The recent three game losing streak that the formerly surging Arizona Coyotes (four straight wins) have experienced has plummeted them into a tie for second place in the Pacific Division with the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks. The log-jam for second place also finds the resurgent Anaheim Ducks back in the hunt, trailing by just two points. Calgary and Edmonton pull up the bottom, but are also just six points behind the rest of the pack.
Tonight's matchup is vital for both teams, but the Sharks are the team playing much better than their competition, of late. They have 11 points in their last six games, and have won a game in overtime and in a shootout. Their only loss in this span was their last game against the Ottawa Senators, who pulled out a come from behind shootout win against the Bay area hockey club.
For the Arizona Coyotes to be successful playing the Sharks there is one player they must shut down. That would be Mr. Coyote killer himself, Joe Pavelski. In 50 career games against the Coyotes, Pavelski has 25 goals and 19 assists. He has also compiled 13 power play goals and five game winners. You might say when Pavelski knows he is up against the Desert Dogs, his mouth waters.
What adds to the challenge is that the Coyotes play the first place L.A. Kings on Saturday, and then they have a dreaded back-to-back two game road trip to Minnesota and Winnipeg. That's four games in six nights right before the All-Star break.
The Arizona Coyotes scoring slump can be mostly to blame. They are getting their shots but are not hitting the back of the net. They must capitalize against the Sharks, who were 3-1-1 against them last season. The two teams faced each other twice so far in pre-season affairs, which were both Sharks victories. And, guess who scored three goals in those two contests? If you've been following along, you know the answer.
Pavelski's success against the Arizona Coyotes is difficult to explain, but they had better figure it out. Losing four straight games will not bode well in their playoff aspirations at all.
Their game plan has got to be to jump all over the Sharks early, so they don't have play catch up. This San Jose team is excellent on the road this season with a 15-6-2 record. Conversely, they are just 8-12-1 at home.
Defenseman Klas Dahlbeck, who has been a healthy scratch the past two games, will be back in the lineup tonight. Newly acquired defenseman Jarred Tinordi (6'6", 230) will not play according to Head Coach Dave Tippett. Louis Domingue will be in net, attempting to get back in the win column after suffering only his third loss in 13 starts.
The Arizona Coyotes need to take a bite out of the Sharks to maintain their quest for a playoff spot for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
How do you like your Shark cooked?