Coyotes - Flyers Preview

Tonight the Arizona Coyotes kick off their season against the Philadelphia Flyers at 6pm local time @ Gila River Arena three days after the NHL season began, and to fans, that felt like an eternity. The Flyers are coming off a 4-2 win last night against LA, with newcomers like Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov making their debut. With so much to be excited about this season already, here are tonight's home opener Coyote Quick Hits: The Kids Are Alright: Five rookies, Dylan Strome, Jakob Chychrun, Lawson Crouse, Christian Dvorak, and Laurent Dauphin, are slated to start the season on the team, four of whom may be iced tonight after reports of former 3rd overall pick Dylan Strome being benched for the first game of the season. This isn't a bad sign, Fans. Coach Tippett is trying to ice a good balance of youth and experience, Strome sitting is only temporary. New Look On D: Alex Goligoski will play his first game in the Sedona Red for Arizona tonight after a long summer of speculation on how he will affect this club. Goligoski was signed this summer to a five-year, $27.375 million contract after trading for his rights in June from Dallas and is expected to bring an offensive edge along with responsible playmaking and possession in the defensive and neutral zone, something the Coyotes sorely need. Newcomers joining him on opening night include new-signee Luke Schenn, and 2016's 16th overall draft pick Jakob Chychrun. Czech Connection: Radim Vrbata will play his first game back with the Coyotes after signing with Vancouver as a UFA in 2014. Vrbata is reunited with center and countryman Martin Hanzal, with whom he enjoyed some of his best seasons of his career. Coach Tippett is projected to line the pair up with rising star Max Domi for what hopes to be a highly productive 1st line.