Arizona Coyotes start out hot, top New Jersey Devils in home Saturday matinee
It’s been over five months since the Coyotes and Devils faced each other, dating back to October’s season opener in New Jersey.
In that stretch, both teams have gone through their pains and have since fallen out of the playoff picture. But with the Coyotes looking more like a team destined for the NHL Draft lottery with 14 games left, they put forth another strong performance to beat the Devils 4-1 in Saturday’s matinee at Mullett Arena.
The Coyotes returned home after going 1-2-0 in their three-game road trip in the Midwest, punctuating the trip with a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. In both wins, the Coyotes have scored first.
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“The last two games, we’ve had a really good start. It might be because we talk about our game management before the game," head coach André Tourigny said. "In the last two times where we were on the road for a long road trip, we’ve come back in the first period and it was not so good. We challenged our guys on that and they answered really well.”
Despite playing without center Barrett Hayton (lower-body) for the third consecutive game, the offense continued to roll with seven different players on the scoresheet.
Coyotes open with a bang
The first part of the game dragged, with neither team getting many chances. But once the first period neared the midway point, the Coyotes offense woke up.
Defenseman J.J. Moser infused the Coyotes with momentum when he rewarded the good puck movement from Nick Schmaltz and Sean Durzi for a 1-0 lead at 9:37 in the first. Schmaltz was a key factor in setting up Dylan Guenther on the power play for the second goal of the game.
The Devils kept it even in chances against the Coyotes, but turnovers and goaltending played a factor. Lawson Crouse exposed the Devils’ defense when he stripped the puck from defenseman Nick DeSimone in front of goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen. Instead of burying it, he fed an open Logan Cooley, whose wrist shot made it 3-0 at 17:32 in the first.
Clayton Keller hits 400 points
Clayton Keller’s assist on Guenther’s power-play goal made him the second player in Coyotes history to reach 400 points with the team. He added an empty-net goal at 18:29 in the third to make it 4-1.
Among those who played for the team in Arizona, only Shane Doan has more points, a franchise-best 972.
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Keller reached the milestone in 506 games and has recorded 160 goals and 241 assists since making his debut on March 27, 2017.
“It’s a lot of fun watching him. He’s super skilled and competitive. That’s a great recipe to be successful and to have him as a teammate is amazing," Moser said.
Giving it to the goalie
The three-goal period became the final one for Kahkonen as he was replaced by Nico Daws to start the second. Kahkonen stopped 12 of 15 shots and had an .800 save percentage.
The Coyotes didn’t keep the early momentum and test Daws. Instead, they fell back into a slower pace and allowed the Devils to take over.
Aside from DeSimone’s deflection at 7:01 in the second that got New Jersey on the board, Karel Vejmelka held firm in net and staved off 11 chances in the period. Vejmelka, who played in the 4-3 shootout win against the Devils in October, dealt with high-pressure situations and turned away five consecutive shots on goal around the 13-minute mark.
“It was a quick turnaround from a long flight from Detroit," Keller said. "We kind of let off there a little bit in the end there, but Veggie was awesome. It’s a great team effort and it’s good to be able to close it out.”
The Coyotes faced another blow to the forward depth when Nick Bjugstad, who centered the first line with Keller and Schmaltz, didn't return in the third for an injury. Tourigny confirmed that Bjugstad will have an MRI tomorrow to determine his status.
Even with a fight between Coyotes defenseman Josh Brown and Devils forward Kurtis MacDermid at 3:14 of the third period, there was not much spark for either side as Vejmelka held strong. Vejmelka stopped all 13 shots in the third and made 37 saves on 38 shots in the game.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Coyotes start out hot, top N.J. Devils in Saturday matinee
