The Arizona Coyotes will test out Devan Dubnyk once more against the Los Angeles Kings
Welcome to the Age of Dubnyk, Coyotes fans.
For the third straight game, the Arizona Coyotes are trusting Devan Dubnyk to hold things down and bring home a win, as the team heads to the Staples Center looking to take home at least a point and pull ahead in the standings.
The Coyotes had a less than pleasant rematch against the reigning Stanley Cup champs just a few weeks ago, falling in a 4-0 shutout led by Kings captain Dustin Brown — who scored twice on Mike Smith alone to set the tone for an absolute beatdown at the hands of the visiting franchise. Both Doobs and Mike Smith made appearances in the last game, but things seem to be turning around for the desert dogs; hopefully, this afternoon will be proof of that.
Details for Saturday afternoon’s game:
DATE: Saturday, December 20th
TIME: 1:00 P.M. (PST)
LOCATION: Los Angeles, California
ARENA: Staples Center
TV INFO: Fox Sports Arizona, FSW
Projected Line Combinations:
Forwards:
Mikkel Boedker – Antoine Vermette – Shane Doan
Tobias Rieder – Alexandre Bolduc – Sam Gagner
Martin Erat – Kyle Chipchura – David Moss
Brandon McMillan – Joe Vitale – B.J. Crombeen
Doubtful due to injury: Lauri Korpikoski, Martin Hanzal on personal leave
Defense:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Zbynek Michalek
Keith Yandle – David Schlemko
Chris Summers – Connor Murphy
Doubtful due to injury: Michael Stone
Goal: Devan Dubnyk
Top Storylines:
Battle of the Captains: Both Shane Doan and Dustin Brown know that they’re being held to some pretty high standards tonight. The Kings are deep in the throes of a comeback dynasty, but Doan may want the win more. Each of these men are known for their lethal play against the other team, so count on these two to lead the charge for their respective rosters. Expect to see some tempers flare out of these two, as well — if anyone has a tendency to get fired up during a game, it’s Shane Doan and Dustin Brown.
Rink Royalty
Goalie Controversy: They say that it’s not a goalie controversy until the backup has started in two consecutive games without an injury to the starter — and Devan Dubnyk is on his third straight start. He might have been rattled during the team’s 4-0 shutout by the Kings back on December 4th (in which he posted a .957 with a single goal against on 23 shots), but he has by far the more impressive record for the team in net — on the season, Dubnyk has a 6-2-2 record. Mike Smith is still only 5-14-2 for the season, and is the only goalie with over 20 games played on the season without a shutout. With Tuesday’s win, Dubnyk surpassed Smith in wins — a good showing today could mean the end of the Mike Smith era in Arizona.
Young, Fast, and Ready To Play: The Los Angeles Kings may have the Seventies Line, but the Arizona Coyotes are developing some youth power of their own — Tobias Rieder is leading the charge on offense this season, while Connor Murphy is re-joining the lineup this afternoon with his size and increasingly powerful defensive play. The Coyotes are also giving centerman Alexandre Bolduc the chance to take faceoffs on a second line with Rieder and Sam Gagner, which could go well if he’s finally found his strong play. This former 4th round pick has never really hit his stride in the NHL, but posts some seriously impressive numbers season after season in the AHL. Keep an eye out to see if he can elevate the Coyotes in the possible absence of Martin Hanzal, who has been on personal leave to be with his wife and their newborn daughter Natalia.
Doggie Treat:
While the Coyotes face off against the Kings, don’t forget to swing by Twitter and congratulate Coyotes prospect Max Domi for being named to the top line of Team Canada’s World Juniors final roster. He’ll be skating out on a projected line with Sam Reinhart of the Buffalo Sabres and Anthony Duclair of the New York Rangers — big things ahead for the Coyotes with Max on board.
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