(Sportsbooks) - Riding a hot hand, Coyotes' netminder Mikael Tellqvist will get a chance to do some damage against an old club. Tellqvist will make his second straight start tonight in Phoenix's home test against the
Toronto Maple Leafs at Jobing.com Arena.
Tellqvist was in net for Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, stopping 32 shots to improve to 4-2-1 with a 2.03 goals against average and .940 save percentage in seven games (6 starts) this year.
However, he has played in five of Phoenix's last six games, starting four of those contests while posting a 3-1-1 mark. Though he likely hasn't wrestled the No. 1 spot away from Ilya Bryzgalov, who made 55 starts with Phoenix last year after being acquired from Anaheim and another 18 this season, Tellqvist will again get the call tonight.
He will get a chance to defeat the Maple Leafs, the club that selected him in the third round of the 2000 draft. Tellqvist spent three-plus seasons with Toronto before being traded to Phoenix during the 2006-07 season. He has never faced his former team before.
In Tuesday's win, Enver Lisin scored twice in the third period to lift Phoenix. Shane Doan also scored for the Coyotes, who have won three of their last four games on the heels of a six-game skid (0-4-2), and Martin Hanzal iced the win with an empty-net tally.
The Coyotes are 2-1-0 on a four-game homestand that wraps tonight and 7-4-1 overall as the host this year.
Meanwhile, Toronto ends a three-game west coast road trip tonight. After defeating the Kings on Monday, the team's second straight win, the Maple Leafs lost in San Jose, 5-2, on Tuesday.
Nikolai Kulemin and Niklas Hagman scored for the Maple Leafs, who lost for the first time since Brian Burke officially took over general manager duties last Saturday. Vesa Toskala allowed five goals on 30 shots in the loss.
Toronto head coach Ron Wilson failed to defeat his old team. Wilson took over head coaching duties in San Jose during the 2002-03 season before being fired this past May. He left the club as its all-time leader in wins with 206.
The Maple Leafs are 5-6-2 as the road team this season.
Phoenix has won its last two versus Toronto, including a 5-1 home win last year, after dropping six in a row to the club. The Maple Leafs have still won seven of their last 11 against the Coyotes franchise.
Toskala is 8-2-1 with a 2.33 GAA and two shutouts in 15 lifetime games against Phoenix, including nine starts.
