Phoenix Coyotes vs Edmonton Oilers Jobing.com Arena – Glendale, AZ Puck Drops at 7:00 PM AZ Time TV: FSN-AZ Radio:550 KFYI

The Coyotes are back in the confines of the Jobing.com arena after spending a crazy two weeks on the road. The Coyotes have had time to rest and recuperate since their 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday. Oddly enough, their game tonight is against another opponent from the Canadian Province of Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers are on the tail end of back to back games as they played last night in Dallas losing 6-3.

The Coyotes and Stars are a tale of two teams going that have gone in opposite directions as the season nears the end. At the beginning of the season, the Oilers were supposed to be challenging for the Northwest division title and the Coyotes were supposed to be in the basement for the season due to the off ice struggles with the franchise.

The story ended up being the opposite…

The Oilers have had to deal with a massive amount of injuries on their roster (472 man games lost to injury and counting), along with a roster that has been complacent and unmotivated. Their record as it stands is a direct reflection of this.

When it comes to the series between the Oilers and Coyotes this season, both teams have not played particularly well. For example, even though the Coyotes lead the season series 2-1, goaltenders from both teams have allowed numerous goals in the three games they have played. Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov has allowed 9 Oilers goals this season against Edmonton and Oilers goaltender Jeff Deslauriers has allowed 11 Coyotes goals.

The Coyotes have some work to do tonight which can help them prepare for the playoffs. Playing 60 minutes, working on Faceoffs, getting used to playing with packed houses (no, really), are just some of the reasons why the Coyotes can’t look past this game. They’re also great reasons why this game is an opportunity to improve their overall game.

Game Notes:

- Coyotes Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is the starting goaltender tonight. Jeff Deslauriers is expected to start in goal for the Oilers as Devan Dubnyk started in goal last night against Dallas

- Oilers are 6-35-4 when the opposing team scores first

- Tonight’s game starts at 7:00 PM to accommodate CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada’s late game.

- Coyotes are 12-7-0 against the Northwest Division this season. Oilers are 5-10-2 against the Pacific Division this season.

- Martin Hanzal is one point away from 100 career points in his NHL career.

Things to watch for:

The Oilers – They got beat pretty soundly last night in Dallas 6-3. It will be interesting to see how the come out and play tonight.

Keys to the game:

Faceoffs – The Coyotes have been proficient in faceoffs as of late. It’s just that their opponents have been better. Unacceptable.

Don’t look past the Oilers – They may have gotten curb stomped by the Stars last night but they have gone toe to toe with the best in the West as of late beating the Sharks, Canucks, and the Red Wings. When they are playing as a solid unit, they’re pretty tough to beat.

Go to the net – The majority of the goals in the NHL are not scored on primary shots on goal. They are scored on rebounds and second chances. The Coyotes have to go to the net more often and get in the crease of the opposing goalies.

Officials:

Referees: #3 Mike Leggo; #43 Brian Pochmara
Linesmen: #73 Vaughan Rody; #74 Lonnie Cameron

Injuries/Scratches:

Coyotes: Kurt Sauer(IR), Scottie Upshall(IR), Robert Lang(Day to Day), Viktor Tikhonov (Scratch), Paul Bissonnette (Scratch)
Oilers: Ladislav Smid (IR), Jean-Francois Jacques(IR), Ryan Stone(IR), Nikolai Khabibulin(IR), Sheldon Souray(IR), Theo Peckham(IR), Ales Hemsky(IR), Sam Gagner(IR)