Panthers-Coyotes Preview
Jaromir Jagr's steady production of late has him on the brink of passing Gordie Howe on the all-time scoring list. His Florida Panthers haven't proved as consistent since beating the Arizona Coyotes last month.
Jagr will seek his 1,851st point Saturday night while trying to lead the Panthers to another win over the scuffling Coyotes.
Jagr's eighth point in seven games, an assist Thursday in Colorado, moved him into a tie with Howe for third place. The Panthers' 44-year-old leading scorer is third with 743 goals, 58 behind Howe, and can tie Ray Bourque for ninth with 1,612 games Saturday.
"I always said if you want to be a good hockey player, you've got to know the history of hockey," Jagr told his team's official website. "You've got to appreciate those guys who were stars before you came in the league. I had a chance to meet almost everybody in the top 10 (in scoring), and I respect them so much."
The Panthers (36-20-8) lost 3-2 to the Avalanche and fell to 1-2-1 on a five-game trip. That stretch has dropped them into a tie atop the Atlantic Division with Tampa Bay, which has won eight in a row.
They beat the Coyotes 3-2 on Feb. 25 before starting their trip with Aleksander Barkov tallying a pair of goals. Jagr had an assist on his second score.
Florida has lost four of five in Arizona and scored one goal in regulation in each of the past four visits. In this matchup, the Panthers will take on a team that's lost a season-high seven in a row.
The Coyotes (27-31-6) have been outscored 11-1 in the past two losses, falling 5-1 to Anaheim on Thursday in their return from a five-game trip. Niklas Treutle gave up all the goals on 16 shots in his first NHL start and Louis Domingue was forced to make a 12th consecutive appearance.
"I'll take the responsibility. We put a young player in a position where he's not ready for," coach Dave Tippett told the team's official website. "It's obvious he's not ready for it, but Louis has played 11 straight (and) looked tired on the road. That's where we are. We have to give Louis a break."
Arizona's skid is its longest since an eight-gamer last March. The Coyotes also lost 10 in a row last season for their longest slump since relocating from Winnipeg in 1996-97.
It's unclear if the Coyotes will have second-leading scorer Max Domi to help stop the slide. He might get a one-game suspension because of his instigator penalty with less than five minutes to go in a hot-tempered third period Thursday.
Arizona has been outscored 29-12 during the skid even with Domi, one of the league's top rookie scorers with 43 points, on the ice.
Domi didn't register a point in last month's loss, but leading scorer Oliver Ekman-Larsson extended a six-game streak against Florida. He has three goals and three assists in that run.
Jussi Jokinen has two goals and six assists in a seven-game point streak against the Coyotes. He has seven assists in a season high-tying six-game overall run.