The Arizona Coyotes return home to face off against the Vegas Golden Knights at Gila River Arena for the team's first Friday night home game of the season. This will be the Coyotes' first game of December and starts a stretch of four home games over the next 12 days. Puck drop with the Golden Knights is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be will be
streamed exclusively on Hulu or ESPN+
(Play-by-Play: Leah Hextall; Analyst: Ray Ferraro).
PACK FACTS
Friday is the first of three games the Coyotes are scheduled to play with the Golden Knights this season, and the first of two at Gila River Arena. The clubs went head-to-head eight times last season, with Arizona posting a 2-5-1 record against Vegas.
Arizona and Vegas were divisional opponents from 2017-21 prior to the Coyotes' move to the Central Division. Friday is the first cross-divisional matchup in the franchises brief head-to-head history.
Christian Fischer has scored in each of the last two times Arizona has played the Golden Knights (April 30 - May 1, 2021), while Lawson Crouse assisted on both of Fischer's goals. Phil Kessel leads current Coyotes in career goals (6) and points (10) against Vegas.
Clayton Keller and Shayne Gostisbehere each registered identical 3-8-11 scoring lines in the month of November, including both finding the scoresheet last time out at Minnesota (Nov. 30).
Keller's two-point game (1-1-2) against the Wild was his team-leading fourth multi-point game of the season. He also grabbed the team-lead in goals on the campaign with his sixth. The winger has recorded nine points (3-6-9) in his last seven games after starting with six points (3-3-6) in his first 16 contests.
Gostisbehere was one of 10 NHL defensemen to tally 11-plus points last month. The first-year Coyote enters Friday tied for 10th in points (16) among the League's blueliners in 2021-22.
Since Nov. 20, Arizona's penalty kill unit has operated at 90% (18-for-20), including killing each of its opponents last 11 opportunities. The 90% figure ranks tied for fifth in the NHL in that span.
The Coyotes' franchise is 6-9-0-5 all-time against the Golden Knights, but are 3-1-1 in the last five games at home.
A LOOK AT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Vegas (12-10-0, 24 pts) dropped a high-scoring road game to Anaheim on Wednesday (Dec. 1) and look to snap a two-game losing skid. Chandler Stephenson is enjoying a breakout season with the Golden Knights, as the forward paces the club in scoring with 20 points (8-12-20). Fellow forwards Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone enter Friday with three-game point streaks, both of whom have recorded 1-3-4 in that span. Vegas has scored first in 12 of its 22 games.
MILESTONES TO WATCH
Travis Boyd: One point from 50 career NHL points
Ryan Dzingel: One multi-goal game from 10 career NHL multi-goal games
Jakob Chychrun: Two goals from 50 career NHL goals
Phil Kessel: One power-play assist from 200 career NHL power-play assists
KEY CONNECTIONS
Ex-Coyotes
• None
Ex-Golden Knights
• None
Bill Armstrong was an Amateur Scout for the St. Louis Blues' when the club drafted Alex Pietrangelo fourth overall in 2008 and was Pietrangelo's Assistant GM from 2018-20.
Travis Boyd played with Chandler Stephenson in the Washington Capitals organization from 2014-20…Was selected by Washington in 2011 when George McPhee was the GM…
Lawson Crouse won a gold medal with Shea Theodore representing Team Canada at the 2015 World Junior Championship.
Ryan Dzingel played with Mark Stone in Ottawa from 2015-19.
Loui Eriksson was teammates with Reilly Smith in both Dallas (2012-13) and Boston (2013-15)…Played with Ben Hutton in Vancouver from 2016-19.
Johan Larsson skated with Brayden McNabb (2013-14), Robin Lehner (2015-18) and William Carrier (2016-17) in Buffalo.
Antoine Roussel was teammates with Mattias Janmark in Dallas from 2015-18…Played with Ben Hutton in Vancouver during the 2018-19 season.
Anton Stralman played with Jonathan Marchessault in Tampa Bay from 2014-16….Teammates with Evgenii Dadonov in Florida in 2019-20.
