Devils give up tying goal in third period, lose 4-3 in shootout to Coyotes

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — In an exciting shootout, Nick Bjugstad and Nick Schmaltz ensured victory for the Arizona Coyotes as they overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Friday night.

Schmaltz, who had a goal and an assist in regulation, played a crucial role in the comeback along with Matt Dumba and Sean Durzi, who also scored for the Coyotes in their regular season opener. Rookie forward Logan Cooley made an impressive NHL debut with two assists, while goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 33 saves.

New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt had two goals and an assist, Dougie Hamilton contributed a goal and an assist, and Jack Hughes had three assists for the Devils. Despite their strong performance, the Devils couldn’t secure the win as Bjugstad and Schmaltz scored on Arizona’s shootout attempts, while Vejmelka made key saves to seal the victory.

The game started with Dumba opening the scoring for the Coyotes at 6:22 of the first period. Durzi then extended their lead with a power-play goal in the second period. However, the Devils fought back with three goals in an 11-minute span. Bratt got them on the scoreboard at 8:09 of the second period, Hamilton tied it up with 7:31 remaining, and Bratt scored again to put the Devils ahead 3-2 with 1:07 left in the period. Schmaltz then converted on the power-play in the third period to tie the game, assisted by Cooley.

Hughes, who led the Devils in scoring last season, continued his impressive form with five points in two games, including two goals in their previous match against Detroit.

The Coyotes made significant additions to their roster during the offseason, signing free agents such as Dumba, Bjugstad, Jason Zucker, and Alex Kerfoot, as well as acquiring Durzi through a trade with the Los Angeles Kings.

Looking ahead, the teams will meet again on March 16 in Arizona. The Devils will next host Florida on Monday night, while the Coyotes will face the New York Rangers on the same night.

NOTE: New Jersey scratched D Chris Tierney, D Colin Miller, and F Curtis Lazar, while Arizona scratched F Travis Boyd and D Troy Stecher.