GAME DAY: at Phoenix

That incredible stretch of hockey was halted in Phoenix’s last outing, however, as the Calgary Flames picked up a 4-2 win at Jobing.com Arena earlier this week. The Coyotes are a perfect storm of sorts right now – they are getting timely scoring up and down the lineup and goaltender Mike Smith is a leading candidate for the Vezina Trophy, giving them a chance to win every night.

In the last meeting between the Blue Jackets and Coyotes, the two clubs were tangled in a wild affair at Nationwide Arena on Jan. 13. Curtis Sanford came up big for Columbus down the stretch and Derick Brassard notched the eventual game-winning goal late in the second period. Just two weeks later, the meteoric rise began for the Coyotes – they began February in 12th place in the Western Conference and facing a steep hill to climb in the Pacific Division.

Smith’s stellar play and a tight-checking structure helped Phoenix get back in the picture, and as March opens, the Coyotes sit atop the division and occupy third place in the conference. Ageless wonder Ray Whitney is on quite the hot streak, picking up 18 points in his last 15 games and is the overall scoring leader for the Coyotes.

Phoenix GM Don Maloney acquired a solid piece for his team’s playoff run last week, sending a pair of draft picks and Curtis McElhinney to the Blue Jackets in exchange for Antoine Vermette, who is currently centering the No. 2 line with Mikkel Boedker and Shane Doan. Tonight’s game is the first for Vermette against his former club, and the Blue Jackets are coming off a 2-0 win Thursday in Denver.

G	Nash (22)	Vrbata (30)
A	Prospal (30)	Whitney (39)
PTS	Nash (44)	Whitney (58)
PIM	Dorsett (181)	Torres (48)
+/-	MacKenzie (+1)	Whitney (+25)
W/L	Sanford (10-15-4)	Smith (29-15-7)
GAA	Sanford (2.66)	Smith (2.25)
SVP	Sanford (.911)	Smith (.927)