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| 7:30 PM PT8:30 PM MT9:30 PM CT10:30 PM ET2:30 GMT10:30 7:30 PM MST9:30 PM EST6:30 UAE (+1)22:30 ETNaN:� BRT, March 18, 2023 Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona Attendance: 4,600 |
Coyotes, Blackhawks both riding win streaks ahead of matchup
Chicago Blackhawks at Arizona Coyotes
- The home team has won each of the three meetings this season between the Coyotes and Blackhawks, with Arizona most recently claiming a 4-1 home victory on February 28. The Coyotes have taken points in each of their last seven home games against Chicago (5-0-2).
- After converting eight of 29 opportunities in October (27.6 percent), Chicago's power-play has declined each month. The Blackhawks are just 2-for-24 on man-advantage chances this month (8.3 percent) -- only the Flyers (6.7 percent) have been worse.
- Alex Stalock picked up wins in back-to-back appearances after entering in relief of Petr Mrazek in Tuesday's win over Boston, then stopping 35 of 36 shots in Thursday's victory in Nashville. He's the first goalie since penalty shots have been recorded (1933-34) to stop a penalty shot in three consecutive appearances.
- Arizona edged Vancouver, 3-2, for its third straight win -- all by one goal -- and seventh straight game earning a point (5-0-2). It's the first time the Coyotes have won three straight by one goal (excluding shootouts) since March 15-20, 2014; they have not won four straight by a single goal since February 14-22, 2011.
- Travis Boyd lit the lamp twice in Thursday's win and has three goals in his last two games. Boyd has scored 11 points (8g, 3a) in his last 14 games dating back to February 18 after recording eight points (4g, 4a) in his previous 40 skates.
- Clayton Keller has 31 points (13g, 18a) in 19 games since February 1, tied for second-most in the NHL in that span (Connor McDavid, 39). With a point on Saturday, Keller would have the most points in a 20-game span by a Coyote skater since Jeremy Roenick had 32 points from October 28 to December 11, 1999.
While their respective 2022-23 seasons have produced poor results for the most part, the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes can find some solace in a recent spell of good play that has produced wins.
Entering Saturday night's final meeting this season in Tempe, Ariz., both teams reside towards the bottom of the Western Conference's Central Division -- Arizona (26-32-11, 63 points) in seventh and Chicago (24-38-6, 54 points) in the cellar.
In three previous matchups, the Blackhawks have been victorious twice on home ice -- 2-0 behind a 22-save performance by goaltender Alex Stalock on Jan. 6 and 4-3 in overtime on Caleb Jones' game-winner on Feb. 10.
Stalock, who recorded his first shutout with Chicago in the January win, has provided a calming, veteran presence in the crease during the Blackhawks' two-game winning streak.
After missing both games due to a non-COVID illness in the Sunshine State against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, the 35-year-old returned with a vengeance against the NHL-leading Boston Bruins and red-hot Nashville Predators.
In relief of Petr Mrazek, who reaggravated a groin injury in the middle of the second period, Stalock stopped 23 of 26 shots in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the league-leading Bruins.
He backed that up with a 35-save showing in Thursday night's 2-1 triumph over the Nashville Predators, who had won three straight and had earned points in six of seven games (5-1-1).
Stalock gave credit to his defense, saying it made point-producing Predators defenseman Roman Josi less of a factor than usual in the match.
"Our (defense) did a great job boxing out," said Stalock, who did allow the only tally to Josi with 25 seconds left and Nashville's net empty for the extra skater. "Our forwards eliminated some dangerous shooters. That might have been Josi's really only threat all night.
"To eliminate a guy like that from the game, it's a good job by our forwards staying on him and chasing him around the zone and staying between him and the net."
On Feb. 28 in the desert, the Coyotes earned a 4-1 win over Chicago. Travis Boyd, Jack McBain, Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz tallied as Arizona broke a two-game losing skid.
In his season debut on Mar. 9, Arizona goalie Ivan Prosvetov made 39 saves as the home side ousted Nashville 4-1.
Prosvetov allowed just two goals on 31 shots by visiting Vancouver in his second start this season Thursday night. Riding a five-game winning streak, the Canucks arrived in Arizona expecting to make it six, but Prosvetov, 24, turned back the Pacific Division club in a 3-2 win.
He improved to 2-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .958 save percentage since being recalled from the AHL Tucson Roadrunners this month.
In ending Vancouver's five-win run, the Coyotes were winners for the fifth straight time at home and are on a seven-game point streak overall (5-0-2).
"We've just got a lot of belief in each other right now," said Boyd, who scored twice in the win. "We've proven to ourselves that if we play the right way, any given night we can beat any given team. I think that's what you're seeing right now."
Second on the club with 21 goals, Schmaltz missed his third consecutive game with a lower-body injury.
--Field Level Media
Updated March 17, 2023
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