Monday’s game officially marks Dumba’s 600th career game, 598 of which came with the Minnesota Wild. The 29-year-old has 237 points in 599 career games, and scored the Coyotes’ first goal of the season on Friday against Devils.
“I’m just trying to treat this like any other game tonight and not think about it too much,” Dumba said. “We have a tough matchup with the Rangers, and we want to prove ourselves again tonight.”
Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said Dumba’s longevity as a defenseman in the league is an important aspect on the team this season.
“You need those veterans, those leaders, those guys who have been through it,” Tourigny said. “Those guys who have been through the peaks and valleys. They know how to react in those situations because they’ve been through that.
"If you have good young players, you need good veterans to surround them.”
Arizona saw some early-season success on the power play, converting on two of their seven chances against the Devils on Friday. That said, the penalty kill allowed two goals on five opportunities.
Connor Ingram is expected to make his first start of the season on Monday. The 26-year-old netminder was 6-13-8 last season with a 3.37 goals-against average and .907 save percentage. He was in net for both games against the Rangers last season, stopping 59 of 66 shots against the Blueshirts over that span.
Tourigny also said following Monday's morning skate that defenseman Troy Stecher will replace Josh Brown, while forward Travis Boyd will replace Michael Carcone in Monday's lineup.
Player to Watch: Dumba, who not only will skate in his 600th game, but has also fared well against the Blueshirts in his career. In 14 games against them, the defenseman has recorded four goals and six assists.
ABOUT THE RANGERS
The Rangers are 1-1-0 after starting with a season-opening 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres before falling to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 on Saturday.
Monday’s game at Madison Square Garden marks the home opener for the Blueshirts, who finished last season with 107 points before falling to the New Jersey Devils in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
Monday’s game marks New York’s home opener, so the game itself will provide a truly special environment.
“It’s always fun at MSG,” Dumba said. “Just coming to the rink on the bus, the atmosphere, New York City, it’s always buzzin’. Guys get fired up for this one, for sure.”
Chris Kreider leads the charge for New York, having recorded four points on three goals and one assist in two games. Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, and Mika Zibanejad are all tied for second on the team with three points apiece.
