Preview: Coyotes Face Kings in L.A. on Tuesday

Oct. 24, 2023 | 7:30 pm MST | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, Calif.

WHERE TO WATCH:
• Antenna: 15.2 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson, 15.2 Cottonwood/Prescott/Flagstaff/Lake Havasu/Kingman
• Streaming: N/A
• Phoenix Cable: Cox 95, Orbitel 200, Mediacom 107 (Pinal County)
• Tucson Cable: Cox 85, Xfinity 1179, Orbitel 208
• Flagstaff: American Cable channel 4
• Sedona: Optimum Cable channel 6
• Prescott: Cable One Prescott channel 61

WHERE TO LISTEN:
• Radio: KTAR 92.3 FM
• Stream: Arizona Coyotes App, Arizona Sports App

Fresh off a home-opener win, the Arizona Coyotes hit the road to face the Los Angeles Kings before returning home for two games over the weekend.

The Coyotes and Kings met twice in the preseason in Melbourne, Australia, as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series. The teams split that series – Arizona won 5-3 on Sept. 22 and fell 3-2 on Sept. 23 – and though the rosters at the time were very similar to final NHL rosters, both teams have had the opportunity to build even more chemistry leading up to the early-season matchup.

The Kings are 2-2-1 on the season, while the Coyotes are 3-2-0.

“They’re a team with a lot more cohesion than the last time we played them,” head coach André Tourigny said. “A really well-coached team, a lot of veterans, a lot of experience with that team. They’re heavy on the puck and really competitive.”

Tuesday’s game marks defenseman Sean Durzi’s return to Los Angeles following an offseason trade in which he was acquired for a 2024 second-round draft pick.

Durzi is off to a great start in Arizona, as he’s recorded two goals and two assists in five games played, and said though it will be a good experience to return to the place where he played his first 136 career games, the team has its sights set on earning its third consecutive win.

“I had a good time there, I love the city and love the people, but we’re there to play a hockey game,” Durzi said. “It will be a cool experience, but we’re there to win a hockey game.”

The Coyotes are off to their best five-game start since the 2015-16 season, featuring wins over the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, and Anaheim Ducks. They’re 2-2-0 on the road this season after winning just seven away from home all of last year.

Forwards Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz have led the way early in the season, as each have notched six points over the first five games. Durzi and Logan Cooley have both contributed four points, while Juuso Välimäki and Matias Maccelli have chipped in three apiece.

Forward Jason Zucker will miss the game with a lower-body injury, and the team has listed him as week-to-week. The Coyotes have options to slot in, including forward Travis Boyd, who has 69 points in 157 games with Arizona, dating back to the 2021-22 season.

“Boyd has been really good for us when he played at Madison Square Garden, and he’s been good for us the last two years,” Tourigny said. “I’m excited for him to have an opportunity to play and have a big role on our team. We told him, and we’ve said it publicly, we need him if we want to be successful this year, he will have to be a big part of it.”

Goalie Connor Ingram is expected to make his third start of the season after posting a 1-1-0 record through two games. The 26-year-old netminder has posted a 2.02 goals-against average and .926 save percentage this season, and stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced in Arizona’s preseason win over L.A.

Arizona and Los Angeles meet again on Friday at Mullett Arena.

Player to Watch: Maccelli, who has four points in three career games against the Kings.

ABOUT THE KINGS
The Kings have found the back of the net frequently early this season, and are currently tied for third in the league with 4.20 goals per game. Conversely, they have allowed the 10th-most goals per game (3.60) behind goalies Cam Talbot and Pheonix Copley, who are 2-2-0 and 0-0-1, respectively. Talbot  has posted a 3.03 GAA and .900 SV% in four games, while Copley has a 4.66 GAA and .737 SV% in one start.

Though final lineups were not yet available, Copley is expected to get the nod tonight. The 31-year-old netminder is 1-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .931 save percentage against Arizona in his career.

Forward Kevin Fiala has seven points – all assists – to lead the way for the Kings, while Trevor Moore’s four goals are tops. In all, L.A. brings a balanced scoring attack, with six players currently at four-or-more points on the year.

“We just need to focus on us, what we do well, and what we can do to shut those guys down and bring the offense to them,” Durzi said. “We have a lot of great players so we can turn their way and make them defend.”

The Coyotes were 1-1-1 against the Kings last season.

Player to Watch: Anže Kopitar has shown no signs of slowing down at age 36, and has historically performed well against the Coyotes with 91 points in 88 career games against them. The Kings’ captain has two goals and three assists in five games this season, and is just three games shy of 1,300 in his career – all with the Kings. He set L.A.'s record for games played with the franchise in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins.