TORONT0 ¡ª The Toronto Maple Leafs gave indications that they
are learning how to win at home while the New Jersey Devils have yet to get
their act together on the road.After losing four of their previous home
games
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Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night and their record at Scotiabank Arena
stands at 4-5-0.The Devils (6-6-1), after thumping the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1
Monday for their first away win of the season, were trounced 7-3 by the Ottawa
Senators om Tuesday and are 1-5-0 on the road.Article continues below ...Despite
the win over Vegas, Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock was not totally convinced. ¡°I
thought we started real good the first 10 minutes and then I thought we got
fooling around with the puck and they showed us how fast they were,¡± Babcock
said. ¡°I thought they really dominated the second period. We were lucky to get
out of the second. I didn¡¯t mind our third. In the end, when you look at this
game, it¡¯s kind of like when Pittsburgh left here with the points or Dallas left
here with the points. You thought you had done enough to win, and you didn¡¯t.
Tonight, the shoe is on the other foot and we¡¯ll take ¡®er and maybe we can
loosen up at home a little bit and play.¡±The Devils will be playing the sixth
game of a seven-game trip Friday in Toronto during the Hall of Fame weekend
festivities.They lost in Ottawa despite taking a 2-0 lead at the 11:20 mark of
the first period.¡°Those first 10 minutes we got rewarded for what we wanted to
do,¡± Devils defenseman Andy Greene said. ¡°We were playing with speed, we were
playing a north-south game and we were getting rewarded. You¡¯d think it would be
easier that way to just stick with it. All of a sudden we were moving east-west,
we stopped moving our feet and that seems to be the problem.¡±The Devils have
been searching for consistency. They have not won two in a row since opening the
season with four straight wins. They could have some help soon in the return of
injured players.Jesper Bratt (jaw fracture), Steven Santini (jaw fracture) and
Stefan Noesen (upper body) are still on injured reserve but practiced with the
team Thursday in Toronto.Bratt, who has yet to play in the regular
season
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Friday or Sunday when the trip ends against the Winnipeg Jets.¡°It is a
possibility,¡± Devils coach John Hynes said. ¡°He¡¯s really done a good job. His
recovery¡¯s gone well, we¡¯ve pushed him really hard, so physically he¡¯s in shape
and ready to go. Hopefully he gets cleared here and hopefully he¡¯s back before
the end of the trip.¡±The left winger had 13 goals and 22 assists as a rookie
last season. Goaltender Eddie Lack was put on waivers Thursday and that would
clear a roster spot for a return of Brett or possibly Noesen, who was injured
Oct. 30.The Devils will be facing a hot goaltender in Toronto¡¯s Frederik
Andersen, who has allowed one goal in his past two games. He stopped 36 shots
against Vegas and has made at least 30 saves in six of his eight win this
season.¡°I, personally, feel good,¡± Andersen said. ¡°We¡¯re keeping (opposing
players) a little bit more to the outside, which is helping me out, seeing the
puck better and clearing the shooting lanes. It¡¯s not so many times I have to
fight through traffic and, obviously, that makes my job easier.¡±¡°It seems like
he¡¯s got no pressure on him,¡± said Toronto right winger Mitch Marner
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who scored a goal Tuesday. ¡°He just goes out there and has fun with it. He¡¯s a
pretty quiet guy but this year he¡¯s opened up a lot. He jokes around a lot.
¡When he gets to the rink, he¡¯s a very serious guy. He really focuses and gets
ready for the games.¡± GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) ¡ª Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet saw
Thursday night¡¯s game as a must-win, and Arizona was up for the task.It just
took a couple of periods to get going.Clayton Keller and Brad Richardson scored
during Arizona¡¯s three-goal third, and the Coyotes beat the first-place
Vancouver Canucks 4-1.¡°In our eyes, it was a game that we needed,¡± Tocchet said.
¡°We were a little sloppy the first couple (of periods). But the third period,
the players dug in, which I¡¯m proud of.¡±Keller took advantage of a turnover in
Vancouver¡¯s zone to make it 2-1 about four minutes into the third, and
Richardson scored short-handed about eight minutes later. Lawson Crouse added an
empty-net goal.Arizona ended a two-game home skid and has won three of four
overall. The Coyotes played the first of five games at home after a four-game
road trip.¡°We got better as the game went along. It definitely wasn¡¯t pretty but
we got the job done, and that¡¯s what matters the most,¡± Keller said. ¡°I kind of
just shot it five-hole, it¡¯s definitely a shot I like to do when you¡¯ve got two
guys and the goalie starts to cheat a little bit.¡±Alex Goligoski scored in the
second period for the first goal by a Coyotes defenseman this season. It was
also Arizona¡¯s first goal on home ice.The injury-riddled Canucks were without
several key players, including three who got hurt in a win Wednesday night at
Vegas. The Pacific Division leaders played their first back-to-back set this
season.Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots in place of Arizona starter Antti
Raanta
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illness.Anders Nilsson had 26 saves for the Canucks, and Darren Archibald
scored.Vancouver had two good chances to score in the first period, but Loui
Eriksson¡¯s shot from in close was stopped by Kuemper, and Derrick Pouliot hit a
post with a power-play shot.¡°Just sticking with it,¡± Kuemper said. ¡°We expected
a tough game.¡±Goligoski flipped a backhand out of Nilsson¡¯s reach 43 seconds
into the second. The Canucks responded at 2:23 when Archibald redirected Troy
Stecher¡¯s long shot off a faceoff.¡°All the guys were feeling it today, the
travel and a couple of bodies going down (Wednesday),¡± Archibald said of playing
back-to-back games.Crouse and Canucks forward Antoine Roussel came to blows in
the second period and were both penalized for roughing. Crouse and Roussel were
also involved in a scuffle at center ice late in the period after Roussel pulled
Keller down from behind.Both Roussel and Crouse, who came to Keller¡¯s defense,
were given 10-minute misconduct penalties.Keller said Crouse and captain Oliver
Ekman-Larsson supporting him ¡°means everything¡± to him.¡°It shows what kind of
guys they are, sticking up for me,¡± Keller said.Notes: Vancouver F Brock Boeser
remained out with a groin injury and was scratched along with D Christopher
Tanev. D Alexander Edler will need an MRI when the team returns to Canada, and F
Sven Baertschi is in concussion protocol. ¡ With their injuries on defense, the
Canucks called up Alex Biega and Guillaume Brisebois from Utica of the AHL.
Biega played and Brisebois was scratched. ¡ Coyotes F Mario Kempe was assigned
to AHL Tucson on Thursday.UP NEXTVancouver starts a four-game homestand with
Pittsburgh on Saturday night.Arizona host Tampa Bay on Saturday.