The Arizona Coyotes have lost five straight games (0-2-3) and were shut out for the first time this season Tuesday, losing 4-0 at the Chicago Blackhawks. Offense continues to be the chief concern: Arizona has scored two goals or fewer in 10 of the past 13 games and hasn't scored more than three goals since a 4-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 8. Coach Dave Tippett has juggled line combinations, and the Coyotes have brought up players from Tucson of the American Hockey League, but they continue to struggle generating offense. Arizona has had 23 or fewer shots in four of the past six games. "We need to get more shots, we need to get more traffic in front of the net," forward Jamie McGinn said. "We're getting good goaltending, but we're not helping them out. We 're not here to lose hockey games … it's not fun." Goalie Mike Smith will start for Arizona. He has made 40 saves in three of his past five starts, including a franchise-record 58 against the Columbus Blue Jackets in his last start at home, a 3-2 shootout loss on Dec. 3. Forward Brendan Perlini will make his home debut in his third NHL game, playing with Jordan Martinook and Arizona's leading scorer Radim Vrbata(17 points), a unit that showed some push early against Chicago. "His skill sets are NHL-level, the skating and the puck skills," Tippett said. "In the two games he played, he's had good pace, he's not intimidated by the NHL style, and that's a good sign for a young player." Shane Doan's next goal will be the 400th of his NHL career, and his next assist will allow him to pass Thomas Steen (553) for the all-time franchise lead.
