Bruins-Coyotes Preview
By Dave Vest
GLENDALE – The Coyotes will attempt to bump their winning streak to a season-high three games on Saturday night when they host the Boston Bruins at Jobing.com Arena. The puck drops at 6 p.m. (Arizona time).
Phoenix (4-2-0) beat San Jose in a shootout on Monday, and then beat St. Louis in overtime on Thursday.
Ilya Bryzgalov is expected to start in goal for Phoenix. He is 4-1-0 with a 1.17 goals-against average.
Boston blanked the Stars, 3-0, Friday night in Dallas. Goalie Tim Thomas made 27 saves.
"They have some players that can really have an impact on the game," Coyotes Head Coach Dave Tippett said after Friday's practice. "(Zdeno) Chara, I think, is obviously one of the top defensemen in the league, but they've got some scoring depth at forward too that allows them to be a strong checking team as well as a good offensive team."
The Bruins (3-3-0) last played in Phoenix on Oct. 6, 2007. They won, 3-1, to give Head Coach Claude Julien his first win with Boston.
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| Jovanovski |
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Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski notched two points in Thursday's 3-2 overtime victory over St. Louis, including the game-winning goal at 3:37 of the extra session. |
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| Savard |
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Bruins center Marc Savard has scored three goals in the past three games, including two vs. Dallas on Friday night. For the season, he has four goals and three assists. |
- The Coyotes have set many goals for this season, but the one fresh in everyone's mind is to stay above the .500 mark for the rest of the season. With three more home games before the next road trip, they believe now is a good time to create some space in their win-loss differential.
- The Bruins are playing their second consecutive road game after starting the season with five home games in a row. They beat Dallas 3-0 Friday night.
- Former Coyotes defenseman Derek Morris is playing for Boston. Morris was an alternate captain at times during his five-year stay in Phoenix. Meanwhile, Bruins right wing Blake Wheeler, who opted to become a free agent instead of signing with the Coyotes after they drafted him fifth overal in 2004, will play his first game at Phoenix.
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