‘Yotes notes: Max Domi adds penalty killing to repertoire

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Max Domi is adding a new skill to his repertoire. Over the last few games, coach Dave Tippett has tried him out on the penalty-killing unit.

“It’s just part of the play of the added growth,” Tippett said. “I think he could be a good penalty killer as he comes on.

“We’ve been integrating him into a lot of power play, a lot offensive situations, there’s a 5-on-5 responsibility that he’s continued to grab onto but good young players like that continue to expand their games and that’s one part of his game where there’s something to grab onto.

Tippett noted that in Tuesday’s 4-2 win over Edmonton, Domi created a chance and drew a penalty with his unique skill-set.

“His quickness is unbelievable,” Tippett said. “With quickness and a good stick, you should be a good penalty killer so we’ll keep working him into that.”

Domi said he didn’t play the PK in his first three years with London of the Ontario Hockey League, but Knights coach Dale Hunter approached about the possibility in his fourth and final season last year.

“I said ‘sure, show me what to do,'” Domi, said, laughing. “I hadn’t done it since minor hockey so I learned a little bit about it there. Essentially, all it is is being able to work as hard as you can for 20, 30 seconds and keep the puck out of your zone.

“It’s great when you get a chance to learn something new and try and add it to your game. That’s kind of the whole be-a-more-complete-player philosophy and I’m looking forward to trying to continue that, to try and grow as a player.”

STAR GAZING?

The last time the Stars were in town, Arizona rolled to a 6-3 win that included two goals and an assist from Domi. After the game, both Domi and Anthony Duclair talked about how much they enjoyed playing the Stars’ up and down, fast-paced game.

“They are a high-speed, high-skilled team,” Domi said Wednesday. “You could say we enjoy playing against teams like that because we try and throw it back at them, but we’re going to have to be pretty sharp tomorrow. That’s a good hockey team over there. They capitalize on the mistakes you make.”

While Tippett said he also enjoyed that style of game, he doesn’t necessarily think the Stars are the model for how the Coyotes want to play.

“I think you want to have the ability to play all those styles,” he said. “You have to find your own niche in it but to win in this league you’ve got to adapt to different styles. If you just think that your one style is the only thing; if you can’t play other styles you’re going to struggle against those teams.”

GARLAND, 2-TIME KING OF QUEBEC

Coyotes prospect Conor Garland won the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League scoring race for a second consecutive season. The 5-foot-8 right winger, who plays for the Moncton Wildcats, finished the regular season with 128 points in 62 games. He scored 39 goals and had a league-best 89 assists. The runner-up finished 20 points behind him.

Arizona selected Garland with the 123rd overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and signed him to an entry-level contract on Dec. 23. He also led the QMJHL in scoring last season with 129 points (35 goals, 94 assists) in 67 games.

LOOSE PUCKS

— Tippett said Louis Domingue will start in goal on Thursday against the Stars, with Mike Smith likely to play Saturday against Philadelphia.

— Center Martin Hanzal took a maintenance day on Wednesday but is expected to play against the Stars.

— The Coyotes will host a town hall meeting on Saturday from 5-6 p.m. at the Renaissance Glendale Hotel and Spa prior to the their game against the Philadelphia Flyers at 7 p.m. The Town Hall will take place in the Solana B-D rooms on the main floor of the hotel. The Q & A session will be open to all Coyotes fans. The meeting will afford fans a platform for questions answered about the team and feedback to the organization. Coyotes president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc and general manager Don Maloney will be present.

Stars at Coyotes

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale

TV: FOX Sports Arizona

Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM

Season series: Coyotes lead, 1-0

Probable goalies: Stars — Kari Lehtonen. Coyotes — Louis Domingue.

Injury report: Stars — F Tyler Seguin (right Achilles), D Jason Demers (shoulder), F Mattias Janmark (upper body) and D Kris Russell (lower body) are probable. Coyotes — G Anders Lindback (Achilles) and RW Joe Vitale (concussion symptoms) are out for the season.

Scouting the Stars: Dallas clinched a postseason spot while defeating the Blackhawks for a fourth time this season on Tuesday in Chicago. …  The Stars lead the Central Division by two points over St. Louis and six over Chicago. … Center Tyler Seguin is expected to miss three to four weeks with what GM Jim Nill described as a 15-percent cut of Seguin’s Achilles tendon. … F Jamie Benn is second in the NHL with 82 points (36 goals).

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