National Hockey League
New Jersey 3, Arizona 2
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, January 4, 2019
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Jon McIsaac, Kyle Rehman
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Greg Devorski
Attendance: 12636

Kyle Palmieri and Drew Stafford scored in the shootout as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 Friday night in Glendale, Ariz.

Nico Hischier and Blake Coleman scored in regulation for the Devils, who won for the fifth time in seven games. Goaltender Keith Kinkaid stopped 15 of 17 shots in relief of Mackenzie Blackwood, who suffered an injury in the first period.

Conor Garland and Christian Fischer scored for Arizona, which lost its third straight game. Goalie Darcy Kuemper made 33 saves.

That it went to the shootout was almost fitting, as the Devils entered the game tied for the fewest road victories in the NHL (four) and the Coyotes were tied for the fewest home wins (seven).

Alex Galchenyuk and Nick Cousins missed their shootout attempts for the Coyotes, while the Devils scored on both of theirs to improve to 2-7 in overtime games this season.

Hischier, celebrating his 20th birthday, opened the scoring just 1:05 into the game on a two-on-one break.

Hischier's shot never actually went into the net, as Arizona's Clayton Keller made a sliding attempt to break up a pass and, just after the shot, crashed into the right post, knocking the net off its moorings. The puck landed just over the goal line where the net goes, and Hischier was credited with his 11th goal of the season after a video review.

Garland tied at 1-1 with an unassisted goal at 16:44 of the first. Stationed at the top of the crease, Garland picked off a pass from New Jersey's Pavel Zacha from behind his own net and beat Kinkaid, who replaced Blackwood at the 15:59 mark.

Fischer gave the Coyotes the lead at 9:05 of the second. A two-on-one break led to Fischer beating Kinkaid with a wrist shot to the short side.

Coleman tied it at 2-2 at 16:16 of the second. He took a nifty backhand pass from Travis Zajac at the top of the crease and tipped the puck through Kuemper's legs.

Blackwood, the Devils' rookie goaltender who had a 3-2-0 record and two shutouts in his first five starts, stopped all eight shots he faced. He left with what the team described as a lower-body injury, just the latest to New Jersey's goalie corps.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
New Jersey   Arizona
Blake Coleman 1 Points Christian Fischer 1
Blake Coleman 1 Goals Christian Fischer 1
Kyle Palmieri 1 Assists Christian Fischer 0
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Mackenzie Blackwood 1.000 Save Percentage Darcy Kuemper .943
Keith Kinkaid 14 Saves Darcy Kuemper 33
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
New Jersey 35 3 0-3 5-5 12 32
Arizona 24 2 0-5 3-3 8 27
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game at home against NY Rangers. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .391 after a loss.
  • New Jersey will play their next game on the road against Vegas. The Devils have a W/L % of .438 after a win and .375 after a loss.