were in a four-game slump entering Thursday's game, so coach Wayne Gretzky decided to shake things up by calling up David LeNeveu.

The Coyotes seek a second strong outing by LeNeveu when they host the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Promoted prior to Phoenix's contest with the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, LeNeveu was giving the starting nod by Gretzky despite the fact that top goaltender Curtis Joseph was healthy.

The ploy worked, as LeNeveu turned aside 32 shots to win his debut with a 6-2 victory.

LeNeveu may start again as Joseph has not been sharp this season, registering a 2-5-0 record with a 3.95 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage.

The Rangers will try to rebound from a 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. Petr Prucha and Martin Straka scored the goals for the Rangers.

New York netminder Henrik Lundqvist only stopped 20-of-24 shots. Lundqvist has struggled this season in going 4-4-0 with a 3.58 goals-against average and a .878 save percentage.