Oct. 22, 2022 | 1 pm MST | Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
TV: Bally Sports Arizona | Radio: ESPN 620 AM
The Arizona Coyotes wrap up the Canadian leg of their season-opening road trip on Saturday afternoon in Ottawa, and are just two games away from their home opener next week.
Saturday marks the first of two games between the two teams – the second is scheduled for Jan. 12 in Tempe, Ariz. The Coyotes (1-3-0) have experienced recent success against Ottawa, considering they have won seven of the last eight games between the two clubs.
That success has come largely in part because of some stellar individual performances, including Lawson Crouse‘s first-career hat trick (March 14, 2022), as well as four-point performances by Clayton Keller and Shayne Gostisbehere on March 5, 2022.
Forward Nick Schmaltzwho will miss Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury, took the cake in that March 5 game, setting a franchise record with seven points on two goals and five assists.
Although starting lineups were not yet available prior to publishing, goalie Karel Vejmelka has spent the most time in net this season with the Coyotes, posting a 1-2-0 record with a 4.35 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in three starts. Connor Ingram made his first start with Arizona on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, making 24 saves in his debut.
Arizona wraps up its first road trip of the season on Tuesday in Columbus before playing its first-ever game in Tempe, at Mullett Arena, on Friday.
Player to Watch: Keller has now recorded a point in three straight games, and has notched one goal and two assists in four games this season. The 24-year-old has nine points (2G, 7A) in eight career games against the Senators.
ABOUT THE SENATORS
Big things were expected out of Ottawa (2-2-0) after general manager Pierre Dorion made a flurry of moves this past offseason, including bringing in star players like Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux.
Although the team started the season 0-2-0, its trajectory is seemingly back on track following two straight wins in which the Senators have outscored their opponents – the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals – 12-7.
Forwards Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk have led the way so far with six points each, while both Giroux and DeBrincat have four apiece.
Goalie Anton Forsberg has started all four games this season, posting a 2-2-0 record with a 3.03 GAA and .903 SV%. The 29-year-old Swedish netminder has appeared in 106 combined games with the Senators, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, and Hurricanes over his career, and has gone 39-48-9 with one shutout over that span.
Ottawa finished seventh in the Atlantic Division last season with a record of 33-42-7.
Player to Watch: Batherson is scorching hot, as he has three goals and two assists over his last two games. The 24-year-old has 103 points in 149 career games, all spent with the Senators.
.