The Wrap: Arizona Kick-Starts Road Trip with 4-1 Win Over New Jersey

Final Score: Coyotes 4, Devils 1

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                                      The Arizona Coyotes scored four unanswered goals over the final two periods to begin their road trip with a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night (Jan. 19) at Prudential Center. Dysin Mayo, Lawson Crouse, Travis Boyd and Johan Larsson scored for the Coyotes while Karel Vejmelka turned aside 35-of-36 Devils shots from the other end to help Arizona win its second game in a row.
                                      "I knew we would bounce back. That doesn't mean we knew we would win, but we knew that the worst was behind us," said Head Coach André Tourigny. "I really liked the way the guys were talking on the bench. They were solution-driven, looking at what was happening, where were the holes and what we had to do better."
                                      The Devils had the clear upper hand in the first period, but Vejmelka and the Coyotes limited the damage to one goal. In turn, Nico Hischier scored on the power play about six minutes into the game to put the home team up 1-0.
                                      "We didn't love our first period. We knew we had better," said Jakob Chychrun. "I think when we came out for the second we had a little more urgency. We were skating better, and we played a little more structured."
                                      The game turned in the second when the Coyotes erupted for three goals in 5:23 stretch, beginning with a Mayo slap shot from the point through traffic that New Jersey goalie Mackenzie Blackwood never saw. Crouse and Boyd followed up with a pair of goals, each being their 10th of the season, in a 2:14 span that suddenly put the Coyotes up 3-1.

As the game transitioned to the third period, Arizona kept its foot on the gas pedal and continued to tack on. Larsson got a touch pass from Crouse in the slot and ripped a shot top shelf to widen the lead to 4-1. Vejmelka did his job on the other end of the rink to not give the Devils any signs of life, stopping all nine shots he saw in the third period as the Coyotes opened the road trip with a 4-1 win.

The Game:

First Period (NJD 1, ARI 0): Nico Hischier (8), assisted by Jesper Bratt (23) and Jack Hughes (12) at 6:09.
Second Period (ARI 3, NJD 1):Dysin Mayo (3), assisted by Loui Eriksson (6) and Alex Galchenyuk (5) at 6:50. /// Lawson Crouse (10), assisted by Loui Eriksson (7) and Anton Stralman (5) at 11:32. /// Travis Boyd (10), assisted by Clayton Keller (16) and Jakob Chychrun (6) at 14:13.
Third Period (ARI 4, NJD 1): Johan Larsson (6), assisted by Lawson Crouse (10) and Phil Kessel (22) at 8:27.
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Statistics:
SOG:ARI - 17, NJD - 36
PP:ARI - 0/2, NJD - 1/2
FO%:ARI - 52%, NJD - 48%
Hits: ARI - 24, NJD - 16
Blocks: ARI - 16, NJD - 9

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                                      Tourigny's Take:"In the first period, [New Jersey's] first line was creating some damage. They were rolling and possessing the puck a lot. When we changed the matchups and Nash's line with Fischer and Ladd played against them, it settled our game a little bit. We got our things in order and we were much better after that.
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Jakob Chychrun said: "We talked about what we had to do better after the first [period]. As a group, the boys have been playing good hockey as of late, and I just wanted to come in and try to add to that; try and look like I haven't missed a lot of time, because I did miss a good chunk. I felt good, my feet were moving, and I was jumping up in plays. Like I said I think the boys really turned a page after the first period and got back to the way they've been playing the last few games."
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Notable:
• Loui Eriksson eclipsed 350 career assists, becoming the eighth Swedish player in NHL history to play in 1,000-plus games and record 250-plus goals, 350-plus assists and 600-plus points.
• Wednesday was Eriksson's first multi-point game since Feb. 20, 2020 as a member of the Vancouver Canucks.
• Lawson Crouse and Travis Boyd became the second and third Coyotes to reach double-digit goals this season. It's the first time Boyd has recorded double-digit goals in a season, and he enters Friday two points off his single-season career high (20, 2018-19).
• Crouse tallied his eighth career game-winning goal, tied for the third-most by a Coyote since the the start of 2016-17.
• Johan Larsson scored his sixth goal of the season and is on a run of 6-4-10 in his last nine games.
• At the conclusion of Wednesday's Coyotes game, Larsson's six goals are tied for the fourth-most in the NHL since Jan. 6 (Marchand, 9; Pastrnak, 7; Meier, 7; MacKinnon, 6).
• The combination of Crouse, Larsson and Phil Kessel have combined for 29 points in nine games since Dec. 28.
• Clayton Keller reached 30 points for the fifth consecutive campaign. The last Coyote to register 30 points in a season in fewer than 38 games was Mikkel Boedker (37) in 2015-16 (Source: NHL Stats & Info).
• Dysin Mayo has found the scoresheet in back-to-back games for the first time in his NHL career.
• Karel Vejmelka improved to 4-3-0 with a .925 SV% since the New Year.
• Defenseman Jakob Chychrun returned to the lineup after missing the previous 11 games due to injury and recorded an assist.
• The Coyotes' three-goal second period tied a season-high for a single frame (three previous instances).

Coyotes Lineup:
Forwards
Keller - Boyd - Schmaltz
Crouse - Larsson - Kessel
Ladd - Nash - Fischer
O'Brien - Galchenyuk - Eriksson
Defensemen
Gostisbehere - Mayo
Moser - Strålman
Chychrun - Lyubushkin
Scratches
Dzingel
Roussel
Capobianco
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Roster Notes: Defenseman Jakob Chychrun was activated off Injured Reserve and played in his first game since Dec. 10. Defenseman Anton Stralman and goaltender Scott Wedgewood, who backed up Karel Vejmelka, cleared COVID-19 protocol and dressed in Wednesday's game. Forwards Alex Galchenyuk and Loui Eriksson suited up in the place of Ryan Dzingel and Antoine Roussel, who were placed in COVID-19 protocol prior to the game.
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What's Next:Arizona stays in the Tri-State region to take on the Islanders and Rangers in a back-to-back set, beginning with the Isles on Friday (Jan. 21). Puck drop with the Islanders is set for 5:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcasted on Bally Sports Arizona and ESPN 620 AM.
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Photo of the Game: Dysin Mayo prepares to lead the Coyotes down the handshake line after scoring the team's first goal in the second period. Wednesday marked Mayo's second consecutive game with a point.

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