Arizona Coyotes forward Shane Doan will miss the game because of a lower-body injury, sustained in the second period of a 5-4 shootout loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday and is day to day. It will be the first game the Coyotes captain will miss this season; this marks the 16th time in the past 17 seasons that Doan, 40, has played at least 70 games. He is expected to join Arizona for its five-game road trip that begins Monday at the Nashville Predators. Defenseman Luke Schenn, who left the game against Detroit after going head-first into the boards in the third period, practiced Friday and will play. Goaltender Mike Smith is expected to start. Smith has struggled against the Blues in his career; he's 4-12-0 with a 3.58 goals-against-average and .882 save percentage. Arizona had its three-game winning streak end against the Red Wings, but they have a point in five straight games (3-0-2) and six of their past seven (4-1-2). Coach Dave Tippett is pleased with the strong play of rookie defenseman Jakob Chychrun and rookie forward Lawson Crouse. Chychrun, 18, has 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) this season, including two goals and three assists in his past four games. "We didn't think guys like Chychrun and Crouse would be players on our team this year, but they came in a played so well," Tippett said, "and they are physically mature guys with a willingness to learn. Now we are seeing the results of giving them that opportunity." Crouse's shorthanded goal against Detroit was Arizona's seventh of the season, the most by the Coyotes since the 2007-08 season. Crouse, 19, has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 60 games this season.
