NEWARK, N.J. _ The Devils expect goals from top-line left wing Taylor Hall. That's becoming true for journeyman Brian Gibbons and rookie Jesper Bratt, as well.
And so the winless Coyotes are still seeking their first victory of 2017-18.
Hall scored twice _ goals Nos. 2 and 3 this season _ and Gibbons converted a short-handed penalty shot. But it was Bratt's power-play goal, the Devils' second of the third period to overcome a one-goal deficit, that proved decisive in a 4-3 win on Saturday night at Prudential Center.
Bratt, who had two assists to go with his fourth goal of the season, also had the decisive tally in the fourth round of the shootout in Friday night's 5-4 win over the visiting Senators on Saturday night for the Devils (8-2-0).
Cory Schneider made 34 saves as he returned after being activated off injured reserve earlier in the day from a knee and groin issue. He actually declared himself fully healthy on Thursday but missed Friday night's game as his wife, Jill, gave birth to the couple's second child, a daughter.
The Coyotes (0-10-1) were actually the better team for long stretches of the game as the Devils, who went 2 for 2 on the power play, played without structure too often.
Louis Domingue (21 saves), who came into the game with a 4.36 goals-against average and an .858 save percentage but was sharp throughout the game _ his pad save to rob Drew Stafford at 14:23 of the second period was a highlight _ and was the hard-luck loser after being beaten by Bratt at 15:47 of the third period.
Hall, with an assist, also had a three-point game.
The Devils were already dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen with Kyle Palmieri (left foot) missing his second straight game and captain Andy Greene unavailable after his wife, Rachel, gave birth to the couple's second child, a son, earlier in the day.
Then, top-six left wing Marcus Johansson suffered a lower-body injury in the pre-game warmups and was a late scratch, with Stefan Noesen stepping into the lineup.
Gibbons, 29, familiar to Devils general manager Ray Shero and coach John Hynes from their time together in the Penguins' organization, is in his second season in the Devils' organization and playing on a one-year, two-way contract worth $650,000 in the NHL.
Prior to this season, he had played 66 career NHL games, with five goals and 12 assists in 41 games for the Penguins in 2013-14. But he spent the last two seasons in the AHL.
Now, he's matched his career high for goals after converting a short-handed penalty shot to tie the game at 1 at 11:55 of the first period after he was hooked on a breakaway by Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Gibbons is now 1 for 2 lifetime on penalty shots and has scored two of the Devils' four short-handed goals this season, the other one coming when the Devils were down two men.
The Devils had a total of six short-handed goals last season.
It was par for an odd first period when the Devils only showed structure and a potent attack while playing short-handed. After a week worth of practice in which not taking penalties was an emphasis _ and after taking just two penalties on Friday night _ the Coyotes had four power plays in the first period, opening the scoring on Christian Fischer's power-play rebound goal at 10:37.
Hall gave the Devils a 2-1 lead off Bratt's feed at 11:09 of the second period. But the Devils quickly fumbled that lead away. First, Dalton Prout screened Schneider on Brendan Perlini's shot to tie the game just 48 seconds later. Then, Clayton Keller stripped No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier of the puck at the Devils' blue line and skated in to beat Schneider through his pads for a 3-2 lead at 15:13 of the second period.
