Preview: Coyotes at Devils

GAME 75:
Coyotes (36-32-6) at Devils (27-39-9)
Arizona will try to snap a three-game winless streak when it plays the third game of a four-game road trip on Saturday afternoon at New Jersey.

WHERE:Prudential Center | WHEN: 10 a.m. (AZ time) | TV:FOX Sports Arizona | RADIO:ESPN 620 AM
Tweet from @davest4yotes: .@DerekStepan21, who was feared lost for 4-6 weeks because of lower-body injury suffered on Feb. 28, is back in the lineup after 3 weeks + 2 days ... https://t.co/fP5bNeL49q
ABOUT THE 'YOTES:
• Arizona will enter the game with 78 points, tied with Colorado, one point behind Minnesota, which owns the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference standings. The Wild play at Carolina on Saturday, and the Avalanche host Chicago.
• Darcy Kuemper will make his 16th consecutive start in goal. Kuemper, who has posted a 10-4-1 record and .933 save percentage over his past 15 starts, will be seeking his first career win over New Jersey in his fifth appearance (0-3-1).
• Derek Stepan, who hasn't played since suffering a lower-body injury on Feb. 28, will return to the lineup after missing 10 games. Head Coach Rick Tocchet said Stepan, who practiced on a line with Josh Archibald and Lawson Crouse on Friday, would be a game-time decision. Stepan leads Arizona forwards in ice time per game (19:17) and ranks fifth on the team in points (32). He has scored more goals (13) vs. New Jersey than against any other NHL team.

• The Coyotes are one of four teams - Montreal, San Jose, and Tampa Bay are the others - to have 11 players who have scored 10 or more goals this season. Brad Richardson and Alex Galchenyuk are leading the way with 17 apiece.
• Despite missing 41 games because of injury, Michael Grabner leads the NHL with six shorthanded goals and nine shorthanded points. He'll enter today's game needing one "shortie" to tie David McLlwain for the franchise record for shorthanded goals in one season set in 1989-90.
• Crouse, who has delivered 20 hits over the past five games, will enter the game ranked second in the NHL with 261. Ryan Reaves of the Vegas Golden Knights leads the League with 281.

ABOUT THE DEVILS:
• New Jersey is 2-9-1 in its past 12 games and ranks 14th in the Eastern Conference standings with 63 points ... The Devils, who are missing several key players including Taylor Hall, have lost three games in a row and were outscored, 12-2, in those games ... New Jersey has earned 40 of its 63 points on home ice ... Captain Andy Greene is one of only two Devils who have played in all 75 games, and he leads the NHL with 196 blocked shots, a career-high for one season ... Blake Coleman has notched career highs in goals (21), assists (13) and points (34) this season ... Cory Schneider is 9-1-1 with a 1.57 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage in 12 games vs. the Coyotes.
'YOTES QUOTES:
• "It's one game at a time, and we're focused on that. That's all that we can do ... There are eight games left and it's going to be a tough eight games, starting today against the Devils, and we need to win it. We've lost three in a row, so we've got to get back on the winning track." -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
• "That's a spot we were kind of in last year and we did pretty well in that position, so by no means can we take (the Devils) lightly. They're going to be going hard and be ready to go, so we've got to make sure we match their intensity." -- Christian Dvorak
• "You want these games to matter. You want the puck. You want to make that play. You want to block that shot. You want to do things for your teammates that years down the road your teammates will talk about." -- Rick Tocchet