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Coyotes hope to start 2017 on winning note vs. Canucks
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Arizona Coyotes have not won a hockey game since Dec. 15 -- a stretch of 20 days and seven losses.
If ever a team could stand to turn the page, it's the Coyotes. And that's what they'll attempt to do as they play their first game of 2017 on Wednesday night against the Canucks in Vancouver. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Arizona and FOX Sports GO, starting at 8 p.m.
The Coyotes have had three days to regroup from their last game -- a 4-2 loss at Calgary in which the Flames scored all four of their goals midway through the first period.
Starting goaltender Mike Smith got the night off in that one and should be back in net tonight.
"You have to stay positive, otherwise it would get even worse," said forward Radim Vrbata, who leads the team with nine goals and 24 points. "We know the situation, and we know how we got here, but there's still lots of games to play and we just have to stay positive and stay focused and improve. We need to start with one win, but we need to get that win as soon as possible."
The Coyotes (11-21-5) will be without forward Ryan White for a fifth consecutive game with a lower body injury. White has been moved to the injured reserve list, joining wing Max Domi (broken hand) and center Brad Richardson (broken leg).
Domi, who remains the team's third-leading scorer despite missing 11 games, has begun skating and is likely to return later this month.
Richardson, injured Nov. 17 in Vancouver, is out indefinitely, and his absence has had a domino effect on the offense. Coach Dave Tippett has experimented with a number of combinations to overcome a weakness at center ice, including a shift of Jordan Martinook over from wing.
"The center position, with Richardson's injury, has been sort of a sore spot," Tippett said. "Martinook has played very well there, but I'd like to get him back to the wing if we could. I think that's where he has the most impact on the game."
The Coyotes made another move to shore up the center position on Monday, claiming Alexander Burmistrov on waivers from Winnipeg. It's the third time they've reached outside the organization for center-ice assistance, following a claim of Josh Jooris from the Rangers and a trade for Peter Holland from Toronto.
Burmistrov, who had no goals and two assists in 23 games for the Jets, is not expected to be active for the Vancouver game. He was the eighth overall pick in the 2010 draft but had fallen out of favor in Winnipeg.
"I think any time you get a player that's that highly sought after and drafted, it's interesting to see the first change of scenery what occurs," general manager John Chayka told ArizonaCoyotes.com. "We're the first change, so we'll see what comes from that. The consensus is he's a good kid, works hard, really wants to make it work in North America and in the NHL. He's looking for a fresh start, looking for an opportunity. For whatever reason, it didn't work out in Winnipeg. They've got a lot of good young forwards that kind of passed him by."
Said Tippett: "There is some skill there. It's just a matter of translating it to on-ice success … I like to look at it as a clean slate coming in. If you dissect things from his old team you get an idea, but you've got to come in and put him in a role here. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't."
Vancouver (18-18-3) has won four in a row coming into Wednesday's game.
"The Christmas break was huge for us to get refocused and ready to go and get guys back in the lineup," said center Bo Horvat, who leads the Canucks with 11 goals and is tied with Henrik Sedin for the team lead in points with 26. "Having (defenseman Alex) Edler back on the back end is huge for us. I think having that little break gave us some time to think and some confidence going into these last four games."
