Jack McBain can excel in crucial role for Coyotes

Going 1-4 in their past four games, the Arizona Coyotes are enduring a rough patch in the season as the halfway mark arrives tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild.

Trying to break out of this stretch, Coyotes head coach André Tourigny has reconfigured the lines and attempted to formulate a recipe for success.

One of those players who have elevated in the roster was Jack McBain, someone who adds physicality, toughness and size to the first line.

There were a few games last year where McBain was on the top forward trio between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, but it was short-lived, dropping down the lineup soon after. Shaking things up, Tourigny is giving it another chance.

The 6’3″ center enjoyed a three-game spurt in which he scored four goals and had two assists during Oct. 24-30. He has six goals and four assists in 25 games this season as a whole.

In his first game on the top line against the Boston Bruins, the stat sheet didn’t give a clear indication on how much of an impact he made on the ice.

He was crashing the net, trying to create multiple screens in front of Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark, and being in the right place at the right time defensively.

Last night, the whole team collectively had an off-game as they were blowout 6-2 to the Calgary Flames.

But with the chemistry between Keller, Schmaltz and McBain reconstructing once again, McBain could soon reap the benefits of playing alongside two stars going forward.

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