Preview: Coyotes open Road Trip with Saturday matinee in Boston

Dec. 9, 2023 | 11:00 am MST | TD Garden, Boston, Mass.

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: 98.7 FM Arizona Sports
• Stream: Arizona Coyotes App, NHL Mobile App

The Arizona Coyotes have hit the road following a 4-1-0 homestand, beginning their three-game trip against the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon.

Arizona most recently dropped a 4-1 game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, and will make stops in Buffalo and Pittsburgh before returning home to face the San Jose Sharks next Friday.

The Coyotes’ special teams continue to play well, as their power play is ranked seventh with a 25.88 percent success rate, while the penalty kill is 13th with an 81.18 percent kill rate. Arizona has killed 26 of their last 28 penalties taken.

Forward Lawson Crouse is second on the team with 11 goals, 10 of which came during an impressive November. He scored the lone goal against the Flyers on Thursday, and has three points over his last three games. Clayton Keller, meanwhile, has 13 points in 12 road games, and has at least one point in five of Arizona’s last six games away from Mullett Arena.

Lineups were not available prior to publish, but goalie Connor Ingram has started six straight games, posting a 5-1-0 record with two shutouts over that span while stopping 171 of 180 of the shots he’s faced (.950 save percentage). Karel Vejmelka, meanwhile, has not appeared in a game since Nov. 22 against the St. Louis Blues, and is 2-6-2 with a 3.45 goals-against avaerage and .892 SV% in 11 games.

Player to Watch: Alex Kerfoot has five goals and three assists in 13 career games against the Bruins, and has eight points over his last five games.

ABOUT THE BRUINS

The Bruins are one of the top teams in the league yet again this season, and are even more lethal at home, posting a 9-2-1 record at TD Garden. They dropped their most recent game, a 3-1 loss at home to the Sabres, but won three straight prior to that, and have the second-most points in the NHL at 37.

Boston features one of the most potent offenses in the game today with names like David Pastrňák (36 points), Brad Marchand (24), Charlie Coyle (20), Pavel Zacha (19), and Charlie McAvoy (17), and ranks ninth in the league right now with 3.38 goals per game. Its defense has been even stronger, ranking fourth with 2.58 goals allowed per game, with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark both posting eye-popping numbers. Swayman is 9-1-2 with a 2.08 GAA and .932 SV%, while Ullmark is 8-4-1 with a 2.69 GAA and .918 SV%.

Swayman is third in the league in save percentage (Ullmark ranks seventh), and third in both goals-against average and goals saved above average.

Boston’s special teams have also been playing well, as its penalty kill is first in the league with an 89.36 success rate, while its power play converts on 22.50 percent of its chances, which ranks 11th.

The Coyotes and Bruins meet once more this season, on Jan. 9 at Mullett Arena.

Player to Watch: Pastrňák has four points over his last four games, and 14 points in 15 career games against the Coyotes.