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 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.