In the midst of trying to acquire Taylor Hall, the Coyotes played the Devils last night.

The team that is good but can't score lost 2-1 to one of the worst teams in the NHL.

Tough loss, though, as the Coyotes had almost 60% possession, including a brutally dominant second period that saw them get nearly 80% of the shot-attempts.

The Coyotes had 65% of the expected goals through two, but seemed to wither in the third.

One thing that continues to drive Coyotes fans nuts is the lines that Rick Tocchet puts together. All due respect to the guy because he has become 100 x the coach I originally thought he was, but he seems to have no feel for the offensive side of the game.

Like for instance, if you're having trouble scoring, maybe Lawson Crouse and Carl Soderberg aren't the best linemates for Phil Kessel.

I would love for the Coyotes to go back to Stepan centring Kessel and keller, but for now their lines are a mess. No point in worrying though, perhaps they'll have a new best player the next time they play.

For what it's worth, the Coyotes lost a 2-1 game in which three of their top six scorers by p/60 either didn't play (Hayton) or barely played (Garland, Grabner).

It is the sixth game of the season where the Coyotes held their opponent to two goals or less in regulation and lost a game.

That is a lot of points to leave on the table in games where your goalies play well.

Perhaps adding Taylor Hall will fix what ails them.

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