Coyotes seek 3rd straight win in final game before break
The All-Star break is looming, and the Arizona Coyotes have already matched their win total from last season.
The Coyotes picked up win No. 24 with a 2-1 shootout victory in Minnesota on Monday night and can top last year's total with a win over Winnipeg on Tuesday night in their final game before the break.
The game can be seen on FOX Sports Arizona, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The Coyotes (24-19-5) finished at the bottom of the Western Conference last season with 56 points, but they'll head into the break in playoff position as one of the top three in the Pacific Division. They're one point behind second-place San Jose, which also plays Tuesday night vs. Colorado.
Arizona coach Dave Tippett isn't overly impressed with matching last season's win total -- "that's not hard to do" -- nor was he overjoyed with his team's play in Monday's victory. The Coyotes were outshot 24-6 through the first two periods, forced overtime when Tobias Rieder stole the puck behind Minnesota's net and set up Antoine Vermette's short-handed goal with less than two minutes to play and emerged with two points when Anthony Duclair had the only successful attempt in a shootout.
"If you leave it like that, you're not going to win too many games," Tippett said. "We weren't mentally and physically engaged the way we needed to be.
"But that being said, we weren't giving up a ton, (goaltender Louis) Domingue gave us a heck of a game, and we got a break at the end to get it tied."
Domingue is now 9-2-3 in his 14 starts this season with two shutouts. His save percentage of .931 is fifth best among all goaltenders with at least 16 games played.
Shane Doan has nine points in his last five games against Winnipeg, including three goals in two games this season. He had two goals -- including his franchise-record 380th in a 4-2 victory on New Year's Eve -- a game in which the Coyotes were outshot 37-21.
Winnipeg (21-24-3), which reached the playoffs last season, is just two points ahead of Edmonton in the Western Conference cellar. The Jets have lost five of their last six home games following a 3-1 loss to New Jersey on Saturday.
"Our problem has never been about whether we work hard enough," right wing Blake Wheeler said. "Guys work extremely hard in our room. We have guys that care a lot in our room.
"It's been a frustrating year from a results standpoint, so you've got to understand that we're human beings. We have feelings and when things have gone the way they've gone for us this year, it's really tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel."
Center Bryan Little leads Winnipeg with 15 goals but has one over the past 13 games. Little's status is unknown after he left practice Monday with an undisclosed injury, according to the team website.
"If he loosens up he's fine for (Tuesday), if not, we'll see," coach Paul Maurice said.
