Canucks at Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes appear to have broken out of their season-opening offensive funk and hope to continue to produce as they begin a five-game homestand Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. Arizona was shut out three times over its first four contests of 2018-19 and scored more than one goal just once in its first five games before netting a total of 11 tallies in its last three.
The Coyotes posted 4-1 victories in two of those contests, including one at Columbus on Tuesday in which Christian Fischer registered his first career hat trick. Arizona is seeking its first goal on home ice as it was blanked in each of its first two games at Gila River Arena. Vancouver is coming off a 3-2 shootout victory at Vegas on Wednesday as Markus Granlund scored the lone goal of the bonus format after Bo Horvat tallied twice in a 64-second span during the second period. The Canucks have needed extra time in each of their last three triumphs (two in overtime), with their last regulation win coming on Oct. 13 at Florida.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), FS Arizona
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (6-4-0): Horvat leads the team with seven goals - four of which have been scored during his four-game point streak. The 23-year-old center, who has been kept off the scoresheet in only three of his first 10 games this season, netted a career-high 22 tallies last campaign. Rookie Elias Pettersson missed his fifth consecutive contest due to a concussion on Wednesday after beginning his NHL career with a five-game point streak.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (3-5-0): Alex Galchenyuk made his team debut on Tuesday, recording one shot and a minus-1 rating in 15 minutes of ice time after missing the first seven games of the season with a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old, who was acquired from Montreal for Max Domi in mid-June, fell one tally shy of the third 20-goal season of his career in 2017-18. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has registered four assists this campaign, is six points shy of 300 for his career.
OVERTIME
1. Coyotes C Derek Stepan has notched four assists over his last two games after being kept off the scoresheet in each of his first six contests.
2. Vancouver RW Brock Boeser (groin) missed Wednesday's contest and is day-to-day.
3. Arizona is coming off the first game this season in which it did not register at least 30 shots.