Preview: Coyotes at Wild, 5:30 p.m., FOX Sports Arizona Plus
Watch on FOX Sports GO
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The reeling Coyotes, 6-3 losers at Winnipeg on Wednesday night, have made the trek from to St. Paul, where they will conclude a hectic stretch of five games in seven nights by taking on the Minnesota Wild.
The game can be seen on FOX Sports Arizona Plus and FOX Sports GO.
Wednesday's loss was the third in a row and 12th in the last 14 games for Arizona, which has posted just one regulation win since Dec. 15. The Coyotes took a 2-1 first-period lead over the Jets but were unable to withstand a second-period onslaught.
"They picked up their level and we didn't match," captain Shane Doan said. "We've got to be better. We've got to find ways to compete harder.
Josh Jooris, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jakob Chychrun scored Arizona's goals. Goaltender Mike Smith was pulled after allowing six goals on 35 shots.
"If you don't work hard for 60 minutes, you're going to lose hockey games," Ekman-Larsson said. "We should be a desperate hockey team. We should expect everybody to work hard shift after shift and game after game.
"We haven't been able to put 60 minutes together, and we're going to have to find ways to do that."
The Coyotes (13-25-6) continue to be without Max Domi and Brad Richardson, who are out indefinitely, and the lineup took another major hit Wednesday when center Martin Hanzal flew back to Arizona to tend to what coach Dave Tippett described as a family matter.
Louis Domingue is expected to start in goal tonight for the Coyotes, who have been outscored 12-4 on the current losing streak.
Minnesota (28-10-5) has won 9 of its last 12 games against Arizona. The Wild are coming off a rare 4-3 home loss to New Jersey on Tuesday, but it was only their third loss in their last 20 games. They have lost consecutive games in regulation only once this season -- in the first week of November.
"I always say it's a long season," Minnesota goaltender Devan Dubnyk said after the New Jersey loss. "Every game's not going to be perfect. For 95 percent of the time, we're real good in that situation. So, we're fine. We know how to play in these situations. It just doesn't make it any less frustrating to give away a couple of points."
The Wild will be playing without one of their steadiest defenseman in Jonas Brodin, who broke a finger in Tuesday's game and is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks.
Brodin had three goals and 13 assists in 43 games. He'll likely be replaced in the lineup by Nate Prosser, a healthy scratch in nine of the past 10 games.
"He's a good player, so it's a big loss," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "But good teams persevere. We don't fold like an accordion. Somebody (else) gets into the lineup and he has to do just as good."
