Coyotes at Blue Jackets preview
Columbus set for first game of season without Werenski; Arizona 2-2-2 in past six
by Craig Merz / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
COYOTES (15-9-4) at BLUE JACKETS (11-11-4)
7 p.m. ET; FS-O, FS-A, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV
The Game
The Columbus Blue Jackets will play their first game this season without injured defenseman Zach Werenski when they face the Arizona Coyotes at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.
Werenski, third on the Blue Jackets with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists), injured his shoulder in a collision with New York Islanders forward Anders Lee on Saturday and is expected to be out four weeks.
Columbus is 5-1-0 on home ice since Nov. 15, outscoring opponents 21-13.
The Coyotes play the first of four road games in six days. They're 2-2-2 in their past six after a 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 30.
Players to watch
Coyotes forward Christian Dvorak has four points (two goals, two assists) in a three-game point streak.
Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson has gone 15 games without scoring a goal and has one assist in that span. He had 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 82 games last season.
They said it
"We've got a good older group and a hungry young group, so it's a good little mix. We know to a man when we're not at our best and we find a way to come back the next game and get the best out of ourselves." -- Coyotes forward Conor Garland
"He's a huge part of our defensive corps. No one can be a 'Z'. He's a unique player but we have depth on our 'D', so now it's up to us other guys to step up." -- Blue Jackets defenseman Dean Kukan on Zach Werenski
Coyotes projected lineup
Clayton Keller -- Derek Stepan -- Vinnie Hinostroza
Christian Dvorak -- Nick Schmaltz -- Conor Garland
Lawson Crouse -- Carl Soderberg -- Phil Kessel
Michael Grabner -- Brad Richardson -- Christian Fischer
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Jason Demers
Jakob Chychrun -- Alex Goligoski
Jordan Oesterle -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Darcy Kuemper
Antti Raanta
Scratched: Aaron Ness, Barrett Hayton, Michael Chaput
Injured: Niklas Hjalmarsson (lower body)
Blue Jackets projected lineup
Gustav Nyquist -- Boone Jenner -- Oliver Bjorkstrand
Sonny Milano -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Josh Anderson
Nick Foligno -- Alexander Wennberg -- Cam Atkinson
Alexandre Texier -- Riley Nash -- Eric Robinson
Ryan Murray -- Seth Jones
Vladislav Gavrikov -- David Savard
Scott Harrington -- Dean Kukan
Joonas Korpisalo
Elvis Merzlikins
Scratched: Andrew Peeke, Emil Bemstrom
Injured: Brandon Dubinsky (wrist), Markus Nutivaara (upper body), Kole Sherwood (oblique), Zach Werenski (shoulder)
Status report
Harrington, scratched the past seven games, will replace Werenski. … Robinson replaces Bemstrom. … Peeke was recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League on Monday.
Stat pack
Kuemper is first in goals-against average (1.97) and save percentage (.935) among NHL goalies who've played at least nine games this season. … Stepan needs one assist for 300 in his NHL career. …. Atkinson will play his 554th NHL game to pass Fedor Tyutin for second in Blue Jackets history. Rick Nash is first with 674.