The Arizona Coyotes lost their home opener at Mullett Arena on Friday night, the NHL team’s first game in its temporary home at Arizona State University.
Blake Wheeler’s goal at 32 seconds of overtime gave the Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 victory over the Coyotes in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd of 4,600 fans — considered a sellout in the NCAA-sized rink.
“Tough way to end it, right? I felt we deserved better,” Coyotes forward Christian Fischer, who had two goals in the loss, said. “But I thought energy of the crowd was great. Something that we’ve missed as players, especially guys that have been here for a while. It’s loud, and the fans are cheering for us. That’s all we really care about. It’s a cool little rink.”