Preview: Coyotes vs. Predators

GAME 18:
Coyotes (8-8-1) vs. Predators (13-4-1)
Arizona will attempt to regain momentum when it begins the second of back-to-back five-game homestands with a game against Nashville in Glendale on Thursday night.

WHERE: Gila River Arena | WHEN: 7 p.m. (AZ time) | TV:FOX Sports Arizona | RADIO:ESPN 620 AM

ABOUT THE 'YOTES:
• Arizona has posted four wins in its past five home games and outscored opponents, 22-11, in those games.
• Backup Darcy Kuemper will again start in goal in place of Antti Raanta, who is nursing a lower-body injury. Kuemper, who has started the past five games, is 3-2-1 vs. Nashville in his career with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Raanta has been skating away from teammates and is expected to be back in the lineup before the homestand ends on Nov. 25.
• Jakob Chychrun, who made his season debut on Tuesday at Detroit, suffered an upper-body injury in that game and will not play vs. Nashville. He is considered day-to-day. Chychrun missed the first 16 games of the season because of a lower-body injury.
"It's frustrating and I'm sure he's frustrated, but it's not a serious thing," Head Coach Rick Tocchet said. "Things happen. He's just got to stay mentally strong. He'll get back in."

Meanwhile, Alex Goligoski also is not expected to play vs. Nashville because of a lower-body injury. Goligoski, who ranks second among Arizona defensemen with seven points, has missed the past three games.
• Oliver Ekman-Larsson enters tonight's game leading the Coyotes in numerous statistical categories including assists (nine), power-play points (five), and hits (43). He ranks second on the team with 11 points, one behind Clayton Keller, and needs just 10 more to tie Keith Yandle (311) for most points produced by a defenseman in Coyotes history.
• The Coyotes have produced a 6-2-1 record in nine games played vs. Nashville at Gila River Arena since the start of the 2012-13 season.
• Richard Panik has notched 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 16 career games vs. Nashville, and his shooting percentage against the Preds is 20.8 (5 for 24). Tonight's game will be his 50th with the Coyotes and his 350th in the NHL.
• Lawson Crouse, who scored Arizona's lone goal in Tuesday's loss at Detroit, is expected to skate in his 100th NHL game.

ABOUT THE PREDATORS:
• Nashville will enter the game with 13 wins and 27 points, both tops in the NHL ... The Predators are the League's best road team with an 8-1-1 record, although they're 0-1-1 in their past two road games ... Filip Forsberg is tied for third in the NHL in goals with 12, and leads the League in plus-minus (plus-13) ... Pekka Rinne is 3-0-1 with a 0.74 goals-against average, a .976 save percentage and one shutout since coming off the injured-reserve list on Oct. 31. He is 18-7-2 in his career against the Coyotes, including six shutouts ... Kevin Fiala is riding a four-game point streak (one goal, three assists) ... P.K. Subban, who left Tuesday's game at San Jose because of an undisclosed injury, has been placed on the injured-reserve list. So has Viktor Arvidsson, who will miss at least the next six weeks because of a broken thumb ... Nashville is expected to place Austin Watson back in the lineup for this game. He was suspended for the first 18 games of the season for domestic violence ... The Predators are 10-0-0 in the 10 games in which they've scored the first goal.

'YOTES QUOTES:
• "They have a lot of skilled guys, but at the same time they work really hard. If you look at their three first lines, I think anybody on the three top lines can score and they can shut you down, too. At the same time, they have a good back end and a good goalie, so overall I think they have a really solid team ... We need everybody to really bounce back tonight to have a chance to win this one." -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
• "You want to have that good homestand, and you want to give your home fans something to cheer about, and you want to be a tough team to play against at home. So, we can kind of use that to our advantage. We've just got to play strong, be mentally there, and let the rest take care of itself." -- Lawson Crouse
• "That road trip, we weren't playing consistent hockey. I don't know if it was mental toughness or what it was, but I think if we just come out and have a good start ... the first five minutes are huge to set the tempo for the game. If we can get on their defense and make it tough in those first five minutes, I think we'll have success." -- Jordan Oesterle