The Arizona Coyotes (1-4, 1-4 PL, 4-1 O/U) take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (3-4, 2-5 PL, 5-2 O/U) in an inter-conference battle on Tuesday evening. The Coyotes were charged with a road loss to the Senators in their previous action. The Blue Jackets collected a dominating road win against the Rangers in their latest bout. Columbus went 2-0 against Arizona last season.
The Arizona Coyotes are glad to finally conclude their challenging six-game road trek to begin the season. They have lost four of their opening five games of the season, most of them blowout decisions. Their lone win occurred against a strong Maple Leafs team last week. They followed with a road loss in Montreal and a 6-2 loss in Ottawa on Saturday.
Shayne Gostisbehere has cooled down from a hot start, going pointless in two straight games. The veteran defenseman is one of their best players, collecting two goals along with three assists, and is averaging nearly 24 minutes of ice per game. Clayton Keller found the back of the net in the loss to Ottawa. The 24-year-old winger is their biggest offensive weapon. Keller scored 28 goals last year and has two goals along with two assists this season. Travis Boyd is playing well, amassing three points in hi s last two performances. The veteran center scored a respectable 17 goals last year and has four points this season. The Coyotes are playing without #1 d man Jakob Chychrun.
TYSM ?? pic.twitter.com/mivLbs8hhg
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) October 22, 2022
The Coyotes will likely have Karel Vejmelka guard the cage in this one. The 26-year-old netminder only made 26 saves on 32 shots in Saturday’s defeat. His numbers are poor, logging a 4.77 GAA and an .877 save % to go with a 1-3 record. Arizona is scoring an average of 2.8 goals, landing them 27th overall. They are horrible defensively, allowing an average of 5 goals, pegging them 31st.