If you’re not into the Edmonton Oilers or the Phoenix Coyotes you might be left feeling a bit disappointed in tonight’s schedule. There’s just one game in town and it’s in Glendale, Arizona. Not to be a jerk here, but we’ve got a feeling that tickets will still be available.
9:00 pm ET
Edmonton @ Phoenix
The Coyotes are on a roll and they’re looking to win their seventh straight game. They’ll have to deal with the Oilers and suddenly hot goalie Devan Dubnyk. These two just met up on Friday night in Edmonton with the Coyotes earning 4-3 win in the shootout. That game saw the Oilers get ahead 3-0 only to see Phoenix storm back in the second and get a late goal in the third to tie it up. Ray Whitney did the heavy lifting that night and his improved play of late has helped to awaken the Coyotes offense. Ilya Bryzgalov, on the other hand, has been eye-poppingly good of late.
The key for the Coyotes will be to make sure the game doesn’t go to overtime or the shootout. Phoenix’s win on Friday over the Oilers was their only OT/SO win in six tries this year. If you think missing out on those extra points won’t hurt down the road, think again. With the standings as tight as they are, every point matters. Getting those charity points by making it to overtime will help.