Preview: Coyotes at Maple Leafs

GAME 48:
Coyotes (21-22-4) at Maple Leafs (29-16-2)
Arizona will begin a stretch of three road games in four nights vs. teams based in eastern Canada on Sunday night in Toronto.

WHERE: Scotiabank Arena | WHEN: 5 p.m. (AZ time) | TV:FOX Sports Arizona Plus | RADIO:ESPN 620 AM

ABOUT THE 'YOTES:
• Arizona will enter the game with 46 points, five behind Minnesota, which holds the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference standings with 35 games to play.
• The Coyotes have earned at least one point in their last eight games played in Toronto (7-0-1), and have not lost in regulation in Toronto since falling to the Leafs, 5-3, on Oct. 17, 2002.
• Darcy Kuemper will make his 25th start of the season. He's 4-0-1 in his past five starts and allowed just 11 goals in those five games. Kuemper has stopped 39 of 43 shots in three games vs. Toronto in his career.

• Clayton Keller, who notched the 100th point of his NHL career vs. Pittsburgh on Friday, leads the Coyotes with 33 points and 23 assists. He also ranks tied for second with 10 goals, one behind co-leaders Christian Fischer and Brad Richardson.
• Rookie Conor Garland is averaging a point per game over his past seven games.

• Niklas Hjalmarsson, who ranks sixth in the NHL with 99 blocked shots, needs one more to reach 100 blocks for a sixth consecutive season.
• Oliver Ekman-Larsson needs one goal to take sole possession of first place on the franchise's list for goals scored by a defenseman. Ekman-Larsson and Teppo Numminen are tied with 108 goals.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS:
• Toronto has lost three of its past four games and six of its past nine dating to Dec. 29 ... The Leafs average 3.53 goals per game, which is fourth highest in the League ... Mitch Marner leads the team and ranks 10th in the NHL with 60 points ... John Tavares, playing his first season with the Leafs, is Toronto's top goal producer with 29 ... Auston Matthews ranks second on the team with 20 goals, but he's in a six-game goal-scoring drought ... Kasperi Kapanen will enter the game with a four-game point streak ... Frederik Andersen ranks third in the NHL in wins (21) and third in save percentage (.923) among goalies who have started at least 25 games ... Toronto wins 52.4 percent of its face-offs. Only Philadelphia (56.2) is more successful in the circles.

'YOTES QUOTES:
• "We've played San Jose, Pittsburgh and now Toronto. It's like the Bermuda Triangle. There's no relief. They have star players, so you have to make sure of your work ethic and stay above them. We have to be diligent in our details. If we're not a detailed team tonight, it could get ugly." -- Rick Tocchet
• "The last three or four games I feel like we've been playing really good and getting some points. We're five points out of a playoff spot right now, so it's big games for us and it's going to be a good challenge for our group here tonight." -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
• "It's the same as the last couple games. We've played some really high-end, skilled teams that can score some good goals, so obviously it's a good test for us. We have to be careful with the puck and make sure we're not turning it over, and capitalize on our chances when we get them." -- Lawson Crouse