Preseason NHL game set for Acrisure Arena: Ducks vs. Coyotes

Thanks to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the desert has become a hockey town, and now NHL fans new and old will have a chance to see the sport played at the highest level at Acrisure Arena.

The Anaheim Ducks and the Arizona Coyotes will play each other in an exhibition game at Acrisure Arena prior to the 2023-24 NHL season. The game will be on Sunday, Oct. 1, and the puck will drop at 3 p.m.

The game will pit two teams looking to rebound from poor records this past season. Neither team made the playoffs as the Coyotes finished 28-40-14 (70 points) and the Ducks finished with an NHL-worst record of 23-47-12 (58 points).

For fans who purchased Coachella Valley Firebirds season tickets for the 2023-24 season, this game will be included in that package.

A logical question is why aren't the Seattle Kraken, the NHL affiliate team of the Firebirds, involved in this game? Acrisure Arena senior vice president John Page said limiting travel time is the primary attraction for teams when choosing their preseason games, and that includes the Ducks, Coyotes and Kraken.

Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns to play preseason game at Acrisure Arena this fall

"The training camp period for NHL is short so limited travel is a benefit to all parties," Page said, adding that both the Ducks and Coyotes had expressed interest in an Acrisure Arena game. "I anticipate us having a Seattle Kraken preseason game at some point in the near future but just not this year."

The Kraken are playing six preseason games, all in the Pacific Northwest.

Tickets for the Ducks-Coyotes game on Oct. 1 at Acrisure Arena will go on sale later this month.

This will be the first event at Acrisure Arena featuring teams from the top professional leagues. It was announced earlier this summer that the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns will play an NBA exhibition game at Acrisure Arena. That game is scheduled for Oct. 19.

Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes to meet in preseason game at Acrisure Arena