Bruins at Coyotes
After emerging victorious for the first time this season, the Boston Bruins vie for their seventh consecutive win over the Arizona Coyotes when the teams meet at Gila River Arena on Saturday. Jimmy Hayes answered a minus-5 rating in his first three games by recording a goal and three assists on Wednesday as Boston averted its worst start in 50 years with a 6-2 rout of Colorado.
"We just simplified our game, big time," Hayes told NESN after his career-high four-point performance. "Just playing a north-south game and trying to execute plays, and finally, the execution was there. It’s a good feeling." The Bruins hope that feeling rides with them to the desert when they face the Coyotes, who gamely rallied from a three-goal deficit before dropping a 4-3 decision to Minnesota on Thursday. Arizona has been led by its young stars as Anthony Duclair scored for the fourth time in two games and fellow 20-year-old Max Domi collected a goal and an assist versus the Wild.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FSN Arizona
ABOUT THE BRUINS (1-3-0): Sidelined for the last two games with a concussion, Brad Marchand could make his return versus a team against which he collected three goals and an assist in two meetings last season. The 27-year-old Nova Scotia native shed his no-contact jersey and participated in practice on Friday. Workhorse goaltender Tuukka Rask (0-3-0, 4.72 goals-against average) is expected to return after sitting out the last game to face the Coyotes, against whom he is 5-1-0 with a 1.83 GAA and .936 save percentage.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (3-1-0): Domi's impressive play has caught the eye of future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr, who told TSN that he thought the former first-round pick was "unbelievable" while tossing plenty of other verbal bouquets his way. "Yeah, I saw it,” Domi told the Arizona Republic of the story. "It was pretty cool. It was definitely pretty humbling to see a guy I grew up watching and idolizing say something like that." Forward Martin Hanzal leads the team with seven points - all assists - but has yet to record a point in seven career meetings with Boston.
OVERTIME
1. Arizona is just 1-for-20 on the power play while Boston is 4-for-12 with the man advantage.
2. Bruins C David Krejci has three goals and as many assists during his four-game point streak.
3. Coyotes C Antoine Vermette is questionable to play after suffering a lower-body injury on Thursday.