Preview: Coyotes Host Wild at Mullett Arena on Wednesday

Feb. 14, 2024 | 7:30 pm MST | Mullett Arena, Tempe, Ariz.
TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: KTAR 92.3 FM (Pregame stream only)

The Arizona Coyotes are set to host the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday, playing the first of two straight games -- and ultimately four of their next five overall -- at Mullett Arena.

The Coyotes won the first meeting between the two teams, 6-0, on Jan. 13, and they will play twice more following Wednesday's game, on March 7 in Arizona and March 12 in Minnesota.

Nick Bjugstad recorded a hat trick on Jan. 13, while Clayton Keller notched two goals and an assist. Connor Ingram – who is expected to get the nod on Wednesday – recorded 38 saves in what became his fifth shutout of the season.

Arizona will look to recapture that momentum on Wednesday, having earned just one point in its last six games.

“It’s all about us,” head coach André Tourigny said. “We want to play our A-game and make sure we’re assertive out there. We’re playing good hockey, we have done a lot of good things the last few games, but we’re nervous and we’re squeezing the stick. 

“We just want to go out there and be loose and assertive.”

Forward Matias Maccelli ranks second on the team with 34 points, and has a goal and an assist over his last three games. The 23-year-old has three assists in four career games against the Wild, and said the team is looking to get back to the things that made it successful for most of the season’s first half of play.

“The season is on the line, so we’re going to put everything out there and do the same thing we did last time,” Maccelli said. “We’ll stick to the gameplan, play good D, and we’ll get our chances.”

Ingram is 2-2-0 with a 2.03 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in his career against Minnesota.

Player to Watch: Keller has 19 points on nine goals and 10 assists in 24 games against Minnesota.

ABOUT THE WILD
Minnesota enters Wednesday’s game three points ahead of the Coyotes in the Central Division standings, and is 7-3-0 over its last 10 games. The Wild have won three straight games, including a 5-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday.

Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 49 points, followed by Joel Eriksson Ek (42), Mats Zuccarello (40), Matt Boldy (38), and rookie Brock Faber (33).

Tourigny said the Coyotes will focus on what has made them successful over the past few games, as the team led both Nashville and Philadelphia before ultimately dropping both games.

“We played good hockey against Nashville, we took the lead, and then we became nervous and played to not make mistakes,” he said. “When you play to not make mistakes, what happens is you don’t press the puck carrier, you don’t finish your hits, you try to stay on the D-side all the time, and you give time and space.”

Between the pipes, veteran netminder Marc-André Fleury is expected to start tonight. The 39-year-old is 9-9-3 with one shutout, a 2.91 GAA and .900 SV% this season, and is 17-10-1 with a 2.15 GAA and .921 SV% in his career against the Coyotes. 

The Wild are 18th in the league with 3.00 goals-for per game, and allow the 10th most goals per game at 3.27. Their power play ranks 16th with a 20.57 conversion rate and 30th in the penalty kill at 74.30 percent.

Player to Watch: Boldy has two goals and three assists over his last two games, and two goals and an assist in six career games against Arizona.