Preview: Coyotes Host Avalanche at Mullett Arena on Wednesday

Dec. 27, 2023 | 7:00 pm MST | Mullett Arena, Tempe, Ariz.

WHERE TO WATCH:
• Antenna: 61.1 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson
• Phoenix Cable: Cox 95
• Phoenix Satellite: DirecTV Channel 61, Dish Network Channel 61
• Bullhead City / Lake Havasu: Optimum channel 6
• Flagstaff: American Cable channel 4, Optimum Cable channel 6
• Maricopa: Orbitel channel 11
• Pinal County: Mediacom channel 13
• Prescott: Sparklight channel 61
• Sedona: Optimum Cable channel 6
• Show Low / Winslow Sparklight channel 61
• Tucson: Cox channel 85, Xfinity channel 1179, Orbitel channel 208

WHERE TO LISTEN:
• Radio: ESPN 620
• Stream: Arizona Coyotes App, NHL Mobile App

The Arizona Coyotes are set to host the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, and will play six of their next seven games at Mullett Arena, where they are 11-5-0 this season.

The Coyotes and Avalanche have met twice already, most recently in Denver on Saturday where Colorado won 4-1. Arizona won the first meeting between the two teams 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 30 at Mullett Arena.

“They were hungry and they did everything they had to do to win,” defenseman Sean Durzi said. “Getting a chance to play at home in front of our fans is awesome. It’s nice to have the opportunity to answer, the opportunity to show our character, and show what we can do.”

Forward Alex Kerfoot, who played 157 games with the Avs from 2017 – 2019, scored on Saturday, and has four goals and 17 assists in 33 games with the Coyotes this season. He has scored in consecutive games for the first time this year, and has not recorded three straight games with a goal since Nov. 5 – Nov. 11, 2017.

Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said defenseman J.J. Moser will miss Wednesday’s game due to an upper-body injury. Juuso Välimäki will play in his place, marking his first appearance since Dec. 19 against the Ottawa Senators.

“I firmly believe our success, he’s a key player for us if we want to succeed in the long run,” Tourigny said. “Vali has courage, he’s not afraid of anything, to block a shot or take a hit, and he can make plays. He’s clever offensively.”

The Coyotes are 2-for-6 on the power play over their last two games while allowing just one goal over their last five games on the penalty kill. Arizona’s power play ranks 11th overall with a 23.21 percent conversion rate, while its penalty kill is 14th with an 80.20 percent success rate.

Goalie Karel Vejmelka is expected to start on Wednesday, and is 5-7-2 with one shutout, a 2.95 goals-against average and .906 save percentage this season. He earned a win in each of his last three appearances, stopping 73 of 75 shots he’s faced over that span. He’s 1-2-0 in his career against Colorado. 

Player to Watch: Forward Logan Cooley has an assist in two straight home games, and is tied for third among rookies with 14 helpers on the season.

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE
Colorado raced out to a 4-0 lead through the first two periods in Saturday’s win, and the Avs’ 44 points are tied with the Stars for first place in the Central Division -- though they have played two more games than Dallas. Forward Nathan MacKinnon has recorded at least one point in 18 straight games, and his 54 points are second in the league, behind only Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov.

Between the pipes, Alexandar Georgiev has done the lion’s share of work, posting a 17-8-1 record with one shutout, a 2.93 GAA and .899 SV%. Ivan Prosvetov, meanwhile, is 4-3-1 with a 2.84 GAA and .906 GAA. 

Georgiev has been in net for both games against Arizona this season.

The Avalanche average the second-most goals per game in the league with 3.65, while they allow the 12th-fewest at 3.03. They also rank in the top 10 in both special teams categories, as their 23.62 percent power play and 83.33 penalty kill rank 10th and sixth, respectively.

Tourigny said the Coyotes did “a lot of good things” in Saturday’s tilt, but Arizona needs to be more cognizant of its play near the end of shifts.

“They counter attack so quickly and they’re so fast and strong, if you’re tank is not full, they’re good,” he said. “They’re Stanley Cup champions. But when our tank was full, we managed the game well.”

Player to Watch: MacKinnon, who leads the league with 25 points in December. If he extends his point streak to 19 games tonight, he’ll move into a tie for the third-longest mark in franchise history.