The Arizona Coyotes are staring down arguably their biggest test of the 2023-24 season thus far. The Coyotes will be on the road over the next three games where they are set to play the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes. All three of these teams are currently in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. This road trip will be extremely difficult for the Coyotes, which is why it is all the more important. Through their past two wins against the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona has made up some major ground in the Western Conference wild card race, as they are just two points behind the Predators for the second wild card spot with two games in hand. 240122_Tourigny_MorningSkate All of this momentum can flip in an instance if the Coyotes are not able to take care of business on the road. These are three elite teams, so winning every game on this road trip will be a tall task. If the Coyotes can pick up a couple of points over the next three games, it will be a success for a couple of reasons. One, the Coyotes will remain afloat in the playoff race which is continuing to get tougher with teams like the St. Louis Blues, Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames right behind Arizona in the standings. The Coyotes are also heading into the All-Star break where they will have a week off, so ending this stretch of the season on the right note is important. It will send a sign that they are a true threat to slide into the playoffs. A game is a game, but these upcoming matchups hold far more significance than many people may actually realize.
