Preview: Coyotes face Golden Knights in Vegas on Saturday

Nov. 25, 2023 | 8:00 pm MST | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.

WHERE TO WATCH:
• Antenna: 61.1 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson
• Phoenix Cable: Cox 95
• Phoenix Satellite: DirecTV Channel 61, Dish Network Channel 61
• Bullhead City / Lake Havasu: Optimum channel 6
• Flagstaff: American Cable channel 4, Optimum Cable channel 6
• Maricopa: Orbitel channel 11
• Pinal County: Mediacom channel 13
• Prescott: Sparklight channel 61
• Sedona: Optimum Cable channel 6
• Show Low / Winslow Sparklight channel 61
• Tucson: Cox channel 85, Xfinity channel 1179, Orbitel channel 208
WHERE TO LISTEN:
• Radio: ESPN 620
• Stream: Arizona Coyotes App, NHL Mobile App

Fresh off a three-game homestand, the Arizona Coyotes make a quick trip to Vegas to face the Golden Knights before opening another five-game homestand beginning on Tuesday.

Arizona finished 1-2-0 against the Golden Knights last season, and the two will face each other twice more following Saturday’s game: Feb. 8 and April 5, both at Mullett Arena.

“We’ve got something to prove,” forward Lawson Crouse said. “I think we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our fans. No one has liked the last three games we have played, we’re hungry to prove everyone wrong, and this is a good challenge for our group to go into Vegas, face a really good hockey team, and see what we’re made of.”

The Coyotes have dropped three straight games, most recently a 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. Their next five games come against the most recent Stanley Cup Champions: Vegas (2023), Tampa Bay (2020, 2021), Colorado (2022), St. Louis (2019), and Washington (2018). 

Crouse has had a November for the ages, scoring all of his team-leading nine goals this month, which is tied for the league lead. If he scores three more, it will set a new Coyotes/Jets franchise record for goals in the month.

Despite a top-to-bottom lineup shift from head coach André Tourigny prior to Wednesday's game against the Blues, the line of Matias Maccelli-Nick Bjugstad-Crouse remained intact.

“They have been one of the best lines in the league, in my opinion,” Tourigny said. “They are heavy on the forecheck, they manage the puck right, they play the right way. They do everything right.”

Arizona’s penalty kill has also been stellar as of late, rising from 25th in the league’s kill percentage to 14th (79.41) while killing 13 straight penalties.

Goalie Connor Ingram is expected to get the start tonight, and the 26-year-old is 6-3-0 with a 2.94 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. He most recently stopped 18 of 20 in relief of Karel Vejmelka on Wednesday against the Blues, and won five straight starts from Oct. 30 – Nov. 16. He has never faced the Golden Knights.

Tourigny also said defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok would make his season debut in place of Matt Dumba. The 22-year-old blueliner has one goal and two assists in 34 career games with the Coyotes.

Player to Watch: Crouse has had the hot hand, but forward Clayton Keller has historically fared well against Vegas, recording five goals and 10 assists in 25 career games against them. He recorded one of his two hat tricks last season vs. the Golden Knights.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Vegas started the season incredibly strong, posting an 11-0-1 record, but the Golden Knights have slumped slightly over the past few weeks, going 3-4-1 since. They most recently snapped a two-game losing streak with a 2-1 overtime win over the Central-Division leading Dallas Stars on Wednesday, led by goals from Michael Amadio and Jack Eichel.

The defending Stanley Cup champions lead the Pacific Division by one point, and have seven players with 10-or more points, including William Karlsson (20), Eichel (20), Mark Stone (18), and Shea Theodore (18). 

“They defend well, they have big bodies, they have really good D,” Tourigny said. “They’re Stanley Cup champions, so what else can I say about that? Enough said.”

Lineups were not available at the time of posting, but goalie (and former Coyote) Adin Hill has started the last two games, and is 9-2-1 with a 1.97 GAA and .932 SV% this season. He’s second in the league in GAA, shutouts (2), goals saved above average (11), and save percentage.

Hill spent four seasons with the Coyotes from 2017-18 through 2020-21, appearing in 49 games with the Desert Dogs.

Logan Thompson has completed a great goaltending tandem, going 5-2-1 with a 2.48 GAA and .920 SV%. He ranks eighth in save percentage and 10th in goals against.  

The Golden Knights don’t allow many goals, as their 2.47 goals-allowed per game is third-best in the league. They also boast a top-10 power play (23.19) and penalty kill (85.48).

Player to Watch: Vegas currently boasts two point-per-game players in Karlsson and Eichel, but keep an eye on Jonathan Marchessault, who has 26 points in 28 career games against Arizona.