Pre-Game Capsule: Coyotes vs. Penguins

GAME 35:
Coyotes (7-22-5) vs. Penguins (16-14-3)
Arizona will look to snap a five-game winless streak (0-4-1) when it hosts the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs on Saturday night in Glendale.

WHERE: Gila River Arena
WHEN: 6 p.m. (AZ time)
TV: FOX Sports Arizona Plus
RADIO:ESPN 620 AM

KEY FACTS:
• The Coyotes have won two straight and are 3-1-1 in their past five home games against the Penguins.
• Head Coach Rick Tocchet did not announce which goalie would start after Friday's practice, but Antti Raanta is expected to play after making a career-high 44 saves in a 4-1 loss vs. Tampa Bay on Thursday. Raanta has produced a .950 save percentage over his past four games, and his .919 save percentage ranks 10th among NHL goalies who have played at least 15 games.
• Clayton Keller leads the Coyotes with 12 goals and 24 points. Despite a 17-game goal-scoring drought, which he ended on Thursday, Keller ranks second among NHL rookies in goals. Only Vancouver's Brock Boeser (17) has scored more.
• Derek Stepan is averaging a point per game in 13 home games this season, and owns a six-game point streak at Gila River Arena. Stepan ranks second on the team with 19 points, and eighth in the NHL with 347 face-off wins.
• Zac Rinaldo, who missed Thursday's game and Friday's practice because of illness, will be a game-time decision, Tocchet said. To provide depth at forward, the Coyotes recalled Nick Merkley from the American Hockey League after Friday's practice. Merkley, whom Arizona drafted 30th overall in 2015, ranks third in points (24) and second in goals (12) among AHL rookies. He'll wear sweater No. 38, should he play.
• Tobias Rieder has scored five of his 48 NHL goals (10.4 percent) vs. Pittsburgh in seven games. Rieder is good friends with Pittsburgh's Tom Kuhnhackl, who has missed the past three games because of an upper-body injury.

• Jordan Martinook, who scored his first NHL goal vs. Pittsburgh on Oct. 10, 2015, will play in his 200th NHL game.
• The Penguins are doing some soul-searching after losing three games in a row and four of their past five games. Phil Kessel leads Pittsburgh with 15 goals and 27 points, and co-leads wth 22 assists. Sidney Crosby ranks second in goals (13) and points (32). Goalie Matt Murray, who recently missed six games because of injury, is expected to start. Pittsburgh has won just six of 17 road games this season.

COYOTE BITES:
• "They look for offense constantly and they cheat smart on the ice. We've just got to watch out for their transition game. We can't feed that. We've got to try to make them play defense. They've got that veteran experience, so we've got to make sure that we outwork them. That's the main key, and that's something that we're trying to build as an identity. We've got to outwork teams." -- Jason Demers on playing Penguins
• "Pittsburgh is a similar team to Tampa. They have high skill and you can't give them anything. So, we've got to tighten up our 'D' zone and win more battles. We did some good stuff when we played them there (on Nov. 7). When we played below their goal line they were in trouble. That's what we've got to do for 60 minutes. Obviously, if you turn pucks over against a team like that, it's going to end up hurting you." -- Tobias Rieder on playing Penguins
•"They're struggling right now a little bit. It's probably not the greatest time you want to play them when they're struggling because they can ignite at any time ... We've got to stay out of the (penalty) box and we can't sink. That's one thing when you play these (elite) teams. You have to be aggressive. "-- Rick Tocchet on playing Penguins