The New Jersey Devils (19-10-3) defeated the Los Angeles Kings (17-9-3) 3-1 at the Prudential Center on Thursday. The win snapped both a two-game losing streak for New Jersey and a league-best six-game win streak for Los Angeles. With the win, the Devils remain second in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind Washington.
Game Summary
First Period
The Devils had another strong start in this one, but similarly to Tuesday, could not beat the opposing goaltender. The Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer line created a flurry of chances in the slot, but David Rittich came up with three big saves four minutes in.
On the next shift, Los Angeles nearly punched back when a Vladislav Gavrikov point shot was deflected off the post.
The scoring chances calmed down after that stretch, but the Devils continued to control the majority of play. However, New Jersey still could not capitalize.
The latter half of the first period was relatively uneventful and the frame ended scoreless.
In the first, shots were 9-1 in favor of New Jersey. The Devils posted a 53.13 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 72.92 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) at five-on-five.
Second Period
Once again, both teams did a great job of taking away quality chances to start the second. Jacob Markstrom was forced into some saves through traffic from the outside while New Jersey’s best chance was Nico Hischier on a partial two-on-one, but his shot was gloved by Rittich.
The best chance of the game came just after the midway point of the period. Samuel Helenius picked out Alex Turcotte with a great stretch pass, and Brendan Dillon hooked Turcotte from behind, giving away a penalty shot.
On the penalty shot, Turcotte tried to go high blocker, but missed the net high, keeping the game scoreless.
Los Angeles had another great chance when Kevin Fiala’s wrister was gloved on a two-on-one.
The Devils had a two-on-one of their own, but Jack Hughes’ pass was intercepted by Jordan Spence. Luke Hughes ended up losing an edge and the Kings had a four-on-two the other way. The puck came back to Spence, who fired a one-timer from outside the circles through Brett Pesce and the five-hole of Markstrom, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead with three minutes left in the second.
The Devils finally found an answer, though. Jack Hughes skated around the zone and fired a shot from the dot that hit Ondrej Palat in front. The puck leaked through Rittich and tied the game at one with 1:04 to go in the frame.
After two, it was a 1-1 game. In the second, shots were 9-8 New Jersey. At five-on-five, the Devils posted a 63.16 CF% and a 65.29 xGF%.
Third Period
The first shot on net in the third period came nine minutes in when Markstrom denied Warren Foegele.
Moments later, the Devils went to the game’s first power play after Samuel Helenius high-sticked Nico Hischier.
The Kings killed off the man advantage, though. David Rittich made a strong save after a nifty Stefan Noesen move in tight, but otherwise, the Devils struggled to get set up in the offensive zone.
After the power play, the Devils kept pushing. Ondrej Palat made a beautiful pass through the slot to Jack Hughes who buried the go-ahead goal with seven minutes to go.
The Kings pushed hard for an equalizer and got a power play of their own with four minutes to go after Erik Haula tripped Kevin Fiala.
On the man advantage, Markstrom made a great save to deny Quinton Byfield in tight. Then, Jack Hughes had a chance the other way. His shot was blocked by Brandt Clarke, but the rebound came right to Brett Pesce who squeezed a shot through Rittich. His first goal as a Devil made it 3-1 with three minutes left.
There were still 56 seconds left on the Haula minor, so Los Angeles pulled the goalie for a six-on-four. Jacob Markstrom came up with a couple more saves to kill the penalty, though. After that, New Jersey ran the clock out for a 3-1 win.
In the third, shots were 8-4 Devils. At five-on-five, New Jersey put up a 63.13 CF% and a tremendous 95.58 xGF%.
Wrap-Up
New Jersey outshot Los Angeles 26-13 in the game. The Devils registered a 59.55 CF% and a 74.96 xGF% at five-on-five.
Jacob Markstrom earned the win, stopping 12 of 13 shots. He turned aside 0.86 goals above expected.
The only negative for New Jersey was Dawson Mercer taking a puck to the face in the third period. He went down the tunnel and did not return. Check out our social channels for updates on his status for Saturday. Mercer has played 278 consecutive games since his NHL debut.
Game Notes
Hischier Line Dominates
It was a tremendous showing from the entire Devils’ team, but especially the line of Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer. The trio logged over 13 minutes of ice time at five-on-five and put up a 91.68 xGF%. Scoring chances were 9-1 with this line on the ice.
Unfortunately, Dawson Mercer was injured by a missed shot late in the third, but even when Stefan Noesen filled in on the line down the stretch, the Devils had a 2-0 edge in high-danger chances.
Although this line didn’t find the net, the underlying numbers were excellent, and the goals will start to come.
Siegenthaler-Kovacevic Pairing
At five-on-five, the duo of Jonas Siegenthaler and Johnathan Kovacevic led the New Jersey defensemen with a 82.15 and a 78.97 xGF%, respectively. The pairing also logged a team-high 20 minutes of ice time at five-on-five.
The only negative was that the Kings put up three high-danger chances against this duo, but the Devils still had a 5-3 edge, and as seen in the xGF%, New Jersey clearly had the better of the play and the better quality of chances with Siegenthaler and Kovacevic on the ice.
Fourth Line Struggles
Kurtis MacDermid was a late addition to the lineup in place of Tomas Tatar. During his postgame availability, head coach Sheldon Keefe said he wanted to get MacDermid back in the lineup. It was MacDermid’s first game since November 30.
However, it was not a great night for the line of MacDermid, Justin Dowling, and Nate Bastian. The trio all had an xGF% below 40.00 with Dowling and MacDermid below 23.00. No other Devil registered a mark below 63.00 xGF%. Also, all three surrendered a 3-0 deficit in high-danger chances. Those were three of the four high-danger looks Los Angeles generated all night.
What’s Next
The Devils wrap up this five-game homestand against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 pm ET on MSGSN.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.