COYOTES (5-9-1) at CANUCKS (6-10-1)
10 p.m. ET; SNV, FS-A, NHL.TV
Coyotes team scope
The Arizona Coyotes will make several changes on defense when they attempt to end a three-game losing streak. They are playing for a second straight night, and coach Dave Tippett said after a 2-1 overtime loss against the Calgary Flames that defensemen Connor Murphy and Jakob Chychrun, who each was a healthy scratch, would be back in the lineup against the Vancouver Canucks. Arizona did not have a morning skate, but Kevin Connauton and Luke Schenn, who each was scratched recently, are likely candidates to play. Goalie Mike Smith returned against the Flames after missing 12 games with a knee injury and made 22 saves, but backup Louis Domingue is expected to start. Domingue is 4-8-0 with an .899 save percentage this season but has a .922 save percentage in four career games against the Canucks. Top-line center Martin Hanzal also returned against Calgary after missing five games with a lower-body injury. The Coyotes have scored two goals or fewer in four of their past five games. "We're turning the puck over too much and bringing trouble on ourselves, not generating very much, and turnovers are making us play too much in our own end," Tippett said.
Canucks team scope
Backup Jacob Markstrom will get a chance to bounce back quickly from a 7-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday with an unexpected start because Ryan Miller has the flu and won't play. "It's good for him he's getting a chance right away," coach Willie Desjardins said of Markstrom, who made 18 saves on 25 shots against New York. "That's one thing about [Markstrom's] career, when he was in Utica [of the American Hockey League] he seemed to always bounce back with a good game, so it's a chance for him to do that." The Canucks called up Michael Garteig from Alaska of the ECHL to back up Markstrom after practice on Wednesday. "Ryan felt better today, but we didn't know how he'd feel through the night so we already called Garteig up, and he'll back up tonight," Desjardins said. Vancouver, which has two wins in its past 13 games, won't make any other lineup changes but will try to tighten up defensively; the Canucks have given up 27 goals in their past six games. "Our shots-against per game has been pretty good, but the chances we are given up are just too Grade A," Brandon Sutter said. "We have a defensive lapse and don't pick a guy up or leave a guy open, and it's almost a breakaway in front, so we just have to try to clean that up."
Coyotes projected lineup
Max Domi -- Martin Hanzal -- Radim Vrbata
Tobias Rieder -- Jordan Martinook -- Anthony Duclair
Jamie McGinn -- Brad Richardson -- Shane Doan
Lawson Crouse -- Laurent Dauphin -- Ryan White
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Michael Stone
Alex Goligoski -- Anthony DeAngelo
Jakob Chychrun -- Connor Murphy
Louis Domingue
Mike Smith
Scratched: Dylan Strome, Kevin Connauton, Luke Schenn
Injured: None
Canucks projected lineup
Daniel Sedin -- Henrik Sedin -- Brandon Sutter
Loui Eriksson -- Markus Granlund -- Derek Dorsett
Sven Baertschi -- Bo Horvat -- Alexandre Burrows
Brendan Gaunce -- Michael Chaput -- Jack Skille
Alexander Edler -- Troy Stecher
Jacob Markstrom
Michael Garteig
Scratched: Alex Biega
Injured: Philip Larsen (illness), Ryan Miller (flu), Jannik Hansen (fractured rib), Anton Rodin (knee), Jayson Megna (shoulder), Christopher Tanev (lower body)
Status report
Virtanen was sent to Utica on Wednesday after being called up Sunday after two games in the AHL only to be a healthy scratch the next two in Vancouver. ... Desjardins said Larsen, who initially had been listed as a healthy scratch in missing four games, has a virus that could keep him out for a while.
Who's hot
Vrbata, who left the Canucks last summer to return to the Coyotes as a free agent, had his four-game point streak end in Calgary but leads the Coyotes with six goals and is tied for the lead with 11 points. … Daniel Sedin has three goals and three assists during a six-game point streak.
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