Coyotes Game 75 Preview: Coyotes host the Oilers in the second game of a back-to-back

Mar 27, 2023 - 2:00 PM

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Game Preview

The Arizona Coyotes will play the Edmonton Oilers for the second time in two weeks, and for the second time, it will be the second game of a back-to-back. But it will be at the Mullett Arena this time, where the Coyotes have played better this season.

After falling 3-1 to the Colorado Avalanche last Friday, the Coyotes returned home to host the Avalanche yesterday. They kept the game much tighter but still lost 4-3 to the Avalanche in the shootout.

The Coyotes needed to come back twice, which isn’t surprising when facing one of the top teams. They were down 2-0 going into the final frame, only to tie things up midway through the period with goals from Matias Maccelli and Christian Fischer. Then, when the Avalanche regained the lead on the power play, Clayton Keller scored his 36th goal and 80th point to tie things up and force overtime.

If the Coyotes had a more potent power play, the game might not have had to go to the shootout. The Coyotes had three power play opportunities, including two in the first period when the game was scoreless and one right after the Avalanche scored their second goal. But they failed to convert on any of them, like so many times this season.

The Edmonton Oilers have played only one game since they beat the Coyotes in overtime, a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights last Saturday. Tonight will be the first game of a back-to-back for them, and they will face the Golden Knights again tomorrow.

The Oilers kept things tight against Golden Knights, although they didn’t have the lead once. They tied things up three times before the Golden Knights got a two-goal lead, but the Golden Knights kept scoring first and won in overtime.

Vegas and Edmonton were evenly matched on special teams, with both teams going one for two on the man advantage. Unfortunately, this likely won’t be the case for tonight’s matchup. The Oilers have the better power play and penalty kill, so the Desert Dogs should avoid giving them any unnecessary advantages.

If the Coyotes want to walk away with the win, they need to strike first and keep the Oilers on their back foot. If the Coyotes can play to the crowd and get some of that Mullett Magic working, they can get an early lead and force the Oilers to play their game. The Coyotes don’t play again until this Friday, while the Oilers are playing tomorrow, and they may decide it’s better to conserve their energy if the game slips out of hand early on.

Players to Watch

Arizona: Matias Maccelli - Maccelli scored his eighth goal of the season last night, giving him 41 points in 56 games as a rookie. He registered an assist the last time the Oilers and Coyotes played.

Edmonton: Leon Draisaitl - Draisaitl had a goal and an assist in his last game and four assists the last time the Coyotes and Oilers played. He comes into tonight’s game riding an eight-game point streak.

Injuries

Arizona: Josh Brown (probable, undisclosed), Laurent Dauphin (questionable, undisclosed), Zack Kassian (questionable, upper body), Jakub Voráček (concussion), Shea Weber (ankle), Bryan Little (ear), Andrew Ladd (knee)

Edmonton: Ryan McLeod (upper body), Ryan Murray (back)

Puck Drop

Tonight’s game will be at 7:00 pm Arizona time and will air on TVAS, Bally Sports Arizona, and on ESPN 620AM.