Preview: Coyotes Host Dallas Stars in Final Game of Homestand

Nov. 3, 2022 | 7:00 pm MST | Mullett Arena, Tempe, Ariz.
TV: Bally Sports Arizona | Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM
The first official homestand at Mullett Arena is coming to a close.
The Arizona Coyotes host the Dallas Stars on Thursday, the last matchup of a four-game homestand that opened their new, temporary arena in Tempe.
The Coyotes will don their reverse retro jerseys in tonight's contest, the first of six games in which they'll wear the alternate sweater. They won't wear them again until Dec. 23, when they host the Los Angeles Kings.

The team is also hosting a food drive, and fans are encouraged to drop off non-perishable food items on the plaza before the game.

Regardless of the jersey, though, one thing has remained consistent throughout the team's first nine games this season: its spectacular special teams play.
As of Thursday morning, Arizona ranks third in the NHL with a 32.35 percent power-play conversion rate, and sixth with an 82.86 penalty kill percentage. The Coyotes are just one of two teams to have both special teams units ranked in the league's top ten. The other?
The Dallas Stars.
Arizona has recorded 11 power-play goals in nine games this season, including four two-goal games. It took them 30 games to score 11 goals with the man advantage last year.
The Coyotes' active penalty kill has also given opponents trouble, a drastic improvement from last season when the team ranked 29th while shorthanded.
"Credit to the players," said head coach André Tourigny. "I think they are in tune, they are in sync, they are committed. [Assistant Coaches Cory Stillman and John Madden], they do a really good job on both special teams.
"They get the guys prepared, they get the guys committed, they are communicating really well with the players, and I think it's clicking as well."
Forward Lawson Crouse has goals in two consecutive games, and both have come with the man advantage. The 25-year-old now has six points in his last seven games.

"We're just keeping it simple, and we're making the plays that are there," Crouse said. "We're not really forcing too many pucks."
With Zack Kassian still out with a lower-body injury, Tourigny is expected to field 11 forwards and seven defensemen again. It was a winning formula on Tuesday in the
Coyotes' 3-1 win
over the Florida Panthers.
Goalie Connor Ingram will likely start in net tonight. The 25-year-old netminder is 1-2-0 with a 3.70 goals-against average and .891 save percentage this season. He stopped 36 of the 39 shots he faced against the New York Rangers on Oct. 30.

Tonight's game is the first of four between the Central Division rivals, with the next coming on Jan. 21 in Dallas.
Player to Watch: Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has six goals and five assists in 12 career games against the Stars. The 29-year-old defenseman is second on the team with eight points.
ABOUT THE STARS
Dallas, at 6-3-1, is currently first in the Central Division with 13 points, and boasts its own superb special teams play, as the team currently ranks eighth in power-play percentage (26.47) and fifth in penalty killing (84.44).
A familiar face is expected to be in net tonight, as goalie Scott Wedgewood will likely get the call after starter Jake Oettinger recently sustained a lower-body injury. The 30-year-old Wedgewood is 1-2-1 with a 3.65 GAA and .895 save percentage, and won his last start on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings after turning aside 30 of 32 shots.
Wedgewood had two different stints with the Coyotes, in 2017-18 and 2021-22, and put together a career record of 40-15-21 in the desert.
The Stars have won two of their last three games.
"Their defense skates really well, and they have depth in the lineup," Tourigny said. "They have had one of the best lines in hockey for the last 18 months. For us, it's keep playing with the same urgency defensively."
Dallas is led by forward Jason Robertson, whose five goals, eight assists, and 13 points are all tops on the team. Even so, the team has four players on its roster with eight-or-more points, including Robertson, Roope Hintz (12), Joe Pavelski (9) and Tyler Seguin (8).
"They play a big, strong game," Crouse said. "They have some really speedy guys up front, and some good D. We just have to play the same way, be hard to play against, be desperate, and be engaged."
Player to Watch: Robertson has been on fire lately, recording six points, including three goals, over his last three games. The 23-year-old has 138 career points in as many games.