New Jersey @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 2, 2017 ) New Jersey 0, Arizona 5

The New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes are each fighting to avoid last place in their respective divisions and it doesn't take much to figure out why both teams are scuffling this season. The Devils are tied for the fewest road wins in the league while the Coyotes own the NHL's worst mark at home heading into Friday night's matchup in Glendale, Ariz.

New Jersey opened a four-game road trip with a 5-4 loss at Dallas on Wednesday night to snap a three-game winning streak after a late comeback fell short. “You can’t expect to play the way we did and have an opportunity (to win),” Devils forward Kyle Palmieri said after his team was outshot 28-2 in the first half of the setback. Arizona has dropped the first two contests of a four-game homestand, falling to Edmonton 3-1 on Wednesday, and has been limited to one goal or less in six of the last nine games. "We're a little challenged right now (by injuries)," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "This is the world that you live in. This is important. I've got to show leadership. We can't hang our head."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), FS Arizona Plus

ABOUT THE DEVILS (15-17-7): Rookie goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood, who had posted back-to-back shutouts in his previous two outings, allowed more goals to Dallas than he had in his first four career starts combined. "Every night's not going to be perfect, right?" Blackwood said. "The good thing in this business is you're right back at it pretty soon after, so it's a good opportunity for us in this room to show our adversity and come back in the next one." Leading scorer and reigning league MVP Taylor Hall, the team's lone All-Star selection, is expected to miss his fifth straight game due to a lower-body injury.

ABOUT THE COYOTES (17-21-2): An already struggling offense absorbed another blow when Arizona announced that forward Nick Schmaltz, who has five goals and 14 points in 17 games since he was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, was placed on injured reserve Thursday and is listed as week-to-week. Schmaltz will be joined on the sideline by defenseman Kevin Connauton, who was hurt late in Wednesday's loss, although Tocchet did not offer any specifics on the injury after Thursday's practice. Brad Richardson scored the lone goal Wednesday after sitting out the previous three games due to illness.

OVERTIME

1. Coyotes F Clayton Keller, who leads the team with 29 points, was selected to play in the All-Star Game.

2. Palmieri reached 20 goals for the fourth consecutive season in Wednesday's game.

3. Arizona recalled C Laurent Dauphin from Tucson of the American Hockey League.

PREDICTION: Devils 4, Coyotes 2