New Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett and his assistant Dave King — who is known as one of the best defensive gurus in hockey — have Phoenix shutting down opponents as if it was one of the Devils' dynasty teams in the mid-to-late nineties. The trap is boring but the Coyotes are proving it still works.
We may not be in for a shootout in the desert, but we’ll most likely see a tightly contested battle. Tune into NESN for the pregame show at 8:30 p.m. and then get the call from Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley with Naoko Funayama rinkside. Also check back here on NESN.com for any updates and then our live game blog.
When and Where
Saturday, Oct. 17, 9 p.m. ET (NESN)
Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, Ariz.
Records
Bruins (3-3-0) 6 pts. Third in Northeast Division. Tied for seventh in Eastern Conference.
Coyotes (4-2-0) 8 pts, Tied for first in the Pacific Division. Third in Western Conference.
Head to Head
This is the first and only meeting of the season between the Bruins and Coyotes.
Last season, the Coyotes beat the Bruins 2-1 on NHL Trade Deadline Day, March 5 at the TD Garden.
The Bruins are 37-18-7-1 all-time against the Coyotes and former Winnipeg Jets.
Skinny
The Bruins sported a new look to their lines in practice this past week and Friday night in the game at Dallas. Michael Ryder and Milan Lucic essentially switched spots, with Marco Sturm switching back to his natural left wing and Ryder flanking Marc Savard on the right on the top line. The switch appeared to work as Sturm, Savard and Ryder combined for four points.
The Bruins played a complete, 60-minute effort in their 3-0 win at Dallas, and while that was special in itself, the special teams was finally clicking as the Bruins scored their first power-play goal in three games and killed off three Dallas power plays. They will need more of that in Phoenix against the defensive-minded Coyotes.
Phoenix is one of the league’s stingiest club. Since allowing three goals in an opening-night win at Los Angeles, the Coyotes have allowed a grand total of six goals in five games — one of them an empty-netter in a 2-0 loss to Columbus.
The Coyotes' fast start has surprised and caught the attention of many around the NHL, but after selling out the opener, there were only 6,899 fans in attendance at Jobing.com Arena on Thursday night as the Coyotes opened a four-game homestand.
Projected Lineups
Bruins
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Marco Sturm | Marc Savard | Michael Ryder |
| Milan Lucic* | David Krejci | Blake Wheeler |
| Mark Recchi | Patrice Bergeron | Chuck Kobasew |
| Shawn Thornton | Steve Begin | Byron Bitz |
| Defenseman | |
|---|---|
| Zdeno Chara | Derek Morris |
| Andrew Ference | Mark Stuart |
| Matt Hunwick | Johnny Boychuk |
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Tim Thomas |
| Tukka Rask |
Coyotes
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor Pyatt | Robert Lang | Shane Doan |
| Scottie Upshall | Matthew Lombardi | Peter Mueller |
| Petr Prucha | Martin Hanzal | Radim Vrbata |
| Vernon Fiddler | Daniel Winnik | Lauri Korpikoski |
| Defenseman | |
|---|---|
| Sami Lepisto | Ed Jovanovski |
| James Vandermeer | Keith Yandle |
| Zybnek Michalek | Adrian Aucoin |
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Ilya Bryzgalov |
| Jason LaBarbera |
*Report: Lucic has been scratched from the lineup with an undisclosed injury. Winger Guillaume Lefebvre has been recalled from Providence.
Goaltender Matchup
Bruins
Tim Thomas is 2-2-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .898 save percentage.
Tuukka Rask is 1-1-0 with a 3.39 GAA and .883 save percentage
Coyotes
Ilya Bryzgalov is 4-1-0 with a 1.17 GAA and .952 save percentage
Jason LaBarbera is 0-1-0 with a 2.43 GAA and .949 save percentage
Stat Sheet
Bruins
After lighting the lamp twice Friday night, center Marc Savard needs only one more goal to reach the 200-goal plateau. Savard now has four goals and three assists to lead the Bruins with seven points.
Patrice Bergeron had two points (goal, assist) against the Stars and now has five points (two goals, three assists) this season.
