Coyotes kick off 3-game road trip against Panthers on Wednesday

Jan. 24, 2024 | 5:00 pm MST | Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Fla.
TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: ESPN 620

Fresh off a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Arizona Coyotes wrap up their pre-All-Star break schedule with a three-game road trip, beginning in Sunrise against the Florida Panthers.

Wednesday marks the second-and-final game between the two teams; Florida won the first meeting 4-1 on Jan. 2 at Mullett Arena.

The Coyotes are in the heart of the Western Conference’s Wild Card race, just one point behind the Nashville Predators for the second spot with two games in hand. Forward Clayton Keller continues to lead the way for Arizona with 42 points on 19 goals and 23 assists, and the four-time All-Star has nine points in 11 career games against the Panthers.

Defenseman Sean Durzi, meanwhile, has six points over his last five games, and his plus-8 rating since Jan. 13 is tied for the third-highest in the NHL. The 25-year-old has seven goals and 20 assists with the Coyotes this season.

Goalie Karel Vejmelka is expected to get his first start since Jan. 11, and is 6-10-2 with a 3.32 goals-against average and .895 save percentage and one shutout this season. He is 1-3-0 with a 3.33 GAA and .917 SV% against the Panthers in his career.

Player to Watch: Forward Lawson Crouse is second on the team with 18 goals, and has two goals and two assists in 11 games against the Panthers.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Florida is 1-2-2 over its last five games, but continues to maintain a strong position in the Eastern Conference, second in the Atlantic Division with 60 points on the season. The Panthers most recently topped the Predators 4-1 following a three-goal third period, and are still 6-2-2 in their last 10 games following a nine-game winning streak from Dec. 23 – Jan. 11.

Forward Sam Reinhart leads the team with 58 points, and is one of four Panthers with at least 45 points on the season, followed by Carter Verhaeghe (46), Aleksander Barkov (46), and Matthew Tkachuk (45). Verhaeghe, Reinhart, and Tkachuk each scored against the Coyotes earlier this season.

“The pressure is more on the first play, after the first pass, or after the first contact,” Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said. “Their D are extremely aggressive, too to pinch and keep pucks in. If you try to make too many plays with the puck, they sit on you. You need to create races in the neutral zone.”

Sergie Bobrovsky is expected to get the start in net tonight, and he earned the win against Arizona on Jan. 2. He’s 21-10-2 with two shutouts, a 2.55 GAA and .908 SV% this season, and 10-2-1 in his career against the Coyotes.

The Panthers are tied for 15th in the league with 3.17 goals-for per game, but present one of the league’s top defenses, allowing the fourth-fewest goals at 2.61. Their 22.2 percent power play percentage ranks 13th while ranking 10th on the penalty kill with an 82.24 percent success rate.

Player to Watch: Tkachuk has a goal and two assists over his last two games, and an even 13 goals and 13 assists in just 20 career games against Arizona.