Coyotes at Maple Leafs
Mired in seven-game winless streaks, the Arizona Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs look to stop the bleeding at the other's expense when the sputtering clubs meet at Air Canada Centre on Thursday. Toronto nearly ended its losing streak on Wednesday, but it yielded a goal with 2:50 remaining in regulation before suffering a 2-1 shootout loss at New Jersey. Garden State native James van Riemsdyk scored his team-leading 21st goal for the Maple Leafs, who are 0-6-1 on their recent slide and have dropped 10 of their last 11 to reside nine points out in the race for a wild-card spot.
Arizona is much closer to the basement in the Western Conference than the last wild-card spot, sitting 17 points behind eighth-place Calgary. The Coyotes dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to Philadelphia on Tuesday to fall to 0-5-2 in their last seven overall and 0-2-2 on their eight-game road trip. Antoine Vermette, who scored the game-winning goal in Arizona's 3-2 victory over Toronto on Nov. 4, is expected to play in his 800th career game on Thursday and 200th with the Coyotes.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, TSN4 (Toronto)
ABOUT THE COYOTES (16-25-6): Forward Brendan Shinnimin already has enjoyed a busy week, collecting two goals and an assist in the American Hockey League All-Star Game on Monday before being recalled from Portland the following day. "I'm excited for the challenge to (get) back up here," said the 24-year-old Shinnimin, who is expected to be inserted into the lineup should Joe Vitale remain sidelined with an upper-body injury. Vitale did not attend practice while Martin Hanzal observed a maintenance day, but coach Dave Tippett noted that the latter is expected to play on Thursday.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (22-23-4): Jonathan Bernier nearly recorded his third shutout of the season before settling for his fifth straight loss on Wednesday. The 26-year-old has fared well in his career versus the Coyotes, posting a 3-0-0 mark in four appearances while stopping 117-of-121 shots. Should Toronto elect to rest Bernier, James Reimer will vie for his first win since Dec. 14 while attempting to improve upon his 30-save performance in the initial meeting with Arizona.
OVERTIME
1. Arizona RW Martin Erat set up a goal in the first meeting and has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 11 contests versus Toronto.
2. Maple Leafs All-Star RW Phil Kessel, who set up two goals in the first meeting, has just one assist for his lone point in his last seven games.
3. Arizona is just 2-for-17 on the power play during its winless stretch.