{coyotes} Status of Rask uncertain as Bruins host Coyotes

Saturday 28 February 2015

{coyotes} Status of Rask uncertain as Bruins host Coyotes

ESPN Fantasy Baseball / Yahoo Fantasy Baseball

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins proved they could win without goaltender Tuukka Rask on Friday.

Now they'll try to build on their 3-2 victory against the New Jersey Devils, with or without their star goaltender.

Rask, who had played 18 straight games, was ill and did not dress against the Devils. Goaltender Niklas Svedberg started Friday for the first time since Feb. 10 and made 29 saves in the overtime victory. The Bruins, who have now won two out of three after going winless for six (0-4-2), did not hold a morning skate Saturday in advance of their 5:30 p.m. game against the Arizona Coyotes. Coach Claude Julien will speak about an hour prior to the game.

Goaltender Jeremy Smith, who was recalled on emergency basis from Providence of the American Hockey League and backed up Svedberg against the Devils, was returned to the minors Saturday. But he could be easily recalled if necessary.

The Coyotes, who also did not have a morning skate, will complete a four-game road trip against the Bruins. So far Arizona is 0-3-0 and it has lost eight in a row overall. The Coyotes' winless streak is the longest since they went 15 games without a victory (four ties) in 2003-04.

Goaltender Mike Smith says the Coyotes have made life difficult for themselves most nights.

"We continue to shoot ourselves in the foot," Smith told the Coyotes website after a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday. "We constantly turned pucks over. Against good teams, you're going to get it jammed right back down your throat."

Here are the projected lineups:

COYOTES

Lucas Lessio – Antoine Vermette – Shane Doan

Tobias Rieder – Kyle Chipchura – Sam Gagner

Martin Erat – Mark Arcobello – David Moss

Lauri Korpikoski – Joe Vitale – Henrik Samuelsson

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Michael Stone

Keith Yandle – Andrew Campbell

Brandon Gormley – Connor Murphy

Mike Smith

Louis Domingue

Scratched: B.J. Crombeen, Dylan Reese