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Devan Dubnyk, Tyler Seguin, and the World Juniors: New Year’s Eve Preview

By Catherine Silverman

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Devan Dubnyk gets his Coyotes debut against Dallas; USA plays Canada at WJC

Two very important games today — and the players to watch are Devan Dubnyk and Max Domi.

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    • (That is, if you’re an Arizona Coyotes fan.)

    Over his past three games, Arizona backup netminder Devan Dubnyk has a perfect 3-0-0 record — including a 5-1 decision over the Edmonton Oilers and a shootout victory over the Anaheim Ducks. He now sits on a 9-3-2 record for the season with a respectable 2.49 GAA and a downright impressive .925 SV% — for Coyotes fans, these are numbers you haven’t seen since Spring of 2012.

    Up in Canada, though, Coyotes first-round draft pick Max Domi will face off at the Bell Centre against Arizona native and 2016 draft prospect Auston Matthews — if that’s a game you’re willing to miss, you’re out of your mind. Team USA and Team Canada will battle for first in their talent bracket at the 2015 World Junior Championships; with the opportunity to see Domi continue on his uninterrupted point streak and the chance to catch a glimpse of Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel meeting for the first time, this is the game of the year.

    Luckily for Coyotes fans, the battle between the North and the South will wrap up before you have to tune in to the Coyotes game — because with Tyler Seguin on pace for fifty goals and Brandon Gormley heating up for Arizona, your New Year’s Eve is bound to be an exciting one.

    Details for Wednesday night’s games:

    DATE: Wednesday, December 31st
    TIME: 3:00 P.M. (WJC), 7:00 P.M. (ARI vs. DAL), CST
    LOCATION: Montreal, QC (WJC), Dallas, Texas (ARI vs. DAL)
    ARENA: Bell Centre (WJC), American Airlines Center (ARI vs. DAL)
    TV INFO: NHL Network (WJC), Fox Sports AZ/Fox Sports Southwest (ARI vs. DAL)

    Projected Coyotes Lineup:

    Forwards:
    Mikkel Boedker – Antoine Vermette – Shane Doan
    Martin Erat – Martin Hanzal – Sam Gagner
    Tobias Rieder – Kyle Chipchura – David Moss
    Brandon McMillan – Tyler Gaudet – Lauri Korpikoski
    Joe Vitale out with injury, questionable for game

    Defense:
    Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Zbynek Michalek
    Keith Yandle – Michael Stone
    Connor Murphy – Brandon Gormley
    Chris Summers on IR, David Schlemko likely scratch

    Goal: Devan Dubnyk

    Three Keys to the Game:

    1. Devan Dubnyk

    A goalie controversy is never easy; it’s even tougher when you’ve got six years and $32 million on the line.

    I broke down the financial benefit to playing Dubnyk over Smith for Today’s Slapshot, and Richie Flores gave us some perspective here at Howlin’ Hockey regarding what the team’s goalies will look like long-term — and no matter how you spin it, it looks like playing Dubnyk is the best move for the Coyotes right now.

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    • Hopefully, Smith will eventually improve — but for now, a strong defensive presence in front of Dubnyk (who has never faced the Dallas Stars as a member of the Arizona Coyotes) will go a long way towards boosting overall team morale.

    2. Passion over Talent

    Mikkel Boedker has been the streakiest player Arizona offers this season, but the Stars are no picture of consistency themselves — beyond 25-goal-scorer Tyler Seguin, the Dallas team has boasted little in the way of stand-out play over the second half of 2014.

    Tyler Gaudet is getting the chance to continue playing well in the role of fourth line center while Joe Vitale sits out with an upper-body injury; the Coyotes are coming into this game red-hot and excited as ever. Gormley is back and ready for action, and Connor Murphy has two points against the Stars this season. This passion will need to translate into effort tonight if the Coyotes look to take home a victory.

    The Coyotes are 2-1-1 on New Year’s Eve with Dave Tippett behind the bench, but the Stars are looking for their first season-series sweep of the Coyotes since the Minnesota North Stars swept the Winnipeg Jets during the 1991-1992 season. This game will come down to who wants it more, without a doubt.

    3. Play on strengths

    The Coyotes and the Stars are almost perfect foils of one another; while Arizona boasts an elite blue line, the Stars brag about their offensive talent.

    The Stars can be sloppy on the turnaround, though, and their speed doesn’t translate very well into defensive presence. If the Coyotes take more shots on goal against Dallas — and play the physical game against them we saw in the first matchup between the two franchises this season — the game could easily turn in favor of the team that doesn’t score quite as often in the long run. This is anyone’s game.

    Domi Watch:

    Domi’s line against the USA: Max Domi – Sam Reinhart – Anthony Duclair

    Tournament stats: 5p (2G, 3A), +4, 11SOG (18% SE)

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