Arizona @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 26, 2019 ) Florida 3, Arizona 4

The Arizona Coyotes answered a sizzling 10-2-0 stretch by dropping back-to-back contests, including the opener of a four-game road trip in the Sunshine State. The Coyotes look to regain their winning ways and strengthen their tenuous hold on the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference when they visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

Clayton Keller got Arizona off on the right foot by scoring 5:03 into the first period on Monday, but Presidents' Trophy-winning Tampa Bay responded quickly and eventually skated away with a 4-1 decision. "It's tough. We played a hard game. We had our chances," the 20-year-old Keller said. "It (stinks) to see that one slip away, but it's on to the next game now. This is a big road trip for us." Florida's recent four-game trek started off on a promising note with victories over San Jose and Los Angeles before dropping decisions to Anaheim and Dallas to diminish the Panthers' already slim postseason aspirations. "You never want to give up," forward Jonathan Huberdeau said of his team that resides eight points out of the final wild-card spot. "... But we have to play for pride and for each other. It's disappointing, but we have to play hard until the end."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, FS Florida

ABOUT THE COYOTES (36-31-6): Coach Rick Tocchet sees many favorable traits in Vinnie Hinostroza while his lone public criticism has been that he wants to see the 24-year-old shoot a bit more. Hinostroza has responded with registering a hat trick in Arizona's 6-1 triumph over Anaheim after pumping eight shots on goal last Thursday while sending four shots on net in each of his last two outings. "I've been playing him more the last five weeks than I did in the beginning of the year and he's earned it," Tocchet said of Hinostroza, who has set career highs in goals (15), assists (19) and points (34). "There's offense to his game and, like I said, he can shoot the puck and we want him to shoot more."

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (32-29-12): Captain Aleksander Barkov, who scored in Florida's 4-3 shootout loss to Arizona on Feb. 26 and leads the team with 85 points, tallied twice in Tuesday's 4-2 setback to the Stars to extend his point streak to seven games (four goals, 13 assists). Huberdeau set up Barkov's first-period goal against Dallas for his club-high 56th assist and has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in seven contests. Mike Hoffman, who scored in the previous encounter with the Coyotes, has just three of his team-leading 33 goals this month.

OVERTIME

1. Florida G Sam Montembeault has surrendered three goals in each of his last three starts (1-2-0) after permitting a total of five in his previous three (3-0-0).

2. Ten of Hinostroza's 15 goals have come on the road this season.

3. Panthers RW Evgenii Dadonov has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in his last seven games after being held off the scoresheet in each of the previous five.

PREDICTION: Coyotes 4, Panthers 3