The Coyotes rank 29th in the NHL with 61 points, but they've earned at least one point in each of the past five games (3-0-2).
"You want to do as well as you can and climbing in the standings is a barometer of how you play," Head Coach Dave Tippett said. "We want our young guys to push right to the end. We want our veteran guys to push right to the end. You've got a lot of players in that room playing for contracts, too, so there's a lot at stake for individuals."
The Coyotes will play minus captain Shane Doan, who suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday's game that kept him sidelined for the entire third period. Doan is expected to join Arizona for its five-game road trip that begins Monday at the Nashville Predators. Meanwhile, defenseman Luke Schenn, who left Thursday's game with an upper-body injury after a scary crash into the boards, practiced Friday and will play Saturday, Tippett said.
Mike Smith will start in goal for the Coyotes after allowing four goals in a 5-4 shootout loss to Detroit on Thursday. Smith has struggled against the Blues in his career; he's 4-12-0 with a 3.58 goals-against-average and .882 save percentage.
Defenseman Jakob Chychrun has chipped in two goals and three assists in the past four games. The 18-year-old rookie has 19 points (seven goals, 12 asissts), the third highest season total by a rookie in Coyotes history behind Keith Ballard (39 in 2005-06) and Zbynek Michalek (24 in 2005-06).
"He's a mature young man," Tippett said. "(He's) an 18-year-old that is concerned about getting enough rest, concerned about his nutrition, concerned about watching video of himself playing. Not a lot of 18-year-old kids do that. He's a very dedicated athlete that way."
