Villalta made a brief appearance in the Coyotes' loss to the Hurricanes on Friday, stopping all four shots that he faced. The 24-year-old was a third-round pick of the Kings in 2017 and signed with the Coyotes this Sumer. In his first season with Tucson (AHL), Villalta has gone 22-11-1 with a 2.58 GAA and .913 SV%. Unfortunately for him, he draws as difficult a matchup as you could imagine for your first start.
Villalta made a brief appearance in the Coyotes' loss to the Hurricanes on Friday, stopping all four shots that he faced. The 24-year-old was a third-round pick of the Kings in 2017 and signed with the Coyotes this Sumer. In his first season with Tucson (AHL), Villalta has gone 22-11-1 with a 2.58 GAA and .913 SV%. Unfortunately for him, he draws as difficult a matchup as you could imagine for your first start.
Vejmelka allowed five goals on 26 shots in the Coyotes' loss to the Hurricanes on Friday. Vejmelka has not recorded a win since December 27th, going 0-6-0 with an .876 SV% in his last eight outings. The Coyotes draw a tough matchup in Colorado and come in on an eight-game losing streak, averaging just 2.1 goals for and 4.5 goals against per game.
With Connor Ingram out of the lineup due to an injury, Vejmelka will start on Friday for the Coyotes and be their go-to option between the pipes. Vejmelka saved 12 of 13 shots (.923 SV%) in relief on Wednesday in a 3-1 losing effort to the Minnesota Wild. The Coyotes will need Vejmelka to be stellar on Friday night, a tall task for a struggling netminder behind a team riding a seven-game losing streak that is a +178 home underdog against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Carcone has not played since February 8th, missing three games, but will re-enter the lineup on Friday. The 27-year-old Carcone has 20 points (15G / 5A) in 46 games this season but has been held off the scoresheet in his last five.
With Connor Ingram out of the lineup due to an injury, Vejmelka will likely start on Friday for the Coyotes and be their go-to option between the pipes. Vejmelka saved 12 of 13 shots (.923 SV%) in relief on Wednesday in a 3-1 losing effort to the Minnesota Wild. The Coyotes will need Vejmelka to be stellar on Friday night, a tall task for a struggling netminder behind a team riding a seven-game losing streak that is a +178 home underdog against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Connor Ingram suffered an injury on Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild and did not complete the contest. Luckily for the Coyotes, Ingram's injury is not expected to be long-term. Villalta has a 2.58 GAA and .913 SV% in 34 games (22-11-1) with the Tuscon Roadrunners (AHL) this season and will serve as the backup to Karel Vejmelka in the interim.
O'Brien was a late scratch on Monday night and will remain out of the lineup on Wednesday due to an upper-body injury. O'Brien has three goals and five assists in 49 games this season.
The Coyotes gave Ingram a rare night off in their last outing in an attempt to snap a five-game losing skid but were unable to, losing 5-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers. The 26-year-old Ingram has allowed three or more goals in four straight (0-4-0), posting an ugly .857 SV%, well below his season average (.912 SV%). The Coyotes are slight -103 home underdogs against a Minnesota Wild club riding a three-game winning streak, including an impressive 5-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday.
Yamamoto will be the odd-man out on Tuesday as the Kraken look to get fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Tye Kartye will draw into the lineup in Yamamoto's place.
O'Brien will be the odd-man out on Monday as Adam Ruzicka is set to make his Coyotes debut. O'Brien has three goals and five assists in 49 games this season.
Vejmelka has seen limited action between the pipes lately but will start on Monday after repeated poor outings by Connor Ingram. Vejmelka saved all 28 shots he faced entering Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in relief of Connor Ingram, who allowed three goals on six shots (.500 SV%) in the first period. It's not the first time Ingram has faltered this season, but Vejmelka has failed to take advantage of each opportunity to impress the Coyotes coaching staff. The Coyotes are +135 road underdogs against a Philidelphia Flyers squad riding a three-game winning streak.
Bortuzzo has been out of the lineup since January 2nd with a lower-body injury but appears to be nearing a return after being a full participant at practice on Friday. The 34-year-old Bortuzzo has been held without a point in 15 games this season while tallying 21 hits and 20 blocks.
