Coyotes at Flames
After seeing their modest two-game winning streak come to a halt against one Pacific Division opponent, the Calgary Flames look to continue their dominance over another on Saturday when they host the reeling Arizona Coyotes. Mikael Backlund scored his team's lone goal in Thursday's 3-1 setback to Anaheim for his eighth point (five goals, three assists) in five games, a stretch that began with a goal in a 4-2 victory at Arizona on Dec. 19.
The Flames have won all three encounters this season with the Coyotes, netting four power-play goals and thwarting all 11 short-handed opportunities. Arizona has struggled mightily on the penalty kill during its season high-tying six-game losing skid, surrendering 11 power-play tallies in that stretch - including four in a 6-3 setback to the New York Rangers on Thursday. "We started taking penalties, and we finished taking penalties," coach Dave Tippett told AZCentral.com of the Coyotes, who have yielded an NHL second-worst 31 power-play goals this season. "For us to do a better job on the penalty kill, we've got to do less penalty killing."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN-Arizona Plus, CBC, SN360, SN1 (Calgary)
ABOUT THE COYOTES (11-20-5): Arizona held a players-only meeting on the heels of failing to secure at least one point in its homestand. "Having a five-game homestand and not even getting a point, it's just embarrassing and just not acceptable," forward Anthony Duclair said. "We had a players' meeting. It's just gotta stop. Gotta put an end to it. It's just embarrassing." The 21-year-old Duclair has answered a 21-game goal drought by scoring in back-to-back contests, but has failed to record a point in each of the three meetings with Calgary this season after erupting for five (three goals, two assists) in five games in 2015-16.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (19-17-2): Rookie Matthew Tkachuk notched an assist on Backlund's tally to extend his point streak to five games, during which he has scored one goal and set up five others. Tkachuk, who was selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2016 draft, notched two assists in the last meeting with the Coyotes and three this season. The 19-year-old Arizona native has flourished skating alongside veteran linemates Backlund and Michael Frolik, who has set up four goals during his three-game assist streak.
OVERTIME
1. Arizona C Martin Hanzal notched an assist to record his 300th career point on Thursday, but has been held off the scoresheet in each of the three encounters with Calgary this season.
2. Flames D Dougie Hamilton was scratched from Thursday's game with an illness and missed Friday's practice for the same reason.
3. The Coyotes assigned D Kevin Connauton to Tucson of the American Hockey League for a conditioning assignment on Friday.