Bratt Scores Late Power Play Goal To Lift Devils Over Coyotes
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jesper Bratt's tiebreaking goal on a power play with 4:13 left sent the New Jersey Devils to a 4-3 victory Saturday night over the winless Arizona Coyotes, who became the second NHL team to start a season with 11 consecutive losses.
Taylor Hall scored twice and Bratt also had two assists as New Jersey improved to 8-2-0 with its fifth win in six games. Brian Gibbons added a goal on a short-handed penalty shot for the Devils.
Cory Schneider made 34 saves after missing two games due to a lower-body injury and the birth of his daughter.
Arizona fell to 0-10-1 and joined the 1943-44 New York Rangers (0-11) as the only clubs in NHL history to open a season with 11 straight defeats.
Christian Fischer, Brendan Perlini and Clayton Keller scored for Arizona. Louis Domingue finished with 21 saves.
The Coyotes scored the first goal for the eighth time this season when Fischer connected on the power play 10:37 into the game. Fischer drove down the left wing and whipped Christian Dvorak's rebound past Schneider before colliding with the New Jersey goalie in the crease, which sparked a mini wrestling match between Coyotes and Devils players.
The Coyotes had a lead. And it lasted a full 1:18 before Gibbons tied it with the Devils down a man at 11:55. Gibbons drew a hooking call on Oliver Ekman-Larsson on a breakaway, leading to the penalty shot. New Jersey's leading goal scorer broke in on Domingue and faked a shot before using a forehand-backhand move to slide the puck under Domingue.
As they did in the first period, the teams traded goals in the second.
Hall broke the deadlock with his second of the season at 11:09 with a wrist shot from the slot set up by Bratt's forecheck, but Perlini pulled Arizona even 48 seconds after Hall's goal.
New Jersey nearly went ahead with 5:37 left in the period, but Domingue stopped Drew Stafford's stuff-in attempt. Keller stripped top draft pick Nick Hischier in the offensive zone before snapping in his team-leading eighth goal of the season 50 seconds later to give the Coyotes a 3-2 lead heading into the second intermission.
New Jersey tied it 3-all on Hall's second power-play goal from the left faceoff circle 4:30 into the third to set the stage for Bratt. With the Devils on a power play following Fischer's roughing penalty, Bratt slammed in Hall's feed from the right circle.
New Jersey was 2 for 2 on the power play, while Arizona went 1 for 5.
NOTES: Before the game, Arizona and New Jersey announced a trade in which the Devils received a 2018 fifth-round draft pick from the Coyotes for goalie Scott Wedgewood, who dressed for Arizona and wore No. 40 as he served as the backup to Domingue. After acquiring the pick, New Jersey has eight selections in next June's draft. . During his pregame media availability, New Jersey coach John Hynes announced defenseman Andy Greene would miss the game after his wife, Rachel, gave birth to the couple's second child, Maddox David. . Devils right wing Kyle Palmieri missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. According to Hynes, Palmieri's status is day to day. ... New Jersey dressed right wing Stefan Noesen in place of left wing Marcus Johansson. On its Twitter feed, the team announced Johansson sustained a lower-body injury during warmups. . Arizona scratched defenseman Adam Clendening and center Nick Cousins. Coyotes goalie Antti Raanta missed his seventh straight game with a lower-body injury, and goalie Adin Hill was sent down to Tucson of the AHL. . The first of two regular-season meetings between the Coyotes and Devils also was the second of two professional hockey games Saturday at Prudential Center. Earlier in the day, the Metropolitan Riveters beat the Boston Pride 4-1 in a National Women's Hockey League matchup. The Devils have a partnership with the Riveters.
UP NEXT
Coyotes: Continue their five-game road trip Monday at Philadelphia.
Devils: Begin a three-game road trip to Western Canada on Wednesday in Vancouver.
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