'Yotes Notes: Raanta Likely to Start vs. Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS - Antti Raanta likely will start in goal for the Coyotes on Saturday when they play the middle game of a three-game trip vs. Columbus at Nationwide Arena.
Raanta, who suffered an upper-body injury on Nov. 22 that sidelined him for six games, returned to the lineup on Thursday at Boston, but did not play. He served as Scott Wedgewood's backup for a 6-1 loss to the Bruins.

Raanta, who has played just 13 of Arizona's 31 games this season because of various injuries, practiced with teammates again on Friday and was the first goalie off the ice.
"It feels good being with the boys on the ice and everything has gone how we've wanted it to go, so we'll just go day by day," Raanta said. "Usually we want to feel a little bit better every day. Whenever the coaches say you're going (to play), I'm going."
Raanta wil enter his next start, whether it's Saturday at Columbus or possibly Sunday at Chicago, having won his past three decisions.
"It's always tough to sit on the sidelines," Raanta said. "It's always frustrating. It doesn't matter if you're winning or losing you just want to be out there with the team and be, everyday, the guy they can count on to make the saves that can turn the game to you."
Raanta praised Wedgewood for how well he played the games for which he was sidelined. The two of them, he said, have developed a strong working relationship that includes a competitive element of them pushing each other to be better.
"'Wedgie' has been unbelievable," Raanta said. "He has been winning us points and making some huge saves in the critical times in the games … He's a real easygoing guy and he likes to talk about the game and the small details, and that's pretty much how I am. Sometimes we talk about being a goalie and sometimes we talk about something totally different. He's a great guy to be around. It's been great to have him."

• Saturday's game at Columbus will be Arizona's 20th road game of the season. That leads the NHL. Most teams have played between 13-16 games away from home so far. The New York Rangers, at the end other end of the spectrum, have played just nine road games.
"It's been a tough schedule, there's no doubt about it," General Manager John Chayka recently told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, the team's flagship radio station. "Our guys have done a nice job, for the most part. Every single game we've had a lot of energy and the guys have been in pretty much every single game to date. It just is what it is. At some point, we'll get a little bit of down time and we can get some rest and we can get some practice so we can get our guys back to feeling the way they need to feel … We feel like after this trip we do get a little bit of a break, and we can get some home time and try to build off of it."
Defenseman Luke Schenn said the number of road games the Coyotes have been required to play in the first 10 weeks of the season, and the distance they've traveled to play those games, has been brutal, especially for a team with nine players under age 22.
"I try not to think about it, but at the same time we're all aware of the schedule and how tough it is," Schenn said. "It's cliche, but you just try to tackle it game by game, and the guys in this room aren't looking at it as an excuse. Traveling to road games is a big part of being a professional. Sure it would have been nice if the schedule maker was a little more generous to us, but that wasn't the case. The good news is we're through the real tough part now."
After Sunday's game at Chicago, Arizona's 21st of 41 road games, the Coyotes will play five games in a row and nine of their next 11 games at home. The two road games during that stretch will be quick trips to Colorado and Anaheim.
• Defenseman Jakob Chychrun has played two games since returning from off-season knee surgery.
Chayka said all involved are amazed that he missed only 29 games.
"He came back from that injury a few months earlier than even the most optimistic timeline, so I think that speaks a lot to his dedication and his work ethic," Chayka said.
Chychrun, 19, has jumped right back into the lineup and played well, averaging about 23 minutes per game. He scored a goal vs. Vegas in his first game back on Sunday, and he's taken six shots on goal.
"For us, he's a core piece," Chayka said. "We think he's a difference maker. He's a guy that can drive winning at the National Hockey League level. … He's coming along and he's evolving for us. We think if we're real patient at this point it's going to pay off in the long run."