Utah Hockey Club News

Ingram will return to the crease for the Coyotes on Thursday as their equal distribution goalie rotation is back in full effect. In his last outing, Ingram saved all 28 shots he faced for a 2-0 shutout victory over the Anaheim Ducks, his second shutout in four outings. Ingram and the Coyotes will be facing a tougher foe on Thursday when they welcome the New York Islanders, who have points in five of their last seven games (3-2-2). In his last 12 games (7-4-0), Ingram has four shutouts and a dazzling .928 SV%.

Bortuzzo drew back into the Islanders lineup on Tuesday but played only 8:10 time-on-ice and exited the game with a lower-body injury. Bortuzzo had difficulty leaving the ice and will be out of action for at least one week as he was placed on injured reserve.

Walker will make his first appearance since October 21st in place of the injured Marcus Foligno (lower-body). Walker is yet to register a point across two games with the Wild this season.

Sergachev remains day-to-day and is expected to return shortly but will miss a sixth straight game on Saturday. Sergachev has 19 points (2G / 17A) in 33 games and has been replaced by Darren Raddysh on the second powerplay unit.

Bortuzzo will draw back into the lineup for the Islanders as Sebastian Aho will not be in the lineup. Before not playing on Sunday, Bortuzzo played in 10 games straight, scoring zero points while averaging 15:32 time-on-ice.

The Coyotes have returned to evenly rotating their goalies as Vejmelka will return to the crease on Tuesday and start for the fourth time in their last eight games. Vejmelka's increase in playing time has been a direct result of his elevated play, saving 93 of the last 99 shots he has faced (.939 SV%) over his last four games (4-0-0). The Coyotes are +145 home underdogs against a Florida Panthers team that has won four straight, outscoring their opposition 15-9.

Sergachev remains day-to-day and is expected to return shortly but will miss a fourth straight game on Saturday. Haydn Fleury will likely remain in the Lightning lineup Saturday and Darren Raddysh will continue to operate the Lightning No.2 PP unit.

Karel Vejmelka was between the pipes for the Coyotes on Wednesday in their 5-4 overtime win over the Avalanche, but the team will shift back to their early-season strategy of alternating starts and turn to Ingram on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. Ingram has lost the magic he had in late November, dropping four of his last five games (1-4-0), posting a subpar .873 SV%. That said, Ingram and the Coyotes will have a favourable matchup against a Ducks team that ranks fourth worst in the league offensively (2.65 GF / GP) despite defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 in their last game.

Maatta is expected to draw back into the lineup after a two-game absence due to an upper-body injury. The veteran defenseman skated alongside Shayne Gostisbehere at practice on Thursday and has six points (1G / 5A), 16 hits, and 29 blocks through 27 games this season.

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.