Canucks at Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes look to remain perfect on their five-game homestand and seek their first three-game winning streak of the season when they host the Pacific Division-rival Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Arizona, which has won four of its last five at Gila River Arena, began its string at home by defeating Tampa Bay and Florida — the latter in overtime Monday.
Tobias Rieder scored his 10th goal of the season 48 seconds into the extra session, joining Radim Vrbata (11) and Martin Hanzal (10) as the only members of the Coyotes in double digits. Vancouver is hoping to conclude its three-game road trip with two straight victories, as it edged Colorado 3-2 on Wednesday after squandering a two-goal lead. Sven Baertschi registered his third two-goal performance of the season — and second against the Avalanche — by opening the scoring to end an eight-game drought and closing it with 8:14 remaining to climb within two tallies of the career-high mark of 15 he set last season. The Canucks have had Arizona's number this season, outscoring the Coyotes 10-3 while winning each of the first three meetings.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), FSN Arizona Plus
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (23-20-6): Captain Henrik Sedin will bring a six-game point streak into Thursday's contest after notching an assist against the Avalanche. The 36-year-old Swede, who on Friday became the first player in franchise history to register 1,000 points, has recorded two goals and four assists during his run. Identical twin Daniel, who has appeared in 23 fewer career games, is 31 points away from joining his brother in the 1,000-point club.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (15-26-6): Alexander Burmistrov has been helpful to his new team thus far, registering five assists in as many games since being claimed off waivers from Winnipeg on Jan. 2. "Right now, I'm just trying to stay focused on each game," the 25-year-old Russian, who notched only a pair of assists with the Jets, told Arizona's website. "I have to play good because the coaches and players put trust in you, and when you come to a new team, it's a big opportunity and you don't want to lose that trust." Jordan Martinook, who is mired in a five-game point drought and has recorded just one assist over his last 12 contests, has yet to play on the homestand because of an upper-body injury.
OVERTIME
1. Rieder will play in his 200th career game Thursday while Coyotes LW Jamie McGinn is one goal away from 100 in the NHL.
2. Vancouver C Bo Horvat, who also will appear in his 200th NHL contest, is three points shy of 100 for his career.
3. Arizona RW Christian Fischer, a 19-year-old who was selected in the second round of the 2015 draft, is the first player in franchise history to have scored a goal in each of his first two NHL games.