{coyotes} Dubnyk back in net as Wild seek win against Coyotes

Monday 25 January 2016

{coyotes} Dubnyk back in net as Wild seek win against Coyotes

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COYOTES (23-19-5) at WILD (23-17-8)

TV: FS-A, FS-N+, FS-WI

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Goaltender Devan Dubnyk will make his first start in three games for the Minnesota Wild when they face the Arizona Coyotes on Monday at Xcel Energy Center.

Dubnyk backed up Darcy Kuemper in each of the past two games after losing four straight decisions. Dubnyk only gave up eight goals in the span and had a .919 save percentage.

The Wild have lost four straight games on home ice and won't play here again until Feb. 9. Minnesota has lost six of its past seven games overall.

"There's a lot [of value to this game]," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "The way things have gone lately, we can try and point to some positives with a good result tonight. Or certainly, it could steer back towards the negatives."

Dubnyk will be opposed by goalie Louis Domingue of the Coyotes.

Each team was forced to adjust its game-day routines as the arena continues to take shape after the 2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships concluded here Sunday. The event, which spanned nine days, has required almost a full makeover of the ice sheet.

Neither the Wild nor Coyotes held a morning skate. Selected players from each team changed at the arena then took a 10-minute bus ride to an arena off site. Arizona had four players take part while Minnesota sent about a third of its roster.

Boisterous games of hallway soccer were popular among players left behind.

"Isn't this how all morning skates should be?" Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said with a grin. "I think we've done better without morning skates, so I don't mind it."

The extra rest might do the Coyotes some good. Arizona begins a difficult set of back-to-back games on the road before the All-Star break. After the game Monday, the Coyotes will travel to Manitoba for a game against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre on Tuesday.

Minnesota is playing its final game before the break and first at home since Jan. 15, when the Wild concluded a three-game homestand with a 1-0 loss to the Jets.

Here are the projected lineups:

COYOTES

Max Domi - Antoine Vermette - Mikkel Boedker

Tobias Rieder - Martin Hanzal - Viktor Tikhonov

Jordan Martinook - Brad Richardson - Shane Doan

Kyle Chipchura - Boyd Gordon - Anthony Duclair

Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Connor Murphy

Klas Dahlbeck - Zbynek Michalek

Nicklas Grossmann - Michael Stone

Louis Domingue

Anders Lindback

Injured: Mike Smith (abdominal surgery), Joe Vitale (fractured orbital bone)

Scratched: Kevin Connauton, Christian Thomas, Jarred Tinordi

WILD

Zach Parise - Mikael Granlund - Jason Pominville

Nino Niederreiter - Mikko Koivu - Charlie Coyle

Thomas Vanek - Jarret Stoll - Jason Zucker

Chris Porter - Erik Haula - Jordan Schroeder

Ryan Suter - Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin - Matt Dumba

Marco Scandella - Nate Prosser

Devan Dubnyk

Darcy Kuemper

Injured: Ryan Carter (hand)

Scratched: Justin Fontaine, Tyson Strachan, Niklas Backstrom

Status report: Grossmann could be back in the lineup after missing the game against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday because of an illness. … Carter, who will miss his sixth game, is expected to be ready to rejoin the lineup after the All-Star break.

Who's hot: Despite a 1-2-0 record, Domingue has allowed two goals or fewer in each of the past three games. … Coyle has a goal in each of the past two games and his 12 goals this season have already tied a career-high.

Team Stats