SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes will have center Antoine Vermette back in the lineup Friday against the Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SNP, SNV, FS-A PLUS).

Vermette, who missed the past three games with a lower-body injury, took part in the morning skate, centering a line with Tobias Rieder and Anthony Duclair. The Coyotes will also have defenseman Connor Murphy back playing with partner Nicklas Grossmann after Murphy missed the 6-0 loss against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday with a lingering lower-body injury.

Vancouver, which didn't skate Friday, announced forward Brandon Prust will miss 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury. He sustained the injury in a collision with Montreal Canadians forward Brian Flynn during the second period of a Canucks win Tuesday.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand will return to the lineup against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; FS-A, NESN ) after missing two games with a concussion.

Marchand will replace Joe Connolly, who will sit as a healthy scratch according to coach Claude Julien.

"It's always tough when you have to watch... so happy the day’s finally here and looking forward to playing tonight," Marchand said in comments tweeted by the Bruins.

The Bruins (1-3-0) defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 on Thursday following an 0-3-0 homestand. Boston has allowed 18 goals in its first four games, and Tuuka Rask, seeking his first win will be in net.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes will be gunning for their first 4-0-0 start Thursday when they host the Minnesota Wild. That's exciting enough for fans who didn't expect much from a team that finished 29th in the League standings in 2014-15.

But it's more about the way the Coyotes have played in the first three games that have them buzzing: They haven't trailed at any point in their four games; five of their 10 goals have come in the first period, allowing them to take control of games early; they've outscored their four opponents 10-2.

Goaltender Mike Smith has three wins, a .981 save percentage (104 saves on 106 shots) and recorded his first shutout since March 4, 2014, in a 4-0 win Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks. That's from a goalie who won 14 times in 62 games in 2014-15.

The Coyotes did not practice Thursday. Smith might sit in favor of backup Anders Lindback, who would make his Arizona debut.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Arizona Coyotes forwards Max Domi and Anthony Duclair combined for a goal and three points in their NHL debuts against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday. But it was veteran goalie Mike Smith who stole the show.

Smith, who struggled for much of the past two seasons, stopped 40 shots, including 27 in the first two periods, allowing the younger Coyotes to overcome a shaky start and build a lead in a 4-1 win.

Smith will be in net again Saturday when the Coyotes open their home schedule against the Pittsburgh Penguins (10 p.m., ET; ROOT, FS-A).

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Anaheim Ducks want to end the 2014-15 regular season on a high note and with the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Ducks would be the top seed in the Western Conference for the Stanley Cup Playoffs if they defeat the Arizona Coyotes in regulation or overtime. They would also finish first if they defeat the Coyotes in a shootout and the St. Louis Blues fail to defeat the Minnesota Wild in regulation or overtime Saturday. Anaheim could still get the top seed with one point Saturday if the Blues lose to the Wild in regulation.

Anaheim also would like some positive momentum heading into the playoffs. They have lost two straight and were defeated 4-0 at home against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The San Jose Sharks are doing everything they can to stretch their run of Stanley Cup Playoff appearances to 11 straight seasons.

The Sharks still need help to get there, but a fifth win in six games and a second victory in as many nights against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday (9 p.m. ET; CSN-CA+, FS-A+) is a must.

The Sharks moved within three points of the Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference with a 3-1 win against the Coyotes in San Jose on Friday. The Kings and Jets each have a game in hand, meaning the Sharks must keep winning to have any hope of sneaking past them.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Buffalo Sabres will be without leading scorer Tyler Ennis for a second straight game Monday when they play against the Arizona Coyotes (10 p.m. ET; MSG-B, BELL TV, FS-A PLUS) for the second time in five days.

Ennis missed the 5-3 loss Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche with a left shoulder injury and took to the ice very late Monday for some non-contact drills.

The Coyotes looked good on a three-game road trip with overtime wins against Buffalo and the Detroit Red Wings and a good effort in 3-2 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Goalie Mike Smith continues to play his best hockey of the season and Arizona is now six points ahead of the Sabres, who have an NHL-low 48 points.

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Vancouver Canucks could be without forward Alexandre Burrows when they go for a two-game, two-day sweep of a weekend road trip that ends Sunday against the Arizona Coyotes.

Vancouver earned a huge 4-1 win Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. Fomer Coyote Radim Vrbata scored his 27th goal and added an assist to help the Canucks moved four points ahead of the Kings in the Pacific Division.

But Burrows took a hit from behind by Kings forward Tyler Toffoli in the third period. Burrows skated one shift before leaving the game for good. Toffoli was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for the hit.

If Burrows is out, Jannik Hansen is the likely candidate to play on the line with Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Two teams struggling to score goals will look to snap extended losing streaks here Saturday.

But while the Pittsburgh Penguins have been struggling offensively for a week, the Arizona Coyotes have been scrounging for goals for more than a month.

The Penguins come to Arizona having been outscored 11-2 in four straight losses, including a 2-1 loss against the Dallas Stars on Thursday. It's the first time the Penguins have lost four consecutive games in regulation since the 2011-12 season. They are now even with the Washington Capitals at 88 points in the battle for third place in the Metropolitan Division, although they hold a game in hand.

For Arizona, three points up on the Buffalo Sabres at the bottom of the NHL standings, the struggles are on a much larger scale. The Coyotes have lost 16 of the past 17 games thanks to an offense that has produced 22 goals in that span.

GLENDALE Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes continue to make it tough on the opposition to score.

But it's not translating to wins because they aren't able to score themselves.

Coming into the game with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, the Coyotes have lost 15 of their past 16 games and a lack of offense has been the obvious culprit.

Arizona was shut out for the 10th time this season, 1-0 against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. They have been shut out or limited to one goal in seven of the past eight games and in nine of the past 11 games. They have a total of 20 goals in the past 16 games, which has resulted in a 1-14-1 record that has pushed them below the Edmonton Oilers into last in the Western Conference for the first time this season.