OTTAWA - A pair of struggling clubs will fight for a much-needed win on Saturday afternoon, as the Ottawa Senators welcome the Phoenix Coyotes for a battle at Canadian Tire Centre. The Coyotes enter Saturdays matinee on a three-game slide and also have dropped five of seven and nine of their last 13 tilts. Ottawa hasnt fared much better recently, losing two straight as part of a 6-10-2 stretch over its last 18 games. Phoenix has lost the first two tests on a four-game road trip, giving the Coyotes four defeats in their past five games as the guest. The club is only 8-7-4 as the road team this season and will complete the trek Monday in Buffalo. After dropping a 3-1 decision Tuesday in Montreal, the Coyotes were dealt a 2-1 shootout setback by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. James van Riemsdyk and Joffrey Lupul both scored in the shootout to help the Leafs snap a two-game slide with the close win at Air Canada Centre. Martin Hanzal tied the game late in the third for Phoenix, while Mike Smith stopped 26-of-27 shots through regulation and overtime. "We wanted to play a hard road game. Our tempo got better as the game went on. We had multiple opportunities in the third period to tie and then take the lead. We got the one we needed," said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett. "Its a step in the right direction. Were a little banged up and looking for some guys to elevate their game." Coyotes captain Shane Doan has missed the last six games with an illness that Phoenix has categorized as Rocky Mountain fever. Doan is on medication to battle the bacterial disease and his status is considered week-to-week. Defenseman Zbynek Michalek will miss a second straight contest today for the Coyotes and is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. The Senators, meanwhile, could be without forward Mika Zibanejad on Saturday after he sustained an upper-body injury in Ottawas most recent loss, a 4-2 home defeat on Thursday against Florida. Zibanejad, who has eight goals and seven assists this season, is considered day-to-day and will be a game-time decision for this afternoons tilt. Ottawa lost its second straight game in regulation on Thursday despite going into the closing minutes of the third period tied with the Panthers. Tom Gilbert scored the go-ahead power-play goal for Florida with 2:32 remaining in the third and Tomas Kopecky added the insurance tally just 51 seconds later with a shorthanded goal. Chris Neil and Jason Spezza scored for the Senators, who have dropped four of six. Craig Anderson took the loss despite 31 stops. "Its my job to stop the puck," said Anderson. "Its one of those things where we were there, we were close (to winning). But close isnt good enough." The Senators, who began a three-game homestand on Thursday, fell to 7-10-3 as the host this season. Ottawa will close the residency when it welcomes Pittsburgh to town on Monday. Ottawa has gotten the better of the Coyotes in recent years, claiming seven of the past nine overall encounters in this series and winning six straight on home ice. Phoenixs last win in Canadas capital city came on Dec. 12, 1998. Custom France Jerseys . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. Antoine Griezmann France Jersey . Karlovic of Croatia used his big serve to beat Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7). 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Read up on all the questions and answers, and put in your own two cents on our popular Your Call feature.CALGARY -- Unlike her two previous Olympic Games, Mellisa Hollingsworth heads to Sochi, Russia, less of a favourite and more an underdog. Shes fine with that. Hollingsworth, from Eckville, Alta., joined Sarah Reid and John Fairbairn of Calgary and Eric Neilson of Kelowna, B.C., as the first skeleton racers named to Canadas 2014 Olympic team Wednesday. Another man and woman may be added to the skeleton team in January. Reid, Fairbairn and Neilson are Olympic rookies. The 33-year-old Hollingsworth says her third Winter Games will be her last and she does not intend to bow out quietly. "Im definitely ready to step up to the plate," she declared. "Im still striving. Im not there to participate, Ill tell you that." Hollingsworth owns over 30 world championship and World Cup medals. The last time many Canadians saw her, Hollingsworth was tearfully apologizing on national television for finishing fifth in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Hollingsworth won a bronze medal in 2006, so the pressure to win a medal at home was enormous. Heading to Sochi, shes felt empowered by Canadians reactions to her public