Coyotes’ Jay Beagle returns; Christian Fischer out with lower-body injury

Friday marked a bittersweet day for the Arizona Coyotes, who lost to the Calgary Flames 4-2 in Canada on Friday night.

On one hand, the team got back center Jay Beagle after missing over three months with a lower-body injury that he had surgery for on Jan. 6.

But on the other, the Coyotes confirmed that forward Christian Fischer is not on the three-game road trip in Canada due to a lower-body injury.

Beagle hadn’t played since Dec. 11 after sustaining the lower-body injury that put him on injured reserve until Friday night.

The 36-year-old Canadian was also making his return in his hometown and birth city of Calgary.

“Obviously it’s really special,” he told Bally Sports Arizona’s Todd Walsh during the first intermission. “It’s always awesome to play back home. And to make my return, it was a long three months there.

“Just getting back at any time was the goal obviously — around this trip was the goal right from the get-go and I was a little ahead of schedule, so I was able to play in Calgary my first game back. It’s special, but it’s gonna be even better if we get the win, so we gotta go after it.”

Coming into Friday night’s contest, Beagle only had one point in 21 games played this season.

That came on a goal in the Dec. 11 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers where he picked up the lower-body injury.

Follow @jwa1994