The Arizona Coyotes have lost their first two games in Minnesota on their current road trip, with the third meeting Tuesday night in St. Paul. 

But forward Tyler Pitlick has enjoyed at least some semblance of a homecoming. Pitlick is a Minneapolis native, and hockey runs in his family. 

“It’s good to be back in Minnesota. It’s kind of different without fans,” Pitlick said Tuesday before the Coyotes and Wild played later in the day. “Usually I can get a whole bunch of people in the stands and see them after the game, but I can’t do that now, so it’s a little weird.”

Pitlick’s uncle Lance Pitlick was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars back in 1986, and played 393 career NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers. Rem Pitlick, Tyler’s cousin and Lance’s son, is playing for the Nashville Predators. And Rhett Pitlick, another cousin, was a fifth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Pitllick has only been able to get a few tickets for family this week, given the current times. For now, only a couple hundred fans, mostly player guests and Wild employees, are allowed inside Xcel Energy Center for games. 

“It’s weird for sure, it’s weird to come back to Minnesota and not be able to see your parents and stuff like that. So it’s definitely a little goofy but we’re here and trying to get a win (Tuesday),” Pitlick said. 

More: Comebacks, scoring inconsistency mark Coyotes through first half of NHL regular season

Get in touch with Jose Romero at [email protected]. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.