{coyotes} COYOTES (11-17-4) at CANUCKS (19-11-2)

Sunday 21 December 2014

{coyotes} COYOTES (11-17-4) at CANUCKS (19-11-2)

It's a Wonderful Life / The Polar Express

Monday, December 22, 2014

10:00 PM ET

COYOTES (11-17-4) at CANUCKS (19-11-2)

TV: FS-A, SNP

Season series: Martin Hanzal scored a hat trick, capping it off with two goals in a nine-second span, in the first game this season between the Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks, a 5-0 Arizona win. The Canucks haven't defeated the Coyotes in regulation since April 8, 2013, going 2-3-1 in six games.

Coyotes team scope: The tough times continued for Arizona on Saturday in a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. "You need to stay out of the box, and we didn't do it," Hanzal said. "My first shift [of the third period] and I took a dumb, stupid penalty and they scored. That was the turning point." The Coyotes had won their most-recent game prior to Saturday in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers, but overall Arizona has one regulation win in its past 14 games, going 3-8-3 in that span. The Coyotes have the second-fewest points in the Western Conference.

Canucks team scope: Vancouver snapped a five-game losing streak Saturday with a 3-2 overtime win against the Calgary Flames, but the Canucks endured a frightening moment when forward Jannik Hansen briefly collapsed on the bench. Hansen spent the night in a hospital and did not skate Sunday as a precaution, but coach Willie Desjardins said the forward should be available against Arizona. "He just took a real hard hit and he was having trouble getting his breath and it wasn't more than that," Desjardins said Sunday. "I think Jannik is good to go [Monday]." Forward Zack Kassian, who hasn't played since Nov. 25 because of a finger injury, practiced Sunday, but is not fully recovered. The Canucks are currently tied with the Kings for third place in the Pacific Division.

Team Stats