SAN JOSE -- Taylor Hall quickly showed the Arizona Coyotes why a team trades for Taylor Hall.
There were less than three minutes left in their game at the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, and the Pacific Division rivals were tied 2-2. Hall blazed down the right wing into the Sharks' zone and forced a turnover by defenseman Brenden Dillon. Hall skated the stolen puck behind the San Jose net and passed it to defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, whose quick shot bounced off the snake-bitten Dillon and behind goalie Aaron Dell.
The Coyotes held on to win 3-2, thanks in part to that stellar individual effort.
This is why a team trades for Taylor Hall.
"We got him because of that last goal. He muscled his way through, and that's a big-time play for us," Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said. "He maybe had four hours' sleep. Hasn't played in a week."
Hall was traded by the New Jersey Devils to the Coyotes on Monday for three prospects and two conditional draft picks. Hall, a free agent next summer, wanted to play on a playoff team. The Devils, in second-to-last place in the NHL, aren't likely to be one. New Jersey GM Ray Shero thought a trade was the best course of action for both the team and its star winger.
The former Hart Trophy winner last played on Dec. 10, as the Devils made him a healthy scratch for two games in anticipation of a trade. Despite the late-game heroics, the rust was evident on Tuesday.
"It wasn't great. I fell down a couple of times. Made some plays I'd like to have back," Hall said. "I didn't feel great, but that's hockey. It wasn't pretty, but they're not always going to be masterpieces. Find a way to make a play. Find a way to win a game."
Some of this rust was due to exhaustion. Hall arrived in San Jose at 7:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, on a plane sent by Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo to collect him. He lugged his gear in a New Jersey Devils equipment bag. "Right off the bat, it was 'How can we help, and what can we do for you?' And that's what I've heard from other players," Hall said. "It only makes me more excited about what's to come."
The Coyotes were on a plane when they heard that Hall had been traded to their team, which led to a few uncomfortable moments in the cabin.
"Everyone was looking around to see if anyone got traded from our team. Luckily no one went the other way," forward Clayton Keller said. "It's so exciting for our team. We were really happy he was traded here."
Hall took part in an optional practice for the Coyotes on Tuesday, skating in a Sedona red sweater. He wore a white Coyotes jersey in his first game with the team, but without either of his customary numbers: No. 4, which he wore with the Edmonton Oilers, is owned by defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, and No. 9, his number in New Jersey, is worn by Keller.
He opted for No. 91, in honor of his birth year.
"Putting on that jersey and seeing '91,' a number I've never worn in my life, might have been the weirdest part. But as the games go on, it'll seem normal," he said.
So will all the other little adjustments.
"Everything's different. The warm-up drills you do on the ice. Your routine is off," he said.
Hall skated 18:22 in his Coyotes debut, with three shot attempts and one shot on goal. He played left wing, across from right wing Phil Kessel on the Coyotes' top line. A few times the two nearly connected for some offensive chances, but Hall said they spent too much time in their own zone.
"We didn't have a strong game. But he's a great player," Hall said of Kessel, who has struggled with seven goals in 36 games for Arizona. "He's maybe not feeling as confident as he does sometime, but you can see he still has the skill and the power and speed."
With the win, the Coyotes moved back into first place in their division with 44 points, or 19 more than Hall's former team has. In the dressing room after the game, Hall wore the coyote pelt hat that's awarded to the player of the game, and he gave a small speech about how much he values the opportunity presented to him to compete for a playoff spot.
"I just said it's nice to be part of this group. It seems like a great group of guys who like fighting for each other and playing for each other. That's all that you want," he said. "It's exciting. It's a positive change. We're in first place in the division."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiXmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmVzcG4uY29tL25obC9zdG9yeS9fL2lkLzI4MzIwODg1L3RheWxvci1oYWxsLWJpZy1wbGF5LWhlbHBzLWxlYWQtY295b3Rlcy13aW4tZGVidXTSAWtodHRwczovL3d3dy5lc3BuLmNvbS9uaGwvc3RvcnkvXy9pZC8yODMyMDg4NS90YXlsb3ItaGFsbC1iaWctcGxheS1oZWxwcy1sZWFkLWNveW90ZXMtd2luLWRlYnV0P3BsYXRmb3JtPWFtcA?oc=5
2019-12-18 07:06:57Z
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