Ducks at Coyotes preview
Anaheim 4-7-1 in past 12; Arizona hasn't won consecutive games since Dec. 3-5
by Alan Robinson / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
DUCKS (16-19-5) at COYOTES (22-16-4)
9 p.m. ET; FS-A, FS-A PLUS, FS-W, NHL.TV
The Game
The Arizona Coyotes will try to build off a win against the Western Conference-leading St. Louis Blues when they play the Anaheim Ducks at Gila River Arena on Thursday.
The Coyotes, who look to win consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 3-5, had lost three straight and four of five (1-4-0) before winning 3-1 against the Blues on Tuesday.
Arizona defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will play in his 700th NHL game and forward Taylor Hall will play in his 600th.
The Ducks, winless in their past two (0-1-1), are 2-4-1 in their past seven games and 4-7-1 in their past 12.
Players to watch
Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg scored against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday and has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past four games at Arizona.
Coyotes forward Phil Kessel has 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 18 games against the Ducks.
They said it
"At times we play very good hockey, but we're way too inconsistent. We've got to get that mentality that every night is going to be a hard-working night and bear down, and hopefully we can string some games together." -- Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg
"Every game is important for us. We've been in spots in the past where the games don't mean much and it's easy to play those games because you play loose. These games here, there's a lot at stake." -- Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet
Ducks projected lineup
Adam Henrique -- Ryan Getzlaf -- Sam Carrick
Max Comtois -- Isac Lundestrom -- Jakob Silfverberg
Max Jones -- Sam Steel -- Ondrej Kase
Nicolas Deslauriers -- Devin Shore -- Carter Rowney
Hampus Lindholm -- Josh Manson
Cam Fowler -- Erik Gudbranson
Jacob Larsson -- Korbinian Holzer
John Gibson
Ryan Miller
Scratched: Daniel Sprong, Michael Del Zotto, Chris Wideman
Injured: Nick Ritchie (knee), Troy Terry (knee), Derek Grant (shoulder), Rickard Rakell (upper body)
Coyotes projected lineup
Taylor Hall -- Christian Dvorak -- Conor Garland
Clayton Keller -- Carl Soderberg -- Nick Schmaltz
Lawson Crouse -- Derek Stepan -- Phil Kessel
Vinnie Hinostroza -- Brad Richardson -- Christian Fischer
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Jason Demers
Jakob Chychrun -- Alex Goligoski
Jordan Oesterle -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Antti Raanta
Adin Hill
Scratched: Michael Chaput, Michael Grabner, Kyle Capobianco
Injured: Niklas Hjalmarsson (leg), Darcy Kuemper (lower body)
Status report
Anaheim recalled Wideman, a defenseman, from San Diego of the American Hockey League on Thursday. ... Rakell, who has missed four games, is questionable.
Stat pack
Getzlaf has 65 points (19 goals, 46 assists) in 71 games against the Coyotes. … The Ducks are 6-12-2 on the road; the Coyotes are 9-10-1 at home. … Schmaltz has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in his past seven games. … Garland has four points (two goals, two assists) during a three-game point streak.