Preview: Coyotes at Dallas Stars, 5 p.m., FOX Sports Arizona Plus
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The Arizona Coyotes play their final road game of the season on Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars in a game that will primarily be a showcase for younger players on teams pointing toward brighter futures.
The Coyotes have been in a full-fledged youth movement for the entire season, and they'll be without one of their veteran leaders for their final three games, as defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is back in Sweden after the death of his mother, Annika, following a long battle with cancer.
"This has been a very difficult year for me personally," Ekman-Larsson said in a press release. "I'd like to thank the Coyotes' organization and all of my teammates for their incredible support all season long. I'm sorry that I'll miss our last three games, but family comes first."
Ekman-Larsson finished the season with 12 goals and 27 assists in 79 games.
The Stars have been one of the NHL's biggest disappointments, missing the playoffs in a season that began with hype as a potential Stanley Cup contender.
During the past three weeks, the Stars have been opening up opportunities for younger players who might be a part of the NHL roster next season. Remi Elie, Jason Dickinson, Julius Honka and Gemel Smith are expected to spend the rest of the season in the NHL after playing in the AHL for most of the year.
Smith has been one of the most impressive young players lately and scored his third goal of the season in a loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday.
"(Smith) played well, he played well when he was here before, and he played well (Sunday)," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "We got guys that are trying hard and playing hard."
The Coyotes (29-41-9) have won back-to-back games over Washington and Los Angeles, and though they still have the league's second-worst record, a strong finish in their final three games could allow them to catch Vancouver and New Jersey in the standings. They trail New Jersey by one point and Vancouver by two, though each has one more game to play than Arizona. The Coyotes host the Canucks on Thursday night at Gila River Arena.
Alexander Burmistrov scored three goals in the two victories -- giving him four goals and eight assists in 23 games since being claimed off waivers from Winnipeg. Alex Goligoski has a goal and three assists in the past four games, raising his season totals to six goals and 28 assists.
If Mike Smith starts in goal, as expected, he will tie Bob Essensa for most games played by a goalie in franchise history with 311.
Tyler Seguin leads Dallas (32-36-11) with 25 goals and 70 points. Goalie Kari Lehtonen has a 14-4-4 record and 2.05 goals-against average vs. the Coyotes in his career.
