Utah solidified their goaltending depth on Wednesday as they signed goaltender Matt Villalta to a two-year, two-way contract extension. The 25-year-old spent the majority of his 2023-24 with Tucson (AHL) but made his NHL debut for two games with Arizona, going 0-1-0 with a 4.17 GAA and .828 SV%.
Sergachev has been out since February 7th due to a lower-body injury and has unfortunately been ruled out for the remainder of the first round. The 25-year-old appeared in only 34 games this season and had two goals, 19 points, 53 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -16 plus/minus.
Sergachev was initially ruled out for all of Round 1, but participating in full on Saturday suggests that he's getting close to returning to the Lightning lineup. At this point, consider him questionable to play in Game 1 on Sunday.
Yamamoto will sit out the Kraken's regular season finale on Thursday in order to make way for the return of Eeli Tolvanen (undisclosed). Yamamoto finishes his 2023-24 season with eight goals and eight assists in 59 games.
Noah Juulsen will draw into the lineup for the Canucks on Thursday, allowing Cole to have the night off in their final game before the playoffs. Cole ends the 2023-24 campaign with 11 points (2G / 9A) and 166 blocks in 78 games.
Arizona will go against their usual goaltending patterns on Wednesday as they are going back to Connor Ingram for a second-straight start for their final game of the season vs. Edmonton. The 27-year-old has appeared in a career-high 47 games this season and has a solid 22-21-3 record, 2.93 GAA, .906 SV% and league-leading six shutouts. He'll host the Edmonton Oilers for the final game at Mullett Arena and in Arizona before the Franchise departs for Salt Lake City.
The Coyotes will continue their goalie rotation and turn to Vejmelka in the crease on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers. The Coyotes have won three of their last four (3-1-0), but Vejmelka has allowed four or more goals in his last three starts (1-2-0), including five on 25 shots (.800 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-0 blowout loss to the Seattle Kraken. Arizona enters action a +251 road underdog.
The Coyotes will likely continue their goalie rotation and turn to Vejmelka in the crease on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers. The Coyotes have won three of their last four (3-1-0), but Vejmelka has allowed four or more goals in his last three starts (1-2-0), including five on 25 shots (.800 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-0 blowout loss to the Seattle Kraken. Arizona enters action a +251 road underdog.
Sebastian Aho will draw back into the lineup on Thursday, making Bortuzzo a healthy scratch. The 35-year-old Bortuzzo has zero points in 24 games this season.
After a 5-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken last night with Karel Vejmelka between the pipes, the Coyotes will turn to Ingram on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. Ingram has allowed two goals in his last two starts (1-1-0), including saving 25 of 27 (.926 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. The Coyotes enter action as +231 road underdogs.
Szuber was Arizona's 2022 sixth-round pick (163rd overall) and made his NHL debut on Tuesday in Seattle after it was announced Travis Dermott would be out for the remainder of the season. The 21-year-old German defenseman excelled in his first season with Tucson before his call-up, with six goals, 24 points, 48 PIMs and a +11 plus/minus through 67 games played.
After a 5-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken last night with Karel Vejmelka between the pipes, the Coyotes will likely turn to Ingram on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. Ingram has allowed two goals in his last two starts (1-1-0), including saving 25 of 27 (.926 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. The Coyotes enter action as +231 road underdogs.
Szuber was Arizona's 2022 sixth-round pick (163rd overall) and will make his NHL debut on Tuesday in Seattle after it was announced Travis Dermott would be out for the remainder of the season. The 21-year-old German defenseman excelled in his first season with Tucson before his call-up, with six goals, 24 points, 48 PIMs and a +11 plus/minus through 67 games played.
Bjustad will miss his first game of the season on Tuesday in Seattle due to an undisclosed injury and is expected to be out a bit longer than day-to-day. The 31-year-old is having his best statistical season since 2017-18 with his career-high 22 goals, 45 points, 165 SOG, 59 PIMs and +11 plus/minus in 76 games this season.
The Coyotes have won two straight and will turn back to Vejmelka on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken. Vejmelka has allowed four or more goals in two straight but was victorious in his most recent outing, saving 20 of 24 shots (.833 SV%) in a 7-4 win against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Coyotes enter action as +122 road underdogs.
