Preview: Coyotes Return Home to Host Kings on Monday

Nov. 20, 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: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM
• Stream: Arizona Coyotes App, NHL Mobile App

Home, sweet home.

The Arizona Coyotes return to Mullett Arena on Monday to host the Los Angeles Kings following their five-game, 11-day road trip, and are set to play seven of their next eight games at home.

The Coyotes went 2-2-1 on the trip, earning five out of a possible 10 points.

Monday’s matchup against the Kings marks the third-and-final time the two teams will meet this season, with LA capturing the first two, 6-3 and 5-4. They also opened up preseason play with back-to-back games against each other in Melbourne, Australia as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series.

“They’re always a grind. They’re a tough team, they’re an old, veteran team that just know how to play the game,” forward Jason Zucker said. “We know it’s going to be a grind, but I think it’s going to be a good test for us.”

The Coyotes are 6-2-0 this season following a loss, and are currently 4-2-0 at Mullett Arena. They average 3.83 goals per game at home, nearly an entire goal more than their 2.91 average at home.

Goalie Connor Ingram is expected to get the start tonight, and the 26-year-old is 6-1-0 with a 2.75 goals-against average and .918 save percentage this season. He has won five straight starts since allowing three goals on nine shots against the Kings on Oct. 24, and is 0-0-1 against them in his career.

Forward Matias Maccelli scored a goal in his last game, and his 12 points are in a three-way tie with Sean Durzi and Logan Cooley for the third-most on the team. Maccelli has notched at least one point in all six home games this season, and is tied with Nick Schmaltz and Jack McBain for the most at Mullett Arena.

Player to Watch: Maccelli scored against the Kings earlier this season, and has two goals and four assists in five career games against them. The 23-year-old forward has 12 points in 17 games this season.

ABOUT THE KINGS
Los Angeles is one of the hottest teams in the league right now, posting a 10-3-3 overall record while going 7-1-2 over its last 10 games. The Kings have outscored their opponents 7-2 over the last two games, and are playing in the first of two straight road games. Adrian Kempe’s 18 points lead the way, and Kevin Fiala (17 points), Anže Kopitar (16), Quinton Byfield (14), and Trevor Moore (13) round out their top-five.

L.A. has yet to lose on the road, posting a perfect 7-0-0 record away from Crypto.com Arena.

“It’s a structured game on the other side, and there’s a certain way you have to play against them” head coach André Tourigny said. “When we stick to that, we have success.”

Drew Doughty has eight points in 16 games this season, but has excelled against the Coyotes, combining for two goals and one assist over both games between L.A. and Arizona this season.

Between the pipes, Pheonix Copley is expected to start for the Kings, and he won the first meeting against the Coyotes after stopping 24 of 27 shots on Oct. 24. The 31-year-old netminder is 1-0-2 this season with a 4.58 GAA and .792 SV%, but is 2-0-0 in his career against Arizona.

L.A. scores a lot of goals, ranking second in the league with 3.94 goals-for per game. Their mark of 2.63 goals-against also ranks fifth, and they present a stout defense that has only allowed 446 total shots this season, which is the fourth-fewest in the league.

“They’re big, heavy, and really good in the middle. They play really stingy hockey,” Tourigny said. “It’s good timing for us, we’re coming back, home, we’re excited, and we played good defensively against Winnipeg.”

In addition, their penalty kill is tied for second in the league with an 89.09 percent success rate, and will be up against Arizona’s fifth-ranked power play units (29.51 percent), which have scored a goal in seven of their last eight games.

Player to Watch: The 36-year-old Kopitar continues to average a point-per-game this season and has two goals and one assist against the Coyotes this season. He’s been even more potent against the Desert Dogs over his career, recording 94 points in 90 games against them.