Coyotes' losing streak hasn't diminished excitement to face Penguins

The 38-point buffer between the two teams in the standings could have eroded some of the enthusiasm that usually accompanies a visit from a perennial power such as the Penguins, but that isn't the case for the Coyotes.

A win isn't going to flip their fate, but it would be a morale boost for a team that has had little to feel encouraged about since the All-Star break.

The Coyotes are in the midst of a six-game losing streak and have dropped 16 of their past 17 games overall.

"When you knock off a good team, it makes things exciting," center Joe Vitale said. "So I think guys are excited for the challenge."

With the bulk of the roster being assessed for future jobs, motivation to stand out shouldn't be hard to muster. But sometimes a marquee matchup can add an extra spark.

"If you need to play against a good team to do better, then your evaluation isn't going very well," coach Dave Tippett said. "But, ultimately, Pittsburgh's a good team. They have top players, and it's always fun to play against top players. So I expect our players, especially our young players that haven't played a lot against them, to play well."

The version of the Penguins that arrived in the Valley isn't the one the Coyotes are accustomed to encountering. Pittsburgh has dropped four straight and is clinging to the third seed in the East's Metropolitan Division with Washington, in the first wild-card berth and possessing the same amount of points (88), nipping at its heels.

The Penguins are also without forward Evgeni Malkin, sidelined with a lower-body injury. But that hasn't completely sapped the team of its star power, what with Sidney Crosby boasting the second-most points in the NHL at 72.

"He's a man among boys out there," said Vitale, who spent parts of four seasons with the Penguins before signing as a free agent with the Coyotes last summer.

"The way best to explain it, I tell people when we're out there messing around before practice at 20 percent, half speed, doing moves and doing crazy shots at 30 percent, can you imagine just being able to do that at 100-percent speed? That's kind of him. He just does everything at full speed that you can do at half speed. He's a special player."

PHOTOS: AVALANCHE AT COYOTES

Injury update

Winger Martin Erat didn't practice Friday after suffering an upper-body injury in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Erat is considered day-to-day but hasn't been ruled out for tonight's game.

In case he can't play, the Coyotes recalled forward Justin Hodgman from their American Hockey League affiliate on an emergency basis.

Saturday's game

Penguins at Coyotes

When: 6 p.m.

Where: Gila River Arena.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Arizona-Plus/KTAR-AM (620).

Penguins update: The Penguins have lost a season-high four straight games and have been outscored 11-2 in that span. They've been shut out twice in the past week and have allowed the first goal in each of those losses. But in their past six games, the Penguins have registered at least 30 shots. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has a 1.64 goals-against average against Western Conference teams this season. Of captain Sidney Crosby's 72 points, 23 are goals. Crosby has six points in four career games in Arizona.