Canucks at Coyotes
THE STORY: The
league-leading Vancouver Canucks conclude their six-game road trip in
the desert as they face off against the red-hot Phoenix Coyotes on
Tuesday. Vancouver is 3-1-1 on its trek and has earned at least one
point in 10 of its last 11 away from home (8-1-2). Overall, the Canucks
are 12-1-4 in their last 17 contests. Phoenix has been nearly unbeatable
of late as it has collected 21 of a possible 22 points in February
(10-0-1) to overtake San Jose for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
The Coyotes have won six straight at home and five in a row overall.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, RS Pacific (Canucks), FS Arizona (Coyotes)
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (40-16-7):
Vancouver was one of the busiest teams at Monday's trade deadline,
acquiring center Samuel Pahlsson from Columbus, right wing Andrew Gordon
from Anaheim and defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani and right wing Zack
Kassian from Buffalo. The deal with the Sabres was the most costly as
the club parted with blueliner Alexander Sulzer and center Cody Hodgson,
who registered 16 goals and 17 assists in 63 games. The 22-year-old
Hodgson is tied for second in goals by a rookie, two behind Colorado's
Gabriel Landeskog.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (32-21-9): Considering the team has surged to the
top of the Pacific, general manager Don Maloney stood pat at the trade
deadline. "We've been playing terrific hockey in the month of February
(and) I didn't want to touch the mix on our current roster," Maloney
said. "There was nothing out there that made sense. We just said, 'Why
fool around with a good thing?' " Mike Smith has been in net for all of
Phoenix's 10 victories this month. During his winning streak, Smith has
posted two shutouts and allowed more than one goal only three times. Ray
Whitney and Radim Vrbata have been offensive forces. Whitney is riding a
five-game points streak and has gotten on the scoresheet in 13 of the
last 14 contests. Vrbata has averaged one point over his last 24 games,
scoring 14 of his career-high 30 goals during that span.
OVERTIME:
1. Vancouver has won the first two meetings this season by a combined 6-1 score.
2. The Coyotes have lost four of their last five showdowns with the Canucks.