Preview: Coyotes at Maple Leafs

The Coyotes will try to extend their winning streak vs. Toronto to five games on Thursday night when they battle the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. The puck drops at 5:30 p.m. Arizona time.
Arizona (10-14-5) has won the past four games between the teams, and outscored Toronto, 13-8, in those games. The Maple Leafs last defeated the Coyotes on Jan. 20, 2014.
"Our guys are always excited to play in Toronto," Head Coach Dave Tippett said after Thursday's pre-game skate. "You can see it on the ice and there's enthusiasm in the dressing room this morning. We played pretty well against Detroit, hopefully we can back it up with another game here."

Mike Smith, who grew up in nearby Kingston, Ontario, will start in goal. Smith has faced 524 shots in just 15 games, an average of 34.9 per game. He has tended net against the Leafs nine times in his NHL career and owns a 6-1-2 record against them.
This game also will be a homecoming for center Peter Holland, a Toronto native who came to the Coyotes via a trade with the Leafs just last week. Holland, who notched two assists in his debut with Arizona on Tuesday, undoubtedly has something to prove to Toronto after it benched him for 17 of 25 games before the trade.
"It was a dream come true (playing for the Maple Leafs)," Holland said. "I grew up a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. It was a lot of fun. I cherish it for sure. For the rest of my life I'll be able to say I was a Toronto Maple Leaf, so it was something very special. (But) It wasn't working out for me here. They didn't see a future for me here, I didn't see a future for me here, so I was just happy, at the end of the day, we moved on. I'm not, for lack of a better term, stuck there."

Maple Leafs Head Coach Mike Babcock told reporters he hopes Holland thrives with Arizona.
"'Holly' was a good player for us, did lots of good things, it just didn't work here for him," Babcock said. "There's lots of players in the league that when it doesn't work in one situation, they go somewhere else and get a new opportunity. You want everyone to do well - period. When they move on, you're not cheering against them, you're cheering that they do well, except when they play you."
Other Coyotes with ties to Ontario include Jamie McGinn, Josh Jooris and rookie Lawson Crouse.
Forward Radim Vrbata leads Arizona in goals (eight) and points (19), and co-leads with 11 assists.
Center Martin Hanzal has notched 11 points in 10 games vs. Toronto, including his first career hat trick at Air Canada Centre on Dec. 4, 2008.
Defenseman Connor Murphy, who has missed the past two games because of an upper-body injury, rejoined the team and took part in the morning skate, but he is not expected to play.
Toronto (11-11-6) has won just one of five games in December and ranks 14th out of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference standings with 28 points.
The Maple Leafs roster features three of the NHL's top four rookies in terms of point production.
Auston Matthews, the first overall pick in this year's NHL Draft, leads the team with 22 points, second behind Winnipeg's Patrik Laine, the second overall pick in this year's draft, who has 25. Matthews, of course, grew up in Scottsdale and rooted for the Coyotes.
"A lot of great memories growing up watching the Coyotes play," Matthews told reporters. "Watching Shane Doan play growing up, he was one of my favorite players, so it's going to be pretty fun to play against him tonight."
Other Leafs freshmen Mitch Marner and William Nylander rank third and fourth in NHL rookie points with 20 and 19, respectively.
Goalie Frederik Andersen has played 23 of 28 games. After a shaky start to the season, he has posted a .932 save percentage in his past 18 starts.
Toronto ranks third in the League in shots per game at 32.9, but it also ranks fourth in shots allowed per game at 32.4.
OFFICIAL GAME NOTES
BROADCAST INFO:
TV: FOX Sports Arizona Plus
Radio: KTAR News 92.3 FM
COYOTES PROJECTED LINEUP VS. MAPLE LEAFS:
Tweet from @ArizonaCoyotes: Tonight's projected lineup in Toronto. #ARIvsTOR pic.twitter.com/lqyDhSW4GM