J.J. Moser will not play on Wednesday due to an upper-body injury, allowing Valimaki to re-enter the lineup. Valimaki last played on December 19th, recording two penalty minutes, two shots, and one hit in 20:56 time-on-ice.
Vejmelka will start for the third time in the last five games and look to improve on his best run of play this season when he takes the crease on Wednesday. Over his last three appearances (3-0-0), Vejmelka has saved 73 of 75 shots (.973 SV%) and has demanded action with his solid play after seemingly losing the starting gig to Connor Ingram earlier this month. The Coyotes are +149 home underdogs on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche, who has won two straight, including a 4-1 win over the Coyotes on Saturday.
Sergachev remains day-to-day and is expected to play shortly after the Christmas break. Haydn Fleury will remain in the Lightning lineup Saturday in Washington and Darren Raddysh will continue to operate the Lightning No.2 PP unit.
Valimaki was second among Coyotes' defensemen in TOI last game with 20:56 but will be a healthy scratch Thursday vs. San Jose as Sean Durzi returns from a three-game absence. The 25-year-old Valimaki has yet to score this season but has six assists, 17 SOG, six PIMs and a +2 plus/minus in 25 games played.
Durzi will return to the Coyotes lineup after missing five straight and six of the last seven games recovering from a lingering lower-body injury. After a strong start to the season, scoring 12 points (5G / 7A) in 16 games, Durzi has only scored one point (0G / 1A) in his last nine.
Vejmelka entered the crease in relief of Connor Ingram on Tuesday and saved all 16 shots he faced en route to an eventual 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Vejmelka has saved 44 consecutive shots across his last two appearances (2-0-0) and will return to the crease for the Coyotes on Thursday in San Jose. The Coyotes have won three straight, outscoring their opposition 7-3 and are -146 home favourites against the Sharks, who have only scored three goals over their last three games (0-3-0), including being shut out 1-0 by the Coyotes less than a week ago.
Sergachev exited Tuesday's 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues in the first period after playing only 4:31 time-on-ice with a lower-body injury. He was seen at the practice facility working on his stick handling but did not participate in on-ice drills as he avoided putting weight on his left foot. That said, the worst seems to have been avoided and he will only miss 1-2 games. Sergachev has taken a decreased role this year after a career-best 2022-23 campaign where he scored 64 points (10G / 54A) in 79 games, but still has 19 points (2G / 17A) and ranks second amongst all players, averaging 22:59 time-on-ice through 33 games this season.
Sergachev exited Tuesday's 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues in the first period after playing only 4:31 time-on-ice with a lower-body injury. He was seen at the practice facility working on his stick handling but did not participate in on-ice drills as he avoided putting weight on his left foot. Sergachev has taken a decreased role this year after a career-best 2022-23 campaign where he scored 64 points (10G / 54A) in 79 games, but will still be a major loss for Tampa Bay if he is out of the lineup for a significant period. The 25-year-old defenseman has 19 points (2G / 17A) and ranks second amongst all players, averaging 22:59 time-on-ice through 33 games this season.
After playing in each of Detroit's last five games, Maatta will take a seat on Monday in favour of Justin Holl. Maatta has no goals and five assists in 25 games with the Red Wings this season.
After two poor outings, Ingram has sported consecutive strong starts and will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. In his last two games (1-1-0), Ingram has saved 60 of 63 shots (.952 SV%), including his league-leading third shutout of this season. The Coyotes have a favourable matchup on Tuesday against a Senators team searching for their first win in four games and is playing their first game after firing head coach D.J. Smith.
Kelemen will be the odd-man out on Friday with Jack McBain (lower-body) set to make his return following a 15-game absence. Kelemen has no goals and one assist in ten games with the Coyotes this season.
Durzi played on Saturday after sitting out the Coyotes' previous contest due to a lower-body injury but was unable to play on Monday and Tuesday and will likely be unavailable for a third straight game on Tuesday as he continues to recover from a lingering lower-body injury. After a strong start to the season, scoring 12 points (5G / 7A) in 16 games, Durzi has only scored one point (0G / 1A) in his last nine.
Schmaltz played 21:23 in the Coyotes' last game on Tuesday but suffered an undisclosed injury that originally had him as a game-time decision on Friday but will be in the lineup without a worry. Schmaltz has been held without a point in four straight games, his worst skid this season.
Vejmelka will play the back end of a back-to-back for the Coyotes on Saturday when they face off against the Buffalo Sabres. Vejmelka has played only once since November 25th, a matchup also against the Sabres, when he allowed four goals on 37 shots (.892 SV%) in a 5-2 loss earlier this week. The Czech netminder is now winless in his last nine appearances, dating back to a 2-1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks on October 21st, which also marks the last time he has allowed less than two goals in a game.
Ingram has started eight of the last nine games for the Coyotes and will start again on Friday against the San Jose Sharks. The Coyotes have lost four straight but are sizeable -184 home favourites against a Sharks team that has won three of their last four games (3-1-0). After an otherworldly stretch in late November, Ingram has allowed 12 goals on 96 shots (.878 SV%) during his current three-game skid. That said, he was terrific in a losing effort on Tuesday, saving 40 of 43 shots (.930 SV%) in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
McBain has missed 16 straight games due to a lower-body injury dating back to November 9th but is expected to make his return to the Coyotes lineup on Friday. In 13 games this season, McBain had seven points (4G / 3A) while averaging 12:13 time-on-ice.
Durzi played on Saturday after sitting out the Coyotes' previous contest due to a lower-body injury but was unable to play on Monday and Tuesday and will likely be unavailable for a third straight game on Tuesday as he continues to recover from a lingering lower-body injury. After a strong start to the season, scoring 12 points (5G / 7A) in 16 games, Durzi has only scored one point (0G / 1A) in his last nine.
