Ottawa Senators (11-15-0) at Arizona Coyotes (15-13-2)
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On the back of two shutouts in a row, the Arizona Coyotes host Jakob Chychrun and the Ottawa Senators to wrap up a three-game homestand.
Goaltenders Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram have saved a combined-49 shots against the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres.
In their last meeting with the Sabres, left wing Clayton Keller would score the game-winning goal. With 10 goals and 16 assists, the ‘Yotes star leads the team with 26 points on the year.
With this stretch, the “Mullett Magic” momentum continues to grow as the Coyotes are 10-5 at home.
Standing in their way, the Coyotes face an Ottawa team who has drawn major attention around the league in the last 24 hours.
Winless in their past four games, the Senators ended up firing head coach D.J. Smith yesterday and naming Jacques Martin as the interim.
By having a new boss behind the bench, Ottawa should come out with more hunger and fight in front of Martin to show why they deserve to stay in the lineup going forward.
Drama around the Sens doesn’t stop there, however, as Chychrun will return to Arizona for the first time since being dealt at last year’s trade deadline.
Tonight, the Coyotes’ 16th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft gets to embrace the fanbase that he shared almost seven seasons with.
This year, Ottawa are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 11-15-0 record, though they have played the least amount of games (26).
Sitting 10th in the NHL with 3.35 goals scored per game, the Senators issue is not scoring, but keeping the puck out of their own net when a man down.
Ottawa currently has the third-worst penalty kill in the league with 72.41%.
History
The Coyotes are 11-8-1-2 all-time against the Senators, but Ottawa did win a two-game series 2-0 last season.
Scottsdale natives Brady Tkachuk and Mark Kastellic both scored for the Sens in a 6-2 victory in Ontario on Oct. 22, 2022.
In Tempe, center Claude Giroux and defenseman Jake Sanderson had two-point nights each as Ottawa won 5-2 on Jan. 12.
Injuries
Arizona Coyotes: C Barrett Hayton (upper body – IR), D Vladislav Kolyachonok (lower body – IR), D Sean Durzi (lower body – OUT) and C Travis Boyd (upper body – IR)
Ottawa Senators: RW Mathieu Joseph (lower body – OUT), D Thomas Chabot (lower body – LTIR) and RW Rourke Chartier (upper body -IR)
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Alec Cipollini is a reporter of the Arizona Coyotes and Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @AlecCipollini
