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Coyotes hope shuffled lines generate offense

Oct 30, 2008 - 10:35 AM Pittsburgh (5-3-2) at Phoenix (3-4-0) 10:00 p.m. EDT

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- The Phoenix Coyotes have struggled to score this season, and coach Wayne Gretzky is determined to fix his team's ailments.

The Coyotes look to put an end to their offensive woes when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

Phoenix has scored four goals in its previous three contests and is averaging 2.14 goals a game - 28th in the NHL. The Coyotes have netted only 15 goals this campaign and managed to score six times in its last three home contests.

In an effort to reverse that trend, Gretzky has decided to shuffle his offensive lines.

"We've been pretty satisfied with our attention to defensive detail, especially with such a young group," Gretzky said. "I just think we need to find some combinations (to score more). We're just trying to create some offense, which we desperately need."

Captain Shane Doan, rookie Mikkel Boedker and Peter Mueller are the team's only players with multiple goals, and Gretzky has elected to divide the trio among his top three lines.

Pittsburgh also has struggled to score, ranking 23rd in the NHL with an average of 2.4 goals per game. The Penguins have netted a total of three tallies in their last two contests - both road losses.