Tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Phoenix Coyotes (13-4-2, 28 points) and the Chicago Blackhawks (12-2-4, 28 points) faceoff live from the United Center in Chicago in the first of three meetings this season. The game can be live streamed here. Phoenix fans can hear all of the hard-hitting action by adjusting their radios to Arizona Sports 620 KTAR AM while Chicago fans can do the same on 720 WGN Radio.
Chicago enters play having won six of their last seven games while Phoenix has played its way into being up there as one of the Western Conference's elite teams as the Coyotes have had a knack for knocking out some heavyweights in the conference thus far this season.
The Blackhawks haven't lost in regulation since Oct. 26 and their latest win came against the Edmonton Oilers by a 5-4 margin. The team has had three days of rest, and despite winning in their last game, the team was still concerned with giving up four goals.
"The first couple weeks, or month, we were winning 3-2 or 2-1, and now it's kind of like the opposite," forward Bryan Bickell said after last game per NHL.com. "It's nice to get the offense, but I know it's not always going to be like that. We need to play defense first and keep the puck out of our net, and I think the offense will come."
The Coyotes won their seventh game in their last eight with a 3-2 overtime victory against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday and the team has been firing on all cylinders on the back of goaltender Mike Smith.
"We didn't have enough players competing at the speed and level we needed to, but give our goalie credit; he played very well," coach Dave Tippett said afterward per NHL.com. "We had a few players who really jumped in and we found a way to get two points."
Smith is an astounding 11-3-2 with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. For the Blackhawks, Corey Crawford is a dazzling 11-2-3 with a 2.22 GAA and a .917 save percentage while starting 16 of the team's 19 games.
The Blackhawks have been led offensively by Patrick Kane who leads the team in goals (10) and points (17) while notching seven assists while captain Jonathan Toews (nine goals, seven assists) and Patrick Sharp (four tallies, 12 helpers) each have 16 points.
The Coyotes, meanwhile, have been led by defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has 15 points while lighting the lamp four times and contributing 11 assists as Martin Hanzal (five goals, nine assists) and Keith Yandle (one tally, team-high 13 helpers) each have 14 points.
Two Western Conference powerhouses go at it when the puck drops on the Coyotes and the Blackhawks at the United Center in Chicago tonight.
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