The Arizona Coyotes start the regular season with four straight road games against the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues.
The Arizona Coyotes start the season with four straight games on the road which is never an easy task.
The team travels all the way out east to play the New Jersey Devils on October 13, the New York Rangers on October 16 and the New York Islanders on October 17 before playing the St. Louis Blues on October 19 to cap off the road trip.
What should fans expect from the Coyotes through this road trip?
It’s important to start the season off on a high note. Winning the majority or at least a couple of these games on the road could be a great sign for the Coyotes as they embark on this long season.
The Coyotes season opener doesn't get any harder than playing against the Devils. New Jersey is at a place where Arizona hopes to one day be at.
After years of tanking, the Devils are now one of the most lethal teams in the Eastern Conference led by young players including Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt. New Jersey’s speed will be an interesting challenge for the Coyotes.
If Arizona could match the speed of the Devils this could be a better matchup than many have originally anticipated.
The Rangers and Islanders are no joke either. Both teams made the playoffs last year as they are filled with a number of talented players.
Arguably the toughest roadblock the Coyotes will have to face when playing the Rangers and Islanders is goaltending. Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin are regarded as top NHL goalies. These two games will be a huge test for Arizona’s offense to see what sort of damage they could do on Shesterkin and Sorokin.
The Coyotes first divisional matchup will be against the Blues. While they have had success recently, specifically winning the Stanley Cup in 2019, St. Louis had a down year last season failing to reach the playoffs.
This game is a great opportunity for the Coyotes to show that they are ready to compete in the Central Division. There is no better way to do that then to beat the Blues on their home-ice.