Bear’s Necessities
"It's tough when you give up four after two at TD to get out with a win. At the same time, our guys, they're never out of the fight. They kept coming, kept working, and we generated good offense. We just have to make sure our offense isn't costly." – André Tourigny on the Coyotes’ fight against the Atlantic-Division leading Boston Bruins on Saturday.
What to Watch For
Monday, Dec. 11 at Buffalo Sabres, 5 pm MST
Buffalo has hit a bit of a dry spell since reaching .500 on Nov. 27, going 1-4-1 in six games since, with the lone win coming over Boston on Dec. 7. The Sabres most recently dropped a 3-2 game in a shootout to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, and the game against Arizona wraps up a two-game homestand before hitting the road for three, including a matchup against the Coyotes on Saturday at Mullett Arena.
Buffalo boasts four players with 20-or-more points this season, led by Casey Mittelstadt (22), Jeff Skinner (21), Rasmus Dahlin (21), and John-Jason Peterka (20). The Sabres rank 25th in the league with 2.82 goals per game, while defensively they allow the 12th-most goals per game, at 3.32.
Buffalo has had three goalies in on the action, but Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has appeared in the most games this season, posting a 6-5-1 record with a 2.81 GAA, .907 SV% and one shutout. He did miss Saturday’s game with an illness, however, so fans may see either Devon Levi (4-4-2, 3.27 GAA, .892 SV%) or Eric Comrie (1-5-0, 4.01 GAA, .863 SV%) if Luukkonen is unable to play.
The Sabres’ power play ranks 25th in the league at 14.29 percent, and their penalty kill is 13th with an 81.11 percent success rate.
TV: Scripps Sports (Antenna: 61.1 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson | Cable: DirecTV 61, Dish 61, Cox 95 Phoenix, Cox 85/Comcast 1179 Tucson) | Radio: ESPN 620
Tuesday, Dec. 12 at Pittsburgh Penguins, 5 pm MST
Arizona and Pittsburgh face off for the first time this season, as they will meet up again on Jan. 22 at Mullett Arena. The Penguins won both meetings last season, 6-2 on Oct. 13 and 4-1 on Jan. 8.
Pittsburgh ranks seventh in the Metropolitan Division at 11-12-3 after dropping four straight games, most recently a 3-1 defeat against the Florida Panthers on Friday. The Penguins have four players with 20-or-more points presently: Jake Guentzel (29), Sidney Crosby (27), Evgeni Malkin (22), and Bryan Rust (20).
Between the pipes, Tristan Jarry has done the lion’s share of work, posting an 8-10-2 record with a 2.48 GAA, .918 SV%, three shutouts, and he even scored a goal earlier this season. Alex Nedeljkovic has played in five games, posting a 2-2-1 record with a 2.18 GAA and .937 SV%.
Pittsburgh ranks 24th in goals-for per game (2.88) while allowing the sixth-fewest (2.62), and ranks 30th with a 9.46 power-play percentage. It’s penalty kill has been strong, however, killing off 83.54 percent of penalties, which ranks 10th in the league.
TV: Scripps Sports (Antenna: 61.1 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson | Cable: DirecTV 61, Dish 61, Cox 95 Phoenix, Cox 85/Comcast 1179 Tucson) | Radio: ESPN 620
Friday, Dec. 15 vs. San Jose Sharks, 7 pm MST
Arizona and San Jose face each other three times this season, beginning with Friday’s matchup at Mullett Arena. They’ll then meet again in San Jose on Dec. 21 before closing out the series on April 7, also in California.
The Coyotes were 0-3-0 against the Sharks last season, falling 3-2, 4-2, and 7-2. San Jose hosts the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday before kicking off a two-game road trip beginning at Mullett Arena on Friday.
Tomáš Hertl’s 24 points and nine goals lead the team, and he’s tied with Mikael Granlund’s 15 assists as well. Between the pipes, Mackenzie Blackwood is 3-11-2 with a 3.83 GAA and .895 SV%, while Kaapo Kähkönen is 5-6-1 with a 3.88 GAA and .894 SV%. The Sharks have been playing solid hockey as of late, posting an 8-7-2 record following an 0-10-1 start in which they allowed 10 goals in back-to-back games.
San Jose most recently dropped a 5-4 game in a shootout against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Sharks rank last in both goals-for and goals-against per game, recording 2.21 and 4.04, respectively. Their power play ranks 20th 11th an 18.67 percent conversion rate, while the penalty kill is second-worst with a 74 percent success rate.
TV: Scripps Sports (Antenna: 61.1 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson | Cable: DirecTV 61, Dish 61, Cox 95 Phoenix, Cox 85/Comcast 1179 Tucson) | Radio: ESPN 620
Saturday, Dec. 16 vs. Buffalo Sabres, 7 pm MST
Arizona and Buffalo close out their season series almost as quickly as they open it, facing each other twice within a five-day span. The Sabres travel to Colorado on Wednesday and Vegas on Friday before playing at Mullett Arena on Saturday.
A complete breakdown of Buffalo can be found above as the first entry of "Where to Watch."
TV: Scripps Sports (Antenna: 61.1 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson | Cable: DirecTV 61, Dish 61, Cox 95 Phoenix, Cox 85/Comcast 1179 Tucson) | Radio: ESPN 620
