ARIZONA COYOTES NOTES:
3 HARD LAPS
• Following the win in Nashville, the Coyotes are now 7-6-1 and 5-2 in games following a loss. With three wins on the road, they are almost past the halfway point of last season’s mark of seven road wins. A win would push the Coyotes point total to 17, their most through 15 games since 2019-20 (20 points). • Arizona has powered their way to fifth in PP% (29.1), while Dallas is currently first in PK% (91.8). The Stars have only allowed four PPG on 49 opportunities this season. The matchup of two strong opposite ends of the power play may prove critical to the final outcome. • Clayton Keller leads the team in goals and points (6-9-15), power play goals and points (4-5-9), and total shots (49). Keller looks to lead the Coyotes in points for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.
PACK FACTS
· The Coyotes overcame two separate two-goal deficits in the same game to win, only the third time this has occurred in franchise history (last: 3/20/10 . Clayton Keller (6-9-15) has recorded a point in all but three games this season where the Coyotes have recorded a goal. . Sean Durzi (5-5-10) is one of four defensemen with an NHL-high five goals scored. . Logan Cooley became the third-youngest Coyote (19y, 191d) to record three points in a game (Chychrun, 18y, 345d). · Matias Maccelli’s (2-8-10) nine-game point streak came to an end on Thursday against St. Louis. The streak is the longest of his career and is tied for the fourth-longest point streak in the NHL this season. · Nick Schmaltz (4-9-13) is second on the squad in both assists and points and currently averages .93 P/GP. · Nick Bjugstad netted Arizona’s first empty net goal of the season on Saturday against Nashville, only four teams remain without an ENG. . Alex Kerfoot scored his first goal as a Coyote on Saturday in Nashville and currently has the seventh longest active consecutive games played streak at 277 games. . Michael Carcone recorded two more goals against Nashville to reach six on the season, tied with Clayton Keller for the team lead. . Troy Stecher scored his first goal as a Coyote on Saturday in his 73rd game with the team. · All of Juuso Valimaki’s (0-4-4) points have been assisted along with Matias Maccelli. . Lawson Crouse tied his career long five-game point streak earlier this month (10/24-11/4) and continues to find the net, scoring five goals in his last six games. . Barrett Hayton found the net for the first time this season with a power play goal against the Kraken. . Jack McBain netted two goals against Chicago and picked up two assists and a fight on the way to his first “Gordie Howe hat trick”. He has now set his career-high goal streak at three games. . J.J. Moser (2-5-7) has registered all seven of his points in four games, with three multi-point games. He now has nine in his NHL career. . Josh Brown lit the lamp for the first time this season against Chicago, and now sits one goal away from ten career NHL goals. . Karel Vejmelka recorded the first point of his NHL career against LAK, a secondary assist on a Sean Durzi goal. . Connor Ingram also recorded the first point of his career with a secondary assist in Nashville, making the Coyotes the only team with every player and goaltender (min. 1 GP) on their team recording at least one point. . The Coyotes are second in the NHL in goals scored in the first and second period with 39.
YOTES & STARS
-Tonight is the first of three ARI-DAL matchups this season. The two teams will meet again in Dallas on 3/20 and wrap up at Mullett Arena four days later on 3/24. Arizona/Winnipeg’s second win in franchise history came against the Minnesota North Stars on 10/19/79. – Juuso Valimaki averages 1 P/GP against Dallas thus far in his career (2-2-4, 4 GP). – In his last three games against Dallas in which he has recorded a point, Jason Zucker has reached at least two points in all three games (2-5-7). – Matt Dumba’s career high in points came against the Stars as a member of the Minnesota Wild on 3/29/18 (1-3-4). Coyotes franchise vs Stars • All-Time: 74-92-13-10 • Home: 41-45-4-4 • Road: 33-47-9-6 • L10: 2-8-0 • STRK: L4
SCORING NOTABLES AGAINST THE STARS
Jason Zucker…9-10-19…32 career games
Clayton Keller…4-8-12…16 career games
Matt Dumba…6-6-12…30 career games
POWERING UP
– The Coyotes (29.1%) are currently fifth in the NHL in PP% and tied for third in PPG (16). – On the road, the Coyotes are tied for third in PPG (10) and second in PPG/RGP (1.25). – Last year, the squad finished 24th in the NHL in PP% (18.9), and only recorded 45 PPG over the span of the season. This year’s version of the Coyotes is currently on pace for 94 PPG, the fourth-highest mark in a season in franchise history. – If the Coyotes continue their 29.1% PP pace, they would earn their best PP% in franchise history (25.5, 1987-88) and their largest year-over-year increase in PP% in franchise history (+8.2%, 86-87 -> 87-88). – Clayton Keller leads the team in PPG and PPP (4-5-9), good for T-sixth and T-ninth in the NHL, respectively.
DALLAS STARS NOTES:
INJURIES
Man-games lost, 2023-24: 6
NAME INJURY # OF GAMES DATES
C Roope Hintz Upper body 1 Oct. 12
C Radek Faksa Upper body 4 Nov. 1-6
C Matt Duchene Upper body 1 Nov. 6
MORE ON DALLAS’ EIGHT-GOAL NIGHT
– Seven of the Stars’ eight goals in their win over the Wild came on special teams (five PPG, two SHG). – They became just the sixth team in NHL history to record seven (or more) special-teams goals and the first to do so since Toronto scored seven on Oct. 14, 2005.
TONIGHT’S GAME:
After a road-heavy stretch, the Stars are back in Dallas to open a five-game homestand beginning tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. (7 p.m. CT, Bally Sports Southwest Extra, The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310-AM). The Stars will face the Coyotes three times during the regular season, including a pair of games March 18, 2024 at home and March 24, 2024 at Mullett Arena in Tempe. Dallas enters tonight’s contest riding a three-game winning streak and sitting atop the Central Division with 21 points (10-3-1). Though the Stars are 7-1-1 on the road, they’re 3-2-0 at home. Arizona, meanwhile, has 15 points (7-6-1) and is coming off a 7-5 victory over Nashville this past Saturday.
