Arizona Coyotes Mike Smith and Sam Gagner Hoping To Impress Against The Oilers
The Arizona Coyotes will be taking on division rival the Edmonton Oilers tonight at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes are looking to keep the momentum going from their impressive victory over the Kings on Saturday.
More from Arizona Coyotes
- Arizona Coyotes: Slumping Strome Shipped to Chicago
- Arizona Coyotes: How Coach Rick Tocchet Sparked His Offense
- Arizona Coyotes: 3 Keys to Win Over Blue Jackets
- Arizona Coyotes: 3 Takeaways From Saturday’s Loss in Winnipeg
- Arizona Coyotes: Dvorak Out Indefinitely After Surgery
Going in to tonight’s game, Mike Smith will be starting in net for the Coyotes. Smith is looking to rebound after coming off of a terrible performance against Winnipeg on opening night. After the loss against the Jets, Smith said in his post game comments on Fox Sports Arizona, “I never got comfortable tonight. It was just one of those games where I didn’t feel good on my feet; didn’t feel comfortable in the net.” Recent history and statistics are in Smith’s favor as he went 3-0-0 against Edmonton last year, with the team going 4-0-1. The Coyotes have not lost in regulation to Edmonton since January 25, 2011. During that stretch they are 10-0-3 against the Oilers.
Edmonton is coming in to tonight’s game winless on the season. They are currently sitting at 0-2-1. They are playing back to back games as they played last night in Los Angeles, losing 6-1. Oilers starting goalie Victor Fasth left the game with a groin injury after giving up three goals on 11 shots. The Oilers were also playing without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. They are both out with undisclosed injuries and there is no word on if they will play tonight against Arizona. Ben Scrivens will start in net for Edmonton tonight. Scrivens is 1-1-1 in his three career games against Arizona.
On a side note from the matchup, this will be Sam Gagner’s first game against his former team. Gagner was drafted by Edmonton sixth overall in the 2007 draft and spent 7 years with the club. He never seemed to reach his potential in Edmonton, only hitting 49 points once and never hitting the 20 goal mark.
This is an important game for the Coyotes. It’s a division rival that is not playing good hockey at all. It may only be the third game of the year, but every point they can get their hands on is important, especially given the tough division and conference that they are in.