Coyotes Top Devils in Season Opener with 4-3 Shootout Win

STATS

NEWARK, N.J. -- Now that's how you start a season.

Matt Dumba, Sean Durzi, and Nick Schmaltz scored, Karel Vejmelka made 33 saves, and the Arizona Coyotes beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 in a shootout in their season opener on Friday.

Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley each recorded two assists in the win, while Schmaltz and Nick Bjugstad both scored in the shootout. Vejmelka stopped Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt to secure the win for the Coyotes, who are 1-0-0 on the season.

Jesper Bratt scored twice, Dougie Hamilton added a goal, and Akira Schmid made 30 saves for the Devils, who are now 1-0-1 on the season.

It was two newcomers -- Dumba and Durzi -- who jump-started the Coyotes to a 2-0 lead. The new-look Coyotes took the ice following a busy offseason in which General Manager Bill Armstrong added Dumba, Durzi, Cooley, Jason Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, and Travis Dermott.

"Everyone was excited to play tonight; It’s been a long time," Schmaltz said. "A lot of excitement in the room, we’ve got some new players and we want to take that next step."

Dumba opened the scoring at 6:22 of the opening period, taking a drop pass from Clayton Keller before wristing it past Schmid. Schmaltz recorded his 200th assist and 300th career point with a secondary assist on the play.

The Coyotes were ready to go from the outset, outshooting the Devils 14-8 in the first period en route to the early lead.

"We had urgency, we had pace, and if we want to be successful we need to play at a pace where we will disturb the timing of our opponent," head coach André Tourigny said. "That is not easy. That’s a lot of work, that’s a lot of energy night in and night out, but that’s what we have to do.

"The guys were ready right from the beginning."

Durzi made it 2-0 at 4:23 of the second period, firing a one-timer past Schmid while the Coyotes were on the power play. Keller and Cooley assisted on the goal, marking the 19-year-old’s first NHL point in the process.

With the assist, Cooley became the third-youngest Arizona player to notch a point in their debut, behind only Barrett Hayton and Jakob Chychrun.

"Coming in you want to have a good start," Cooley said. "I try to not put too much pressure on myself, but like I’ve been saying, I’ve always had high expectations for myself. I want to produce at a high rate, I want to help the team win games."

Bratt brought the Devils to within a goal at 8:09 of the middle frame, beating Vejmelka on a 2-on-1 break while the teams were skating 4-on-4. Hamilton tied the game with a power-play goal at 12:29 of the period before Bratt’s second of the game gave New Jersey its first lead, also while on the power play.

The Coyotes responded late in the third, though, as Schmaltz tied it up at 13:55 with the team's second power-play goal of the game. Cooley earned his second assist after he was able to chip the loose puck to Schmaltz, who did the rest.

The 27-year-old Schmaltz said the team's chemistry has been building since their preseason trip to Australia, and Friday's game was further proof that they have already started to gel despite all of the new faces.

"We have a lot of returners, and then some new faces that really fit in well with us," he said. "Good guys, character guys, guys that have played a long time in the league. They fit right in, and you can tell by the chatter in the locker room and on the bench that we’re playing for each other. Guys were selling out, blocking shots, doing little things that may not be noticed, but we notice them in the room."

Cooley agreed, and though he took in the atmosphere with his teammates, one of the things he'll truly remember about his NHL debut is simple, yet meaningful.

A win.

"The most important thing is the team win," he said. "The guys have welcomed me in so nice, and to get a win against a New Jersey team like that is pretty special."

The Coyotes are back in action on Monday against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, and puck drop is scheduled for 4 pm MST. The game will be broadcast on Scripps Sports (Antenna: 15.2 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson | Cable: Cox 95 Phoenix; Cox 85/Comcast 11799 Tucson) and ESPN 620 AM (Radio).