The New Jersey Devils defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 on Thursday night at the Prudential Center, ending their six-game win streak. The Devils put together a stifling defensive effort and beat the Kings at their own game to earn a big two points in the standings. With the win, the Devils improved to 19-10-3, while the Kings fell to 17-9-3.
Game Recap: Devils vs. Kings
Period One
The Devils held the early edge in play, putting some dangerous shots on David Rittich in the first 10 minutes.
New Jersey kept the pressure on throughout the period, but as has been the trend, they couldn’t find the back of the net despite outplaying their opponent.
The Devils outshot the Kings 9-1 in the first frame.
Period Two
New Jersey continued to carry play in the first half of the second period, again outshooting the Kings.
Paul Cotter took an awkward backward fall over Kevin Fiala, who was down on the ice, which led to a scoring chance for the Kings that Jacob Markstrom defended. Cotter was slow to get up but remained on the bench.
The Kings got a fast break, and Alex Turcotte was hooked, resulting in a penalty shot. Turcotte missed the net on his attempt.
After the Devils had a two-on-one chance in their own end, the puck went the other way and at 16:41, Jordan Spence scored from distance through Brett Pesce’s legs. Alex Laferriere and Phillip Danault had the assists.
The Devils answered right back at 18:56 with a play created by Jack Hughes, who circled the net and fired a shot that deflected in off Ondrej Palat’s stick. Jesper Bratt added a secondary assist.
New Jersey led the shot total 9-8 in the second period.
Period Three
New Jersey came out strong in the third, forcing turnovers and throwing pucks toward the Los Angeles net.
Both teams settled into a very defense-first structure, with a lot of neutral zone traffic that forced dump-ins.
Nico Hischier got caught with a high stick, and the Devils were awarded the first power play opportunity for either team. New Jersey got a few shots through to Rittich, but they couldn’t convert.
Dawson Mercer was hit in the face with a deflected shot and immediately went down the tunnel. He did not return to the game.
The Devils grabbed their first lead of the game with Jack Hughes’ 12th goal of the season at 12:58. Palat found Hughes in front with a beautiful backhanded-pass through traffic for his second point of the night. Brenden Dillon got on the scoresheet with a secondary assist.
New Jersey was tagged for a tripping penalty with just under four minutes left in the game.
After a great save by Markstrom and a clear by Jack Hughes, the Devils broke out. At 17:17, Pesce scored his first goal as a Devil and his first career shorthanded goal. Jack Hughes had the only assist, earning him another three-point night.
The Kings pulled their goalie, but the Devils closed out a great performance with a deserved victory.
The Devils outshot the Kings 26-13 in the win.
Takeaways
Devils Defense Reigns Supreme
The Devils put together an impressive defensive performance and out-dueled one of the best shutdown teams in the NHL. They allowed just 13 total shots against a team that averages over 27 per game. Contrarily, the Kings allow just 24.2 shots per game, the lowest average in the league, and the Devils put 26 on Rittich, successfully scoring three.
This came on the heels of another quality defensive effort against the Maple Leafs, when the Devils allowed just 17 total shots by Toronto’s potent offense. It also marked the second consecutive game that the team allowed just one shot in the first period. While New Jersey ultimately fell to the Maple Leafs in overtime, such stifling defense in back-to-back games is a welcome sight for Sheldon Keefe.
“A major priority when I was coming here was to get this team to defend, and we’re really starting to figure it out, and it’s been exciting,” said Keefe postgame.
New Jersey’s defensive improvements are reflected in the statistics. They’re allowing an average of 2.66 goals per game, which is 6th fewest in the league. They also have a top 10 penalty kill in the league, operating at 81.3%. The penalty kill, in particular, was huge for the Devils against the Kings. While there weren’t many odd-man situations for either team, New Jersey’s penalty kill came through at a pivotal point in the game and even scored an insurance goal to secure the victory.
Jack Hughes also continued his excellent defensive efforts, making a crucial play to clear the zone on the late penalty kill. Not only was he responsible for getting the puck out, but his defense resulted in offense with an assist on Pesce’s shorthanded goal just a few seconds later.
It’s encouraging to see the whole team buy into the defensive system and be rewarded for their efforts.
Palat Stays Hot
Ondrej Palat has flown under the radar for much of the season, but his contributions have shown through in the past few games. He notched the only goal for New Jersey on Tuesday against the Maple Leafs and racked up another goal and an assist against the Kings.
He doesn’t play a flashy game, but he consistently wins pucks and makes plays to find Jack Hughes and Bratt in scoring positions. More recently, he has gone to the dangerous areas of the ice and been the beneficiary of great passes from his linemates.
While he doesn’t always find himself on the scoresheet, he has complemented his line nicely, and it is good to see him rewarded with some points.
Up Next: Devils vs. Blackhawks
The Devils look to close off their homestand on a high note when they take on Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon at the Rock.
The Blackhawks sit at the bottom of the Central Division with a 9-18-2 record. In their most recent game, they fell just short of a four-goal comeback, losing 5-4 to the New York Islanders.
Puck drop is set for 1:00 p.m. on MSGSN, CHSN and NHLN.
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