Oct. 1, 2023 | 3 pm MST | Acrisure Arena, Palm Springs, Calif.
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The Arizona Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks are about to get to know each other very well.
The teams square off for the first of three preseason games against each other on Sunday at 3 pm before meeting again on Thursday (Anaheim) and Saturday (Tucson). The games mark the final three games of Arizona’s exhibition slate before opening the season in New Jersey on Oct. 13.
The Coyotes fell 3-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, albeit with a shorthanded roster that was lacking its top five scorers from the 2022-23 season.
Though it’s unlikely that Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Matias Maccelli, Lawson Crouse, and/or Barrett Hayton make the trip on Sunday, other players competing for a spot on the final roster will likely play, including rookies Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley.
Though the starting goalies were not available prior to publishing, it’s likely that Karel Vejmelka and Ivan Prosvetov make the trip to Palm Springs considering Connor Ingram and Matt Villalta traveled to Vegas earlier in the week. Vejmelka is 0-1-0 with a 2.04 goals-against average and .943 save percentage this preseason, while Prosvetov is 1-1-0 with a 3.38 GAA and .943 SV%.
Player to Watch: Cooley is likely to return to preseason play following the team’s trip to Australia. The 19-year-old has one goal in two games this exhibition season.
ABOUT THE DUCKS
The Ducks have enjoyed some success this preseason, posting a 3-1-0 record with wins over the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. Their lone loss came Friday against the Kings, falling 4-3 after allowing three first period goals in San Diego.
Forward Sam Carrick’s four points (2G, 2A) in two preseason game leads Anaheim, while Brett Leason and Andrew Agozzino have both chipped in two goals and an assist to this point. Carrick has appeared in 106 games over his last two seasons with the Ducks, recording 14 goals and 12 assists over that span.
Leason notched nine points in 54 games with Anaheim last year.
The team announced on Saturday newest forward Alex Killorn would miss 4-6 weeks following a finger injury sustained against the Sharks on Wednesday. In addition, forward Trevor Zegras and defenseman Jamie Drysdale have yet to play a preseason game as they continue contract negotiations as restricted free agents.
The Ducks still have four goalies on their preseason roster: Calle Clang, Lukas Dostal, John Gibson, and Alex Stalock. Gibson took the loss last time out, allowing four goals on 15 shots before leaving with an upper-body injury. Clang stopped all 12 shots he saw after entering the game.
Anaheim finished 23-47-12 last season – last place in the Pacific Division.
Player to Watch: Rookie defenseman Olen Zellweger has made an impact this preseason, notching one goal and two assists in two exhibition games. The 20-year-old blue liner was drafted 34th overall in 2021 and shined in the WHL last season, recording 80 points in 55 combined games with the Everett Silvertips and Kamloops Blazers.
