Pre-Game Capsule: Coyotes at Sabres

GAME 73:
Coyotes (24-37-11) at Sabres (23-37-12)
Fresh off winning three of five straight games on home ice, Arizona will begin a six-game road trip with a matchup vs. Buffalo on Wednesday night.

WHERE: KeyBank Center
WHEN: 4 p.m. (AZ time)
TV: FOX Sports Arizona
RADIO:ESPN 620 AM

KEY FACTS:
• The Coyotes have posted a 12-5-2 record in their past 19 games, including a 3-1-1 mark in their past five road games.
• Head Coach Rick Tocchet will rejoin the team after missing Monday's game vs. Calgary to attend his mother's funeral. With Assistant Coach John MacLean subbing for Tocchet, Arizona won that game 5-2.
• Antti Raanta will start in goal. Raanta stopped 42 of 44 shots on Monday to earn his 16th win, matching his career-high for wins in a season, which he set last year with the New York Rangers. Raanta's .925 save percentage ranks fourth among NHL goaltenders who have played at least 30 games.

• Clayton Keller will enter the game with a five-game point streak. Keller leads Arizona with 53 points and needs just one more to tie Peter Mueller for most points (54) in a season by a Coyotes rookie. He also needs just one assist to tie Max Domi for most assists in a season by a Coyotes rookie (34) and just two goals to tie Mueller for most goals in a season by a Coyotes rookie (22).
• After scoring just two goals in December, January and February, Oliver Ekman-Larsson has scored five in March. With 10 games left in the season, he needs seven to tie Teppo Numminen's franchise record for most goals scored by a defenseman (108). Ekman-Larsson did not take part in the morning skate on Wednesday because of illness, and will be a game-time decision.
• The Coyotes will play minus Jason Demers, who, the team announced Tuesday, will be sidelined for the rest of the season because of an upper-body injury. Luke Schenn, who leads the team with 174 hits, is expected to replace Demers in the lineup. Trevor Murphy, whom Arizona recalled from the American Hockey League on Tuesday, will slide into the seventh defenseman role.

• Arizona also recalled Dylan Strome from the AHL on Tuesday. Strome, whom the Coyotes drafted third overall in 2015, has notched 50 points (22 goals, 28 assists) in 47 AHL games this season. He's also produced one goal in 11 games with the Coyotes. He will play vs. Buffalo.
• Buffalo, which ranks last in the NHL with 58 points and 23 wins, is 12-2-1 in its past 15 games against Arizona, including a 7-1-1 record since the beginning of the 2013-14 season. Jack Eichel, who has been playing despite a high ankle sprain, is expected to skate in his 200th NHL game. Eichel has produced nine points (three goals, six assists) in five career games against Arizona, including at least one point in each game. Ryan O'Reilly leads the NHL in face-offs won (1,123) and face-off percentage (60.8 percent) this season. Goalie Chad Johnson has won four of his past five starts.

COYOTE BITES
•"No matter what the standings are, they've got a lot of skill. (Jack) Eichel is back in the lineup ... and they've got a lot of young guys, too, that are trying to prove themselves in this League and make a good impression. It's kind of what we've got going on here. It's going to be a really good test for us and a good start to the trip." -- Luke Schennon Sabres
•"I feel it's been going pretty well in Tucson, and I'm learning the pro game. I've just got to try to play my game and have some fun, and just have the puck on my stick and make some plays." -- Dylan Strome on returning to the NHL
• "There's no easy games. We're kind of figuring that out, and the guys are buying into what's happening and how we want to play. So, the credit goes to them. They could have easily folded, but they didn't and I think this will make us stronger in the long run." -- John MacLean on team's recent success