With the Phoenix Coyotes looking more and more like they have a playoff spot all sewn up, they'll try to continue towards a potential No. 3 seed when they host the reeling Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. After holding that three spot for most of the year, the Stars have fallen out of contention completely, having lost their last trio of games.
While both teams have had their injury problems over the last few weeks, the absence of certain Coyotes was particularly noticeable in the 4-1 loss to San Jose on Saturday.
The good news is that Ed Jovanovski and Vernon Fiddler both skated in Tuesday's morning skate, but neither is expected to play against Dallas. Martin Hanzal and Lauri Korpikoski both missed practice with their respective injuries.
Ilya Bryzgalov is expected to be between the pipes for Phoenix, coming off one of his more disappointing performances of the season. While his defense didn't do him any favors, Bryz struggled in giving up too many rebounds in the 4-1 loss.
Everyone remembers the last time these two squads met, with the Coyotes mounting a comeback, scoring with just a about a minute left, before Jamie Benn scored with less than five seconds in the game for the win for Dallas.
This is the final of six meetings between the two sides this season, with the Coyotes posting a 3-2 record against their Pacific Division rivals.
Puck drops at 7 P.M., local time. The game is slated to be shown on FOXSports Arizona, and you can follow along with our own Five For Howling throughout Phoenix's crucial division tilt.