Coyotes Game 71 Preview: The Coyotes host the Jets in the first game of a back-to-back

Mar 21, 2023 - 1:00 PM

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Game Preview

The Arizona Coyotes just keep winning. Arizona hosted the Chicago Blackhawks in a tank battle where they grabbed their 27th win of the season with a 4-2 victory.

Like we have seen so many times this season, the Coyotes came alive in the final frame. Chicago struck first just 35 seconds in, and the Coyotes didn’t tie things up until late in the second period. Then, after Chicago retook the lead early in the third, the Coyotes came back with three unanswered goals to walk away with the win.

The Coyotes’ offense has been clicking lately, mostly coming from the younger players. Barrett Hayton, Juuso Välimäki, and Matias Maccelli all notched goals, along with Clayton Keller getting his 32nd of the season.

Also having a solid night was goaltender Ivan Prosvetov. The Coyotes are currently rotating Prosvetov, Connor Ingram, and Karel Vejmelka as the season comes to an end, and the younger netminders are making General Manager Bill Armstrong’s job harder this off-season.

Unfortunately, penalties continued to be an issue for the Desert Dogs. The Coyotes took five penalties throughout the matchup, with the Blackhawks scoring on one of their power plays. Meanwhile, the Coyotes went 0-for-3 on their power play chances.

The Winnipeg Jets come into tonight’s matchup with a playoff spot, although it could turn into a tight race. But with 81 points in 71 games, the Jets currently have the second Wild Card spot.

The Jets made two key additions heading into the deadline, acquiring Nino Niederreiter from the Nashville Predators and Vladislav Namestnikov from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Unfortunately, the moves haven’t moved the needle that much. The Jets are 4-5-1 since the trade deadline, with only two regulation wins. Those wins were a 7-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers and a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightnings, but they also fell 3-2 to the San Jose Sharks in overtime and fell 3-0 to the St. Louis Blues this past Sunday.

Connor Hellebuyck may be one of the best goalies in the league right now, but he will want Sunday’s game back. The Blues scored three goals on 17 shots, all 5-on-5. Granted, his team completely left him hanging, with no goals despite outshooting their opponents two-to-one.

Players to Watch

Arizona: Juuso Välimäki - Välimäki has been solid lately and had a goal and two assists in the Coyotes’ last matchup. He has seven points in his previous four games, although he was scoreless in his last two matches against the Jets.

Winnipeg: Josh Morrissey - Morrissey comes into tonight’s game with 69 points in 69 games, and he had two assists the last time the Jets scored a goal. He had an assist in both Jets’ matches against the Coyotes.

Injuries

Arizona: Josh Brown (questionable, undisclosed), Jakub Voráček (concussion), Shea Weber (ankle), Bryan Little (ear), Andrew Ladd (knee)

Winnipeg: Sam Gagner (hip), Cole Perfetti (upper body)

Puck Drop

Tonight’s game will be at 5:00 pm Arizona time and will air on Bally Sports Arizona and ESPN 620AM.