Coyotes, Bruins seeking defensive improvements

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Boston Bruins need a win in the worst way, especially after playing just about the worst way possible in back-to-back losses to the Colorado Avalanche.

"Definitely, it looked like a mess," Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask said.

But even Boston might not need to win as badly as the Arizona Coyotes when two of the NHL's most disappointing teams in this still-young season meet Saturday night at Gila River Arena.

The Bruins are 1-2-0, not exactly a cause for panic with 79 games remaining, but certainly reason for concern as they search for workable line combinations and some reliable scoring. It's not helping that No. 1 center Patrice Bergeron, who scored at least 21 goals in six of the last seven seasons, is expected to miss his fourth straight game as a result of a sports hernia operation this summer.

Bergeron jumped on the ice at the end of practice Friday but, according to coach Bruce Cassidy, "It doesn't look like he'll be in."

The Coyotes (0-3-1) still aren't in the win column and are the Western Conference's lone remaining winless team 10 days into the season.

They've led in all four games to date, yet they managed only one of a possible eight points. Arizona's 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, before a home crowd that sported more Detroit jerseys, was symbolic of the Coyotes' season to date.

They played well for long stretches, and never trailed until the final four minutes, yet there were troubles all around.

Starting goalie Antti Raanta couldn't make it into the second period for a second successive game. The power play couldn't convert on a lengthy 5-on-3 in the first period and was 1-for-6 overall. A defensive breakdown led to center Luke Glendening's breakaway short-handed goal that gave Detroit the lead for good with 3:24 remaining.

Arizona wasted two goals by 19-year-old rookie right wing Clayton Keller, a former first-round draft pick who has three goals in four games.

Much like the Coyotes wasted some strong efforts during a 5-4 loss in Anaheim in which they led 4-1, and a 2-1 loss Saturday to Vegas in which they lost a 1-0 lead in the final 75 seconds of regulation.

"It's not good, it's really not good," backup goaltender Louis Domingue said. "We'll look back at the end of the year and we're going to look at those four games and we have one point. It's not good enough. We're close, but close is far from being good enough."

First-year coach Rick Tocchet could say the same thing about his goaltending: Not good enough.

The Coyotes traded for Raanta to replace Mike Smith in net after dealing their longtime starter to Calgary, but Raanta has played only one full game so far. He missed the opener with a lower body injury, was pulled in the first period of a 5-2 loss in Vegas on Tuesday after giving up three goals on five shots, then couldn't start the second period Thursday because of a different lower body injury.

As a result, Domingue has played in all four games to date. The 25-year-old Domingue has a 3.97 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage. He's 27-37-7 overall with Arizona.

"He's got to give us that inner strength, that mental toughness," Tocchet said Friday in assessing his backup goalie. "He's a young guy but he's got to learn how to do that."

Tocchet didn't rule out Raanta versus the Bruins, but goaltender Marek Langhamer, who has only one game of NHL experience, was recalled Friday from Tucson (AHL) and seems likely to back up Domingue on Saturday.

The Coyotes certainly weren't expecting this unstable goalie situation, not after dealing for Raanta, a proven backup with both the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.

"(Marc-Andre) Fleury gives Vegas that confidence," Tocchet said, referring to the expansion team that has beaten Arizona twice. "We need confidence from the goalies back there but, by saying that, we still have to, as forwards and defensemen, be accountable, too. It's just not on the goaltenders."

Cassidy didn't fault his own goalie, Rask, for a 6-3 loss Wednesday at Colorado, but he said backup Anton Khudobin will start one of the Bruins' two weekend games, either in Arizona or Sunday in Las Vegas.

Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller was helped off the practice ice Friday after being struck in the right knee by a puck, but Cassidy said there doesn't appear to be any structural damage.

"He should be fine," Cassidy said.

Even if neither of these two teams is close to being fine right now.