GAME DAY: Golden Knights face Arizona to end 3-game road trip

The Golden Knights wrap up their three-game road trip Wednesday when they take on the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena.

Opening faceoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Pacific time, and the game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.

The Knights are coming off an unsightly 7-2 loss at Calgary on Monday.

“We’re moving on, so I hope they’re going to respond to it tonight,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “Today’s an important game. We want to make this a successful road trip and we want to go 2-1, so tonight’s a big one.”

Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start in net for the Knights after resting Monday in the second game of a back-to-back.

He is 7-5-1 with a 2.06 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in 14 career appearances against the Coyotes.

Gallant also announced that Tomas Hyka will replace Oscar Lindberg on the third line.

“We’re going to work hard, we’re going to compete hard and we’re going to try to win a hockey game here against a good Arizona team that’s played real well all season,” Gallant said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re ready to play and like I said, we move on and get ready.”

Arizona (9-9-1, 19 points) has been one of the early surprises this season after finishing last in the Western Conference, earning points in eight of their past 12 games (7-4-1).

The Coyotes are tied with Nashville for the second-fewest goals allowed (48), one behind Winnipeg, and own the league’s top-ranked penalty kill at 91.7 percent.

Arizona leads the league with 10 short-handed goals and is the only team in NHL history to be plus-five in short-handed goals to power-play goals allowed (five).

Clayton Keller and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson share the team lead with 12 points, and Brad Richardson leads the Coyotes with six goals.

Goaltender Darcy Kuemper will make his eighth consecutive start. He’s gone 2-4-1 in place of Antti Raanta, who’s been out since Nov. 2.

Injured defensemen Alex Goligoski (lower-body) and Jakob Chychrun (upper-body) practiced Tuesday, and coach Rick Tocchet announced Wednesday they will play against the Knights.

Goligoski missed the past five games, while Chychrun has made one appearance this season.

“I like the way they’re playing,” Gallant said of the Coyotes. “They’re playing a fast game and working hard and (Tocchet is) doing a great job.”

Golden Knights projected lineup

Forwards

Jonathan Marchessault-William Karlsson-Reilly Smith

Max Pacioretty-Cody Eakin-Alex Tuch

Tomas Nosek-Ryan Carpenter-Tomas Hyka

William Carrier-Pierre-Edouard Bellemare-Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Shea Theodore-Nate Schmidt

Brayden McNabb-Colin Miller

Nick Holden-Deryk Engelland