Preview: Coyotes Wrap Up East Coast Swing Against Islanders

Oct. 17, 2023 | 4:30 pm MST | UBS Arena, Belmont Part, N.Y.

WHERE TO WATCH:
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• Streaming: Hulu (Live TV) on CW, YoutubeTV on CW
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Radio: ESPN 620 AM

BELMONT PARK, N.Y. – As their home opener inches closer, the Arizona Coyotes still have two games left before returning to the desert.

The Coyotes are set to face off against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Tuesday, playing in the second of back-to-back games following Monday’s 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers. The Islanders have played just one game to this point, a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, and are the third straight 2022-23 playoff team Arizona will face to open the season.

“This is a big road trip to set our identity and find out who we are, and we know that in the room,” forward Nick Bjugstad said. “It’s just a matter of cleaning a few things up here and there.”

The Coyotes went 2-0-0 against the Islanders last season, winning 2-0 on Nov. 10, 2022, and 5-4 on Dec. 16, 2022.

Forwards Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and Logan Cooley have led the way early in the season, as each have recorded three points through two games. Keller and Schmaltz each have one goal and two assists, while Cooley has chipped in three assists.

The 19-year-old is currently tied with Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard with the most points among NHL rookies, but has played two fewer games.

Arizona’s power play has clicked early in the season, accounting for three of the team’s four goals after converting on three of their 12 opportunities with the man advantage. 

Head coach André Tourigny said on Tuesday morning that the lineup would be the same one that faced the New Jersey Devils on Friday, meaning Josh Brown and Michael Carcone will play in place of Troy Stecher and Travis Boyd, respectively. Goalie Karel Vejmelka is expected to start in net after turning aside 33 of the 36 shots he faced in the win.

“We’ve played good hockey the last two games,” Tourigny said. “I just think yesterday (against the Rangers), when they took the lead, we just didn’t stay with it. We were not as relentless on the puck carrier as we were in the first 50 minutes. It will be a good game.”

The Coyotes will face the Islanders once more this season, on Jan. 4 at Mullett Arena.

Player to Watch: Bjugstad has played well against the Islanders in the past, notching seven goals and four assists in 18 career games against them, including a goal in last season’s 5-3 win.

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS
New York’s  1-0-0 start this season follows a 93-point campaign last year, in which the Islanders fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in the first round of the playoffs.

Brock Nelson, Casey Cizikas, and Kyle Palmieri each scored in the season opener, with Nelson also notching an assist to lead the team with two points. Ilya Sorokin earned the win, and looks to build on a successful 2022-23 campaign in which he finished second in Vezina Trophy voting. The 28-year-old netminder stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced in the opener, and is 71-46-18 with 16 shutouts, a 2.34 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in 137 career games.

“Any time you have a good goaltender like that, it’s about volume and traffic," Bjugstad said. "We’re well aware, and a lot of times it’s just focusing on our blueprint and executing.”

Nelson led the way last season with 75 points on 36 goals and 39 assists, while Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee were right behind with 51 and 50 points, respectively. The Islanders’ penalty kill ranked ninth last season, and though they were 22nd in the league with 242 goals scored, their defense and goaltending shut down the opposition, allowing the fifth-fewest goals at 217.

“That’s the NHL. You have those kinds of animals in every game,” Tourigny said. “We need to make sure we apply a lot of pressure and that we’re above them.”

Player to Watch: The ever-electric Nelson already has two points on the season, and has recorded 16 points on eight goals and eight assists in 18 games against the Coyotes in his career.