When the Arizona Coyotes took to the ice at Ice Den Scottsdale this morning for practice, there was a particular player missing during their preparation for the game against the Minnesota Wild tonight.
According to ‘Yotes head coach André Tourigny, he stated that power forward Liam O’Brien is dealing with an upper-body injury and will not play this evening.
“We thought it would be a 24 hour thing but it’s more than that,” Tourigny said. “It’s not week-to-week but it’s certainly day-to-day, so he (O’Brien) is unavailable.”
Arizona will miss the bite and toughness near the bottom of the lineup that O’Brien brings night in, night out. He has 130 hits and is the NHL leader in penalty minutes (116) this season, continuing to instill physicality no matter who he is up against.
As for his offensive production, O’Brien has posted three goals and five assists in 49 games.
After being scratched the past two games, Michael Carcone was on the ice for the morning skate, providing another option for Tourigny’s lineup if needed. Carcone has accumulated 15 goals and five assists in 46 contests.
On a season-high six-game losing streak, the Coyotes will try to snap it in a Central Division rivalry battle against the Wild at 7:30 p.m. MST.
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