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Flyers-Coyotes preview: Philly trying to avoid being Arizona's first victim

Arizona (0-10-1), which blew a third-period lead in New Jersey on Saturday, will be aiming for its first win when it plays the host Flyers (6-5) on Monday.

Arizona’s Luke Schenn, second from right, will be among the Coyotes facing their former team, the Flyers. on Monday.
Arizona’s Luke Schenn, second from right, will be among the Coyotes facing their former team, the Flyers. on Monday.Read moreROSS D. FRANKLIN / AP

Arizona Coyotes vs. Flyers at a glance:

TEAMS: Coyotes (0-10-1) vs. Flyers (6-5).

WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday.

WHERE: Wells Fargo Center.

BROADCASTS: TV–NBCSP.

RADIO: 97.5 FM.

SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: Twitter —@BroadStBull; @samdonnellon.

KEY PLAYERS: Arizona, under new coach and former Flyer Rick Tocchet, has made unwanted history: The Coyotes have joined he 1943-44 New York Rangers as the only teams in NHL history to start a season with 11 straight losses.

The Coyotes are winless despite scoring the first goal in eight games, and they have been led by Clayton Keller  (eight goals), the early rookie-of-the-year frontrunner. Keller, however, is minus-10 on the season. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is minus-12.

Arizona has three former Flyers: Luke Schenn (two assists, plus-1), Nick Cousins (goal, assists, minus-2), and Zac Rinaldo (0 points, minus-3).

Arizona, which is surrendering a staggering 4.4 goals per game, allowed New Jersey to convert two third-period power plays in the Devils' 4-3 comeback win Saturday. "One of the biggest things that plagues our team is when the pressure is on, someone makes an ill-advised play," Tocchet told the team's website.

The Flyers, coming off Saturday's impressive 4-2 win in Toronto, have four players averaging more than a point per game: Jake Voracek (16 points), Shayne Gostisbehere (13), Sean Couturier (13), and Claude Giroux (12).

The Flyers are averaging a healthy 3.5 goals per game.

INJURY REPORT: Coyotes goalie Antti Raanta (0-1-1, 3.33 GAA, .911 save percentage) has missed seven straight games with a lower-body injury. He is day to day and could return Monday.

For the Flyers, defenseman Gostisbehere and rookie center Nolan Patrick are apparently battling concussion-like symptoms. The Flyers are expected to give an update Monday morning.

Defenseman Andrew MacDonald will miss at least three more weeks with a leg injury.

HEAD TO HEAD: This is the first meeting between the teams this season; they will also meet Feb. 10 in Arizona. The Flyers have a 45-28-4 record in the all-time series, including a 0-1-1 mark last season.

FLYERS' UPCOMING GAMES:

Wednesday: 8 p.m. at Chicago.

Thursday: 8 p.m. at St. Louis.