The Arizona Coyotes face the New Jersey Devils with both teams looking to build off recent hot streaks. The Coyotes have a 6-6-1 record but with three wins in a row have leaped into the middle of the Central Division. The Devils have an 11-3 record and with eight wins in a row, they have the best record in the Metropolitan Division. The Coyotes are looking to continue to make up ground in the Central Division while the Devils look to remain in first place in the Metropolitan Division and the upcoming game should be a great one as a result.
The Coyotes have shown flashes this season but hope the offense can improve, scoring only 2.85 goals per game. Clayton Keller and Matias Maccelli have combined for five goals and 19 assists while Shayne Gostisbehere is adding four goals and six assists from the point but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only four skaters have scored four goals or more while only five skaters have added six assists or more and opposing defense can easily limit the offense as a result.
The defense has struggled all season, allowing 3.54 goals per game but recently, the unit has stepped up, allowing only three goals in the last three games. Juuso Valimaki and Josh Brown have combined for 1.5 defensive point shares and 32 blocked shots but the rest of the unit has also stepped up recently with J.J. Moser, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Troy Stetcher creating turnovers in the defensive zone and limiting shots on the net. Moreover, goaltender Karel Vejmelka has stepped up in the net, notably with a .915 save percentage while having a 3.06 goals-against average on 351 shots.