"We're hoping the group can now draw from that and work with one another to get through this tough stretch again," General Manager John Chayka told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, the team's flagship radio station. "We're going to need everybody and certainly everyone working together to get through it, and I'm sure we will."
Mike Smith will start in goal for the Coyotes, who were blanked 4-0 by Chicago on Tuesday. It will be Smith's first home game since stopping a franchise record 58 shots vs. Columbus at Gila River Arena on Saturday.
"I think that game kind of showed the league that when he's on his game, and he's playing well and feeling healthy, he can be as good as anybody," Chayka said.
Rookie Brendan Perlini will play his first home game after playing his first two NHL games at Columbus and Chicago earlier this week.
"His skillsets are NHL-level, the skating and the puck skills," Head Coach Dave Tippett said. "In the two games he played, he's had good pace, he's not intimidated by the NHL style and that's a good sign for a young player."
The Coyotes defeated Calgary four out of five times last season, including twice in Glendale. Anthony Duclair, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Martin Hanzal and Shane Doan all averaged a point/per game vs. the Flames in 2015-16.
Doan will enter the game needing just one goal to reach 400 for his NHL career, and needing just one assist to take sole possession of first place on the franchise's all-time assists list.
Forward Radim Vrbata is leading the Coyotes with eight goals and 17 points. Max Domi ranks first in assists with 11.
"We need to get more shots, we need to get more traffic in front of the net," forward Jamie McGinn said. "We're getting good goaltending, but we're not helping them out. We 're not here to lose hockey games … it's not fun."
