CANADIENS AT COYOTES
Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Coyotes game Thursday in Glendale, Ariz., (9 p.m., TSN2. RDS, TSN-690 Radio), writes Pat Hickey.
1. The matchup This is the last of two games between these teams and the Canadiens will be looking for some revenge after dropping a 3-1 decision at Bell Centre Nov. 16. Neither team will be going to the playoffs this season. Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Canadiens were 14th in the Eastern Conference and 13 points from a wild-card spot. But they are still better than the Coyotes (15-32-10), who have the worst record in the NHL.
2. Price owns the Coyotes When it came to dividing the goaltending duties for backto-back games in Colorado and Arizona, Antti Niemi got the start Wednesday in Denver because he has a good record against the Avalanche. Price gets the start in the desert because he has a great record against the Coyotes. He is 9-0 with a 1.76 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.
3. Danault ready for comeback Don’t be surprised to see centre Phillip Danault back in the lineup for this game. Danault has been out of the lineup since Jan. 13 when he was struck in the head by a slapshot from Boston’s Zdeno Chara. Danault suffered a concussion, but he started skating in earnest last week and received clearance to rejoin his teammates in practice over the weekend. He was probably ready to resume playing Wednesday, but coach Claude Julien expressed concern Danault had limited practice time and didn’t want to put any stress on Danault by having him play back-to-back games.
4. Rookies in Coyotes’ spotlight Rookie goaltender Scott Wedgewood is expected to get the start for the Coyotes. He has been No. 2 for most of the season, but starter Antti Raanta was injured in Tuesday’s win in San Jose. The Coyotes’ leading scorer is rookie Clayton Keller, who was a firstround draft choice in 2016. He joined the Coyotes after earning Hockey East rookie-of-the-year honours at Boston University. He has 40 points, including a team-leading 16 goals.
5. Big game for scouts With the Feb. 26 NHL trade deadline looming, this game should attract a good number of scouts because both teams figure to be sellers. Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec and Andrew Shaw all appear on TSN’s trade-bait list, which highlights the 40 players most likely to generate interest. There isn’t a single Arizona player on the list, which is a reflection of the paucity of talent in the desert. There have been rumours involving Max Domi, a 2013 first-rounder who is stuck on four goals this season. But young GM John Chayka, 28, says Oliver Ekman-Larsson, with his league-worst minus-39 rating, is untouchable.