Preview: Coyotes Host Wild at Mullett Arena on Thursday

March 7, 2024 | 7 pm MST | Mullett Arena, Tempe, Ariz.
TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: Stream Only (Arizona Sports, Arizona Coyotes, NHL Apps)

The Arizona Coyotes are set to host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, marking the second of three straight games at Mullett Arena. The game is also the third of four meetings between the two teams, as the Coyotes won in Minnesota 6-0 on Jan. 13, while the Wild prevailed 3-1 in Tempe on Feb. 14.

They’ll meet for the final time in just a few days, at Xcel Energy Center on March 12.

Forward Michael Carcone has scored in two of his last three games, and the 27-year-old now has 17 goals and six assists in 54 games this season. He’s fourth on the team in goals scored, behind Nick Schmaltz (18), Lawson Crouse (20), and Clayton Keller (22).

"It's just about getting to the right areas," Carcone said. "That's hockey."

Goalie Karel Vejmelka is expected to start tonight, and he’s looking for his third consecutive win following victories over Washington on March 3 and Ottawa on March 1. He is 3-1-0 with a 3.73 goals-against average and .894 save percentage against the Wild in his career.

Player to Watch: Keller was held off the score sheet in his return from an upper-body injury on Tuesday, but has nine goals and 10 assists in 25 career games against the Wild.

ABOUT THE WILD
Minnesota is coming off a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, and is 3-3-0 over its last six games. The Wild are sixth overall in the Central Division, and nine points out of the Western Conference’s second Wild Card spot, with one game in hand.

The dynamic Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 66 points on 29 goals and 37 assists, followed by Joel Eriksson Ek (55), Mats Zuccarello (50), Matt Boldy (49), and Brock Faber (34).

"They're a heavy team," coach André Tourigny said. "They play the game the right way. They put a lot of pucks deep, get on the forecheck, and they target the slot. They're the top rated in the NHL, everything they recover on any transition is going to the net, going to the slot. We'll need to be extra quick in our transition from our breakout to our D-zone."

Between the pipes, Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury have split time, with the former posting a 17-15-3 record with two shutouts, a 3.30 GAA and .892 SV%, while the latter is 12-11-1 with a 2.89 GAA and .892 SV%.

Lineups were not yet available prior to publish, but Gustavsson is 0-2-1 with a 5.60 GAA and .745 SV% in his career against the Coyotes, while Fleury is 18-10-1 with a 2.11 GAA and .923 SV%. Gustavsson was in net for the Wild’s loss against the Coyotes earlier this season, while Fleury made 25 saves in the win on Feb. 14.

Minnesota’s 3.08 goals-for per game rank 18th in the league, while it allows the ninth-most goals at 3.32. Their power-play percentage of 21.76 is 16th in the league, but the penalty kill has struggled, ranking 28th with a 74.53 percent success rate.

Player to Watch: Kaprizov recorded a hat trick in the Wild’s 4-3 win over San Jose, and has six points over his last five games. He has nine goals and 12 assists in 16 career games against Arizona.