Taylor Hall assists game-winning goal in debut, Coyotes beat Sharks

There isn’t often one play that wins the game in hockey, but Taylor Hall’s first big contribution as an Arizona Coyote qualifies.

With under three minutes to go in a tie game Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks, Hall skated hard up the boards, chasing after a puck behind the Sharks’ net.

He beat his defender to the spot, controlling the puck and then making a pass to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who scored for the game-winning goal in a 3-2 Arizona win.

“Sometimes you gotta make offense in different ways and just tried to get the puck in the zone and win a battle,” he said on Fox Sports Arizona’s postgame show.

O' Captain, my Captain! @OEL23 with a clutch goal to give the @ArizonaCoyotes the lead! #Yotes 3 | #SJSharks 2

3rd Period pic.twitter.com/9yKYKai0Dx

— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) December 18, 2019

Rick Tocchet, asked of Taylor Hall:

"We got him because of that last goal. He muscled his way through and that’s a big-time play for us. I think he maybe had four hours sleep and he hasn’t played in a week, but that’s a big-time play for us."

— Alexander Kinkopf (@AEKinkopf) December 18, 2019

Hall, acquired on Monday from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for draft picks and prospects, arrived in Arizona with a well-deserved pedigree as an elite player. He won the Hart Trophy two years ago and figures to form a dynamic offensive combination on the opposite wing of prolific goal-scorer Phil Kessel, who Hall lined with at the top on Tuesday.

It was a back-and-forth affair in San Jose that saw neither team quickly separate from the other.

Carl Soderberg scored in under five minutes for the Coyotes but was answered near the end of the period by the Sharks’ Tomas Hertl.

Derek Stepan pushed Arizona back in front midway through the second period, making a nice play to crash the net after a terrific pass via Lawson Crouse.

Backhand, forehand, back of the net!

What a beauty @DerekStepan21!!!#Yotes 2 | #SJSharks 1

2nd Period

Pres. by @SandersonFordAZ pic.twitter.com/zIBGXbsxPg

— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) December 18, 2019

Hertl once again equalized in the second, and an even third through over 17 minutes brought us to the captain Ekman-Larsson’s winner. He was a game-high plus-three.

Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet wasn’t afraid to use Hall in his debut. Hall had 18 minutes and 22 seconds of ice time, the most of any forward. He was also on the power-play unit alongside Ekman-Larsson, Kessel, Christian Dvorak and Clayton Keller.

Darcy Kuemper had 26 saves in the victory for Arizona, who had the edge in blocked shots (15-12), takeaways (10-8) and faceoffs won (28-23).

The Coyotes have won three out of their last five games and now head back home on Thursday to take on the Minnesota Wild.

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