Blue Jackets at Coyotes
After wrapping up their five-game homestand with a pair of victories, the Columbus Blue Jackets look to continue the momentum when they begin a four-game road trip against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. Columbus posted a 3-1 triumph over Minnesota on Wednesday to finish with a 10-1-1 record in December and match the franchise record for most wins in a month. Defenseman Kevin Connauton registered a goal and an assist as the Blue Jackets concluded their homestand with a 3-1-1 mark.
Arizona hopes to generate some offense as it kicks off a six-game homestand. The Coyotes suffered a 6-0 loss at Dallas on Wednesday, marking the sixth time this season the club has been shut out. Arizona has won three straight at home and notched a point in each of the last four contests (3-0-1).
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Columbus), FSN Arizona
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (16-16-3): Sergei Bobrovsky has been flashing the form that earned him the Vezina Trophy in 2013. The Russian was named the NHL's Third Star of the Month of December after posting a 9-1-1 record with one shutout and a .937 save percentage. Connauton has been a force on offense of late, collecting five goals and four assists over his last nine contests.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (14-19-4): Arizona appears to be getting healthier as Joe Vitale (lower body) and defenseman Chris Summers (upper body) practiced Friday and hope to be in the lineup against Columbus. The Coyotes introduced Andrew Barroway as their new majority owner on Friday. Barroway
also is the club's chairman and governor. "We want to build for the future here," he said. "We think there is tremendous opportunity and tremendous upside to this organization."
OVERTIME
1. Columbus won 10 games in a month twice before, most recently in January 2014.
2. Arizona assigned C Tyler Gaudet to Portland of the American Hockey League after the 21-year-old appeared in two games in his first stint in the NHL.
3. Blue Jackets LW Nick Foligno had a memorable day on Wednesday, signing a six-year contract extension prior to playing in his 500th career game.