despair almost four years ago. "I feel a lot stronger from that experience," she said. "A lot of that has come from Canadas support of people not throwing me under the bus for not winning a medal at those Olympics. "That was a big eye-opener to know people are still behind you because of your character and not necessarily your result. Thats my definition of success right there." Hollingsworth was informed Sunday by head coach Duff Gibson, the 2006 Olympic mens champion, that she was going to Sochi. She won silver at the 2012 world championship, but felt short of the criteria for automatic nomination to the 2014 Olympic team. Reid and Neilson both met the standard of four top-six World Cup results last season and in the first half of this season. Fairbairn earned Canadas second male spot because he is currently Canadas top-ranked male in the spot. Hollingsworth ranked No. 2 among Canadian women behind Reid to earn the second female berth. "Sure, its not the way I came in every other Olympic year kind of on fire and leading the World Cup standings, but then again at those Olympics Games I didnt achieve what we thought I could," Hoollingsworth explained.dddddddddddd. "I won an Olympic medal in Torino, but I was expected to win gold. Same thing in Vancouver." Canada had to rank among the top two countries in womens skeleton and in the top three in mens skeleton on Jan. 19 in order to qualify a third sled for both sexes. Defending Olympic mens champion Jon Montgomery was not among the group introduced Wednesday at a Calgary mall theatre. The Russell, Man., slider faces an uphill climb to claim the third mens berth should Canada get it. Montgomery took the 2011-12 season off from racing to build a new sled from scratch, but has yet to adjust to it and his results have suffered. Cassie Hawrysh of Brandon, Man., and Robynne Thompson of Calgary are in the running for the possible third position on the womens team. Reid, a bronze medallist at the 2013 world championship, and the experienced Hollingsworth are Canadas best chances to continue the countrys run of Olympic medals in the sport. Hollingsworth also tried a new sled this season that did not work for her. She didnt qualify at fall selection trials for Canadas World Cup team and opened the season on the secondary Intercontinental Cup circuit. When she had the opportunity to race a recent World Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., Hollingsworth got back on the sled shed been on for a decade and a half and finished eighth. "I was doing everything possible to get on some new equipment and get onto that state of flow on a new sled and it just did not work for me," she explained. "I spent 15 years of my life learning the ins and outs of that sled that its become an appendage, another part of my body. I went to Lake Placid and felt like me again. This is the first time since the world championships in 2012 that Ive been this confident or this comfortable on my sled." For that reason, shes hoping to build momentum in the four World Cup races before the Sochi Games in February. "Im the strongest and the fastest Ive ever been," Hollingsworth said. "Im pushing a sled very, very well and now Im confident in my sled that I have, the old sled and knowing it can still go fast. "Ive got four more opportunities to see where things can go result-wise, but it really doesnt matter. What matters is Sochi." ' ' 'ws a lot, Im able to focus better," said Parrot, now with three World Cup medals. gold silver and bronze. "Still the level of competition will be higher at the Games and Ill have to pprepare for that hopefully.dddddddddddd" Reid was also delighted with his result. "Ive worked so hard to get to this point," he said. "I hope my dream becomes a reality on Tuesday." The World Cup halfpipe and slopestyle events here were the last opportunity for Canadians to reach their standards for the Sochi Olympics. Riders in those events are to be announced Tuesday. Matts Kulisek of St-Sauveur, Que., was 11th, Jonathan Versteeg of Vernon, B.C., was 18th, Darcy Sharpe of Comox, B.C., was 20th and Tyler Nicholson of North Bay, Ont., finished 26th. In womens slopestyle, Brooke Voigt of Fort McMurray, Alta., took sixth in the womens final. It was her best result this season. "I really needed to come up with a big result," she said. "Making finals is pretty good. Hopefully its enough to go to Sochi, but everything is still undecided right now." Christy Prior of New Zealand won the gold medal with 89.75 points followed by Cheryl Maas of the Netherlands at 85.25 and Austrias Anna Gasser in third at 84.25. Voigt earned 37.00 points on her second run in the final. ' ' '