Arizona @ New Jersey preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 4, 2019 ) New Jersey 3, Arizona 2

Just as the surprising Arizona Coyotes had appeared to seize control of the second wild card in the Western Conference, a three-game slide has dropped the team outside of the playoff picture. The Coyotes will look to get back on the winning track when they resume a four-game road trip against the reeling New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon.

Arizona has scored just five goals during the 0-2-1 skid and trails the Minnesota Wild by one point for the final playoff slot. "I know pressure is there and we're going to have to handle pressure," coach Rick Tocchet said after Thursday's 4-2 defeat at Florida. "We've done a lot of good things to get in this position; now you've got to knock the door down." New Jersey, buried in the cellar of the Metropolitan Division, also has lost three in a row while getting outscored 12-2. "It's where we are as a team," Devils captain Andy Greene said. "We stay in games because of how hard we work and how hard we compete. It's not because of our skill."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, MSG (New Jersey)

ABOUT THE COYOTES (36-32-6): Forward Michael Grabner, sidelined for more than three months after taking a high stick to the eye on Dec. 1, scored his league-leading sixth short-handed goal Thursday despite sitting out 41 games. It also was a franchise record-setting 16th short-handed tally for Arizona, which owns the league's No. 2-ranked penalty-killing unit with a success rate of 85.1 percent. The Coyotes could be getting another key player back in the lineup as center Derek Stepan, who has been out since Feb. 28 due to a lower-body injury, was listed as a game-time decision for Saturday.

ABOUT THE DEVILS (27-39-9): Center Nico Hischier, the top overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, and defenseman Mirco Mueller both practiced Friday but neither player is sure if they will rejoin the lineup for Saturday's matchup. Hischier has missed the last nine games since suffering an oblique injury at Boston on March 2 while a shoulder injury has had Mueller on the shelf for 11 games. Leading scorer Kyle Palmieri, who sat out Thursday's 5-1 home loss to the Bruins after sustaining an upper-body injury versus Washington on Tuesday, did not participate in Friday's practice but has not been ruled out.

OVERTIME

1. Coyotes G Darcy Kuemper has allowed 10 goals in losing all four decisions (0-3-1) to New Jersey.

2. The Devils have scored two goals or fewer nine times during their 2-9-1 tailspin.

3. Coyotes F Alex Galchenyuk, tied for the team lead with 17 goals, has 14 points in 17 games versus the Devils.

PREDICTION: Coyotes 3, Devils 2