Coyotes searching for offense as homestand comes to close vs. Rangers
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The New York Rangers and Arizona Coyotes are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to scoring goals.
The Rangers rank third in the NHL at 3.27 goals per game; the Coyotes are 29th of 30 teams at 2.11 as they prepare to face each other on Thursday at Gila River Arena.
The game can be seen on FOX Sports Arizona Plus and FOX Sports GO, starting at 6:30 p.m.
For Arizona (11-19-5), upping its production is critical to instilling a belief system in a young and fragile team whose playoff hopes are dwindling as it approaches the midpoint of the season.
"What we're missing is the finish," said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett, whose team scored 27 goals in its last 15 games (3-9-3). "There's execution along the way that could be better, like our D could do a better job of finding ways to get pucks through (to the net). We're getting a lot of shots blocked, a lot of missed shots. That's not only opportunities missed, but how many rebounds do you get off that?
"With the forwards, everybody checks so tight now that it's the ability to beat people one-on-one or create space rolling off a check, or with the execution of a give-and-go that's harder to cover, or the ability to get the puck off the wall so you can get it toward the net. All of those things like that are a combination of skill, but also the determination to do it.
"The ones that bothers me are the uncontested shots, and we're right there and we're trying to be too fine. You'g got to give yourself a chance to score."
This game concludes a five-game homestand for the Coyotes -- who have been outscored 14-7 in losing the first four. Overall, they've lost five in a row, failing to score more than two goals in any of the five games.
The Rangers (24-12-1) are coming off a come-from-behind 4-3 win at Ottawa on Tuesday, and they know that keeping up the pace is critical in an ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division, which features the NHL's top three teams in points and five of the top nine.
"We're in a playoff push. We don't have any time to not be," said center Derek Stepan, who has a team-high 28 points in 37 games. "We need the two points every single time we step on the ice. That's as simple as it is."
Stepan is one of seven Rangers with nine goals or more. Michael Grabner leads the team with 14. In contract, the Coyotes have just one player to score more than seven goals -- Radim Vrbata with nine.
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist returned to practice Wednesday after missing Tuesday's game with the flu, but coach Alain Vigneault suggested Antti Raanta would start his second straight game Thursday.
"I would say less than 50/50 after watching his energy level on the ice," Vigneault said of Lundqvist's chances. " This was his first practice in four days. He seemed like he was looking for his legs, his arms, everything else. He was real sick. We'll see how he feels tomorrow and make a decision from there."
Vigneault said right winger Pavel Buchnevich (back) would not join the team in Arizona or Colorado and would remain in New York to skate on his own with the hope that he starts practicing next week. Right winger Rick Nash (groin) did not practice Wednesday but will travel with the team. Center Mika Zibanejad (broken fibula) is out until at last mid-January.
Arizona right winger Ryan White is nursing a nagging lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. Center Brad Richardson (broken right tibia and fibula) and left winger Max Domi (broken hand) are out indefinitely.
Mike Smith, who had another strong effort in Tuesday's loss to Dallas, is expected to start in goal again for the Coyotes. His .924 saves percentage ranks eighth among goaltenders with 20 or more starts.
The Rangers beat the Coyotes 3-2 in New York back on Oct. 23, with defenseman Dan Girardi providing the game-winning goal. Vrbata scored both goals for Arizona.
