Vegas @ Arizona preview
Gila River Arena
Last Meeting ( Nov 21, 2018 ) Vegas 3, Arizona 2
The Vegas Golden Knights needed overtime to pull out a victory in their first visit to Gila River Arena this season but hope for an easier time when they face the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday. Vegas, which edged Arizona 3-2 on Nov. 21 thanks to Max Pacioretty's second goal of the contest, is also looking to extend its point streak to six games after posting a 4-1 triumph at Los Angeles on Saturday.
Alex Tuch and Paul Stastny each recorded a goal and an assist against the Kings as the Golden Knights improved to 6-1-3 since losing in Los Angeles on Dec. 8. William Karlsson, who enjoyed a breakout season with Vegas in 2017-18 by registering 43 goals, also scored Saturday - giving him 15 tallies this campaign and six in his last 10 games. Arizona is seeking its fourth win in five contests after edging Anaheim 5-4 in overtime Saturday on the road. Nick Schmaltz set up Jakob Chychrun's game-tying goal and scored the winner 33 seconds into the extra session, giving him 14 points (five goals) in 16 contests since being acquired from Chicago on Nov. 25.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, TVA, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Vegas), FS Arizona
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (22-15-4): Vegas added a young left wing Saturday as it claimed the 23-year-old Valentin Zykov off waivers from Edmonton. A native of Russia who was a second-round pick of Los Angeles in the 2013 draft, Zykov - who recorded three goals and four assists in 10 games with Carolina last season - set up three tallies in 13 contests for the Hurricanes this campaign but failed to notch a point in five games with the Oilers after being plucked off waivers Nov. 30. Stastny has registered three two-point performances and collected seven points overall in eight games after missing 30 contests with a lower-body injury.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (17-19-2): While leading goal scorer Brad Richardson (10) sat out his second straight game with the flu, Vinnie Hinostroza returned to the lineup Saturday after missing 10 contests with a lower-body injury and registered a plus-1 rating in 13 minutes, 21 seconds of ice time. The 24-year-old center has recorded four goals and eight assists in 27 games during his first season with Arizona after being obtained from the Blackhawks in a seven-player trade over the summer. Captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson notched a goal and an assist Saturday to give him 311 career points, tying Keith Yandle for most by a defenseman in Coyotes history.
OVERTIME
1. Six of Tuch's 13 goals this season have been game-winners.
2. Arizona assigned LW Michael Bunting, who recorded a goal in four games with the club, to Tucson of the American Hockey League.
3. Vegas placed D Colin Miller on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
PREDICTION: Golden Knights 3, Coyotes 2