Winger Michael Ryder had an assist in Dallas and now has three helpers to go along with two goals for five points this season.
Center Steve Begin has four assists.
Winger Marc Sturm assisted on Savard’s first goal and now has two assists and two goals this season.
Winger Mark Recchi had an assist Friday to give him two this season. He also has one goal for three points thus far.
Winger Blake Wheeler (two goals; one assist) has three points.
Winger Milan Lucic has three assists.
Defenseman Zdeno Chara had an assist Friday night to give him three helpers and three points this season.
Defenseman Matt Hunwick (two goals, one assist) also has three points.
The Bruins are averaging three goals per game and allowing 3.17 goals per game
The Bruins' power play went 1-for-1 against the Stars, and is now 5-for-30 on the season. They are scoring at a 16.7 percent clip on the man advantage.
The Bruins' penalty kill was 3-for-3 on Friday night and has now killed off 21-of-29 power plays (72.4 percent) they have faced.
Coyotes
Defenseman Ed Jovanovski (two goals, two assists) and Radim Vrbata (three goals, one assist) lead the team with four points each.
Forwards Shane Doan (one goal, two assists) and Matthew Lombardi (two goals, one assist) both have three points.
Defenseman Adrian Aucoin has three assists.
The Coyotes have outscored opponents 13-9 through six games.
The Coyotes are averaging 2.17 goals per game and allowing only 1.50 goals per game.
The Coyotes are 5-for-30 on the power play and scoring at a 16.7 percent clip.
The Coyotes' penalty kill has killed off 19-of-23 power plays (82.6 percent) they have faced.
Black and Blue
Bruins
Defenseman Dennis Wideman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Coyotes
Defenseman Kurt Sauer is questionable with post-concussion syndrome.
This Date In Bruins History
Harry Sinden becomes the first GM with 1,000 wins in a 7-4 victory over St. Louis on Oct. 17, 1995.
Overheard
“I thought Ryder had a good game. That line was good for us. Him and Savvy were coming back and working hard. When those guys come back and work out of our own end as a unit, they’re a lot more successful. I thought Michael was strong on the puck and made some good plays. Even without the puck, his puck pursuit was good. But that was basically the story of our whole team. I don’t know that we had anybody that you could be really disappointed about.’’
-Bruins head coach Claude Julien on the play of Ryder, his new linemates and the team as a whole against the Stars
Press Box
Bruins
The B's blanked the Stars on Friday.
Forward Steve Begin started to regain his confidence last spring in Dallas and has built off that this season in Boston.
Tim Thomas liked what he saw in front of him Friday night.
Center Marc Savard is the "Arbella Player Of The Week."
Always good for a quote, Shawn Thornton was mic’d up for the Bruins' photo shoot this year.
Here’s a great customized Bruins jersey.
Coyotes
Here’s the game story from the Coyotes last game, a 3-2 overtime win over St. Louis.
New Coyotes assistant coach Dave King is having an immediate impact on the Coyotes on and off the ice.
Should the Coyotes do away with the "White Out"?
Wayne Gretzky’s face is missed in Phoenix.
If the Coyotes win, fans get in free for designated games.
NHL
The late Dan Snyder has not been forgotten six years later.
Could there eventually be a European Super League?
Oliver Wahlstrom continues to be in the spotlight for his amazing goal on Mini 1-on-1 goal.
There is a youth movement on the blue line in the NHL.
Should NHL games have the potential to be decided by a shootout?
Dominik Hasek is aiming to play in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
The Habs are still searching for a captain.
Outlook
This game looks to be much like a chess match with two of the most systematic coaches in Claude Julien and Dave Tippett squaring off. For that reason alone, the Bruins need to stick to their game plan. They must replicate what they did in Dallas on Friday night and execute the details of whatever attack Julien draws up.
The Coyotes have been playing great, but their style lacks excitement. They can lull their opponents and fans to sleep, and the Bruins have to be careful not to doze off because Phoenix has fast, opportunistic forwards that can burn you. But if the Bruins are as in sync as they were in Dallas, they should be able to clog up the ice and make minimal mistakes to create odd-man rushes the other way.
