The Phoenix Coyotes will look for their first win in their last five games, having dropped four in a row. Their most recent loss was a 3-2 heartbreaker against the the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, in which Dallas scored in the final five seconds.
Thursday night's tilt pits the Yotes against their division rival, the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings last played on on Monday, when they allowed seven goals to the Detroit Red Wings. Former Edmonton Oiler Dustin Penner is expected to make his Kings debut for LA.
The key for Phoenix will be their penalty kill. It's been a major source of letdown recently, allowing nine goals during this four-game skid.
Ilya Bryzgalov will be between the pipes on Thursday, as usual. The Russian goaltender is 3-1 against LA this season, but has given up 11 goals in his last three starts.
After losing on Tuesday and not playing on Wednesday, they Coyotes find themselves in fifth place in the Western Conference, despite being even in points with the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago holds the tiebreaker over Phoenix, though, but the Yotes can sneak back into fourth with a win, since the Hawks are idle on Thursday.
Puck drops at 8:30, Phoenix time, and you can follow along with our crew over at Five for Howling for all your Coyotes in-game updates.