GAME DAY: OTTAWA SENATORS AT ARIZONA COYOTES

OTTAWA AT ARIZONA

8 p.m., Gila River Arena. TV: Citytv. Radio: TSN 1200, Unique 94.5 FM. Special Teams

OTT: PP 16.6% (27th); PK 75.6% (28th)

ARI: PP 16.8% (26th); PK 79.5% (19th)

The big matchup

Mike Hoffman vs. Clayton Keller The Ottawa Senators opted not to deal Hoffman at the trade deadline after setting a high asking price. Nobody else was going to bite on the ask of a first-round pick and a player, plus the Senators weren’t sure they wanted to deal Hoffman anyway. If Hoffman can score some goals down the stretch, it will give him confidence for next season. Keller has been the Coyotes’ best player and they haven’t had many bright lights.

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

1.

Back-to-back challenge

This is the Senators 14th set of 19 back-to-back games this season. Heading into Friday’s game against the Golden Knights, they were 6-5-2 in the first game and 5-6-2 in the second. Last season, the Senators had only 13 back-to-backs.

2.

Make the stops

If Mike Condon makes the start in net, this would be his chance for retribution. He got caught diving out of the net to try to stop former Coyote Anthony Duclair, now with the Chicago Blackhawks, leading to the tying goal in the third period as the Senators lost 3-2 to Arizona in overtime on Nov. 18.

3.

Finish with some pride

The Senators have 19 games remaining and they aren’t going to make the NHL playoffs, but they have to make sure they bring the same kind of effort they displayed against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday even though they lost that one 3-2.

4.

Points from Karlsson

Senators captain Erik Karlsson has been a pretty consistent performer against the Coyotes with five goals and seven assists in 12 career games against Arizona. Karlsson recorded his 500th NHL point against the Capitals and it would be nice if he kept rolling.

5.

Success versus the Coyotes The Senators are 16-16-2-2 overall against the Coyotes, including 8-7-1-1 in Arizona. Given the fact these two teams are battling it out for the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft in June, a win here would be good.

INJURIES

OTT: Chris Wideman, Marian Gaborik ARI: Richard Panik Bruce Garrioch