Scouting Report: Blue Jackets and Coyotes Meet for the First Time

By Rob Mixer on December 9, 2017 at 7:05 am
Arizona Coyotes forwards Max Domi and Christian Dvorak celebrate a goal
Dan Hamilton – USA TODAY Sports
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Columbus Blue Jackets (18–10–1) vs. Arizona Coyotes (7–19–5)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017, 7 p.m. (NATIONWIDE ARENA)

The biggest mistake the Blue Jackets could make is taking the Coyotes' record at face value. Sure, they have seven wins and sit near the bottom of the NHL standings, but this is a team that plays hard and has plenty of emerging young talent.

We'll talk about one of those players in the header below, but Arizona is no pushover. The Blue Jackets are back on home ice and have to worry about only themselves as they have enough to worry about, and foremost atop the list is not turning the puck over. The Coyotes have players capable of turning mistakes into goals, and the Blue Jackets can ill afford to hurt themselves in a game they need to win.

Antti Raanta, the Coyotes' No. 1 goaltender acquired in a trade this summer with the New York Rangers, is expected to return from injury tonight and be ready to face the Blue Jackets.

You Oughta Know: Clayton Keller

This is one of the most dynamic young players in the NHL – and you may not have heard of him before now. You'll hear his name a lot going forward. He's all over the puck and plays an electric style not unlike Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau. If it feels like every Keller shift results in a scoring chance, you're not wrong. He's that good.

Fast Facts
  • Last year in Glendale, former Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith made nearly 60 saves in a shootout loss to the Blue Jackets, a game that kept their winning streak (then still in its infancy) alive. 
  • Remember Stepan? Yep, that's the former New York Rangers center, who joined the Coyotes with Raanta in a trade this past offseason.
  • The 19-year-old Keller, a top-10 pick in 2016, leads the Coyotes in scoring with 23 points in 31 games.
Previous Matchups

THIS YEAR: First of two meetings.
LAST YEAR: Blue Jackets won both meetings.

Keys to the Game

ONE: Focus on the start. The Blue Jackets had another subpar start last night but they recovered. It'll be a point of emphasis as they want to get going right away against the Coyotes tonight.

TWO: Stay disciplined. Don't give the Coyotes any additional opportunities.

THREE: Head north. The Blue Jackets' best chance to repel Arizona's speed-laden lineup is to play in the offensive zone and keep the puck going up the ice. 

Coyotes Projected Lineup

Forwards
# Player Stats # Player Stats # Player Stats
8 Tobias Rieder 31 GP, 5-5-10 21 Derek Stepan 31 GP, 5-13-18 9 Clayton Keller 31 GP, 11-12-23
16 Max Domi 31 GP, 2-15-17 18 Christian Dvorak 31 GP, 4-12-16 36 Christian Fischer 29 GP, 7-7-14
11 Brendan Perlini 25 GP, 8-2-10 20 Dylan Strome 7 GP, 1-0-1 10 Anthony Duclair 23 GP, 6-6-12
48 Jordan Martinook 30 GP, 2-3-5 15 Brad Richardson 29 GP, 1-4-5 34 Zac Rinaldo 26 GP, 2-1-3
Defensive Pairs
# Player Stats # Player Stats
23 Oliver Ekman-Larsson 31 GP, 6-12-18 55 Jason Demers 31 GP, 3-8-11
6 Jakob Chychrun 2 GP, 1-0-1 33 Alex Goligoski 31 GP, 3-10-13
75 Kyle Capobianco 1 GP, 0-0-0 2 Luke Schenn 31 GP, 0-2-2
Goaltenders
# Player GS W-L-OL GAA SV% SO
32 Antti Raanta 13 4-5-2 2.84 .914 0
31 Scott Wedgewood 10 3-5-3 2.97 .908 1
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