After a frustrating loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday, the New Jersey Devils (33-31-2, 7th Metropolitan) bounced back to beat the Los Angeles Kings (27-24-15, 5th Pacific) 5-4 at the Prudential Center last night in a rollercoaster of a game.

First Period

The Devils started strong with a good first few shifts, getting good looks in the Kings’ zone. Los Angeles held its own, and the teams went back and forth for the first part of the period.

Cody Glass broke the ice for New Jersey eight minutes into the period. Arseny Gritsyuk slid a backhand pass to him from the boards to the high slot, and Glass didn’t miss his chance to bury it.

Up 1-0, the Kings came back at the Devils and took control of the momentum. The Devils’ defensive structure held firm, however, and held strong against LA’s attack.

The Devils broke out of their own end and had a strong shift in the offensive zone. Nico Hischier rewarded them by scoring to give them a two-goal lead. Timo Meier had the initial shot from the boards, which Hischier tipped into Anton Forsberg’s pad. He collected the rebound and quickly snapped it past a defenseless Forsberg.

The Kings continued to work, but couldn’t break through in the first period. The Devils got the first power play of the game late in the period off a Drew Doughty cross-checking call. They didn’t score in the closing seconds of the period, and the power play would continue to start the second.

The Kings had a stronger frame than the Devils, with a 66.67 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 72.03 expected goal percentage (xG%) at five-on-five, but New Jersey persisted to go into the first intermission up 2-0.

Second Period

Los Angeles killed off the remainder of the Devils’ power play time and continued their solid run of play. They flipped the script by drawing a penalty, a Dougie Hamilton interference call, to put them on the power play.

Anze Kopitar finally got the Kings on the board shortly into the man advantage, redirecting a pass from recent acquisition Artemi Panarin in front of the net and past Jake Allen to make it a 2-1 game.

The Kings had all the momentum after scoring their first goal, caving the Devils into their defensive zone. They didn’t let New Jersey off the hook for their lazy play, scoring again to tie the game. Panarin circled unchallenged in the middle of the offensive zone, and he wristed a nice shot from the high-slot past Allen, who was screened by an equally unchallenged Kopitar.

Los Angeles wasn’t done yet, as Taylor Ward blasted a one-timer midway through the period to shock the Devils and give the Kings their first lead of the night at 3-2. They continued to ride the wave through the rest of the period. Anze Kopitar nearly had another when he went in on a two-on-one, but grazed the crossbar with his shot. 

The Devils unraveled in the second period, looking sloppy the moment Los Angeles scored its first goal. The Kings continued to control even-strength possession, posting a 57.89 CF% and a 66.5 xG% in the second period.

Third Period

The Devils responded in a big way to start the third period. Lenni Hämeenaho carried the puck confidently into the offensive zone in the opening seconds and made a beautiful move to set up Arseny Gritsyuk for a goal. He dangled the puck between his legs to lose his defender and sent a slick feed to Gritsyuk, who buried it to tie the game at 3-3.

Jesper Bratt got called for tripping immediately after the goal, but the Devils killed off the ensuing Kings’ power play. They got hot after the kill and firmly held the momentum. They got a prime chance to take the lead when Quentin Byfield got called for tripping.

The power play started off poorly as the Devils struggled to enter the zone and get shots on goal, but Nico Hischier broke through again to capitalize and retake the lead for New Jersey, cleaning up a rebound and snapping it past Forsberg to make it 4-3.

The Devils took a penalty after scoring for the second time in the third period, this time a holding call for Hämeenaho. They weren’t so lucky this time, and Anze Kopitar got his second power-play goal of the night to make it 4-4. Panarin had the primary assist again as he set up the one-timer, which trickled off the heel of Kopitar’s stick but fooled Jake Allen.

New Jersey pressed hard to try and retake the lead in the back-and-forth affair, and they got another gift when Jack Hughes drew a holding call on Brandt Clarke. The Devils wasted no time, as Hischier corralled a pass off the boards from Dougie Hamilton, spun around, and fed Jack Hughes for a one-time blast to give the Devils a 5-4 lead.

Los Angeles pulled Forsberg in a last-ditch effort to tie the game, but the Devils held firm. Timo Meier scored the empty-netter to seal the game 6-4. The Devils controlled possession for the first time in the third period, earning a 65.52 CF% and a 69.47 xG% at five-on-five.

Results

The Devils could have waved the white flag after a horrendous second period, as they have often done this season, but a strong response in the third period allowed them to pull out the win. New Jersey absolutely needed a win after a frustrating loss on Thursday, and they persevered to do just that.

Game Notes

• Anze Kopitar became the Kings’ all-time points leader with his two goals last night, surpassing Marcel Dionne’s 921. Kopitar was lethal on the power play, scoring both of his goals with a man advantage. The Devils lined up to congratulate the Slovenian center after the game.
• Nico Hischier was the backbone of the Devils’ offense Sunday night, scoring two goals and notching two assists. He played a big role in setting up offensive chances, especially Jack Hughes’ power play goal.
• Jake Allen wasn’t at his sharpest, but that’s to be expected after riding the bench for nearly a month. He allowed four goals on 31 shots for a .871 SV% and -0.13 goals saved above expected (GSAx). Hopefully, Allen will get hot as he gets more starts down the stretch.
• Lenni Hämeenaho had a strong night on the third line, punctuated by the nasty move to set up the Gritsyuk goal. He finished with a 61.11 CF% at five-on-five and a 2.01 Game Score.

Up Next

The Devils will take on the Boston Bruins on Monday at 7:00 pm ET.