The New Jersey Devils fell 2-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night at The Rock. It was a penalty-filled affair, and the Devils’ lack of power play success cost them mightily. With the loss, the Devils fell to 27-22-4, while the Kings improved to 25-16-10.
Game Recap
Period One
The Devils came out slow in the first period. They didn’t generate much offensively but made some good defensive plays to keep the game tied at zero. Goaltender Nico Daws came up huge to bail the Devils out as well.
New Jersey was outshot 13-5 in the first 20 minutes.
Period Two
After a great chance from Jack Hughes on the power play, the Devils surrendered a shorthanded goal on a rebound chance. Anze Kopitar beat Daws at 8:07 with an assist from Adrian Kempe.
Then, on another power play opportunity, the Devils cashed in to tie the game. Tyler Toffoli found the loose puck in front of David Rittich and lit the lamp at 12:58. Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes collected the assists.
Daws continued his excellent play for New Jersey following the power play goal with a highlight reel save to keep the score knotted at one.
Things got nasty after Viktor Arvidsson elbowed Jack Hughes in the head and both players got sent to the box for two minutes.
Jack Hughes found himself on a breakaway just out of the box but was hooked from behind by Arvidsson with no call. Returning to the bench, Hughes furiously smashed his stick over the boards.
The Devils were outshot 8-7 in the middle frame.
Period Three
The third period was very choppy from the beginning, thanks to numerous penalty calls.
On a questionable penalty kill, the Devils surrendered the go-ahead goal. Quinton Byfield scored at 14:23 from Brandt Clarke and Pierre-Luc Dubois.
The Devils pulled their goalie but couldn’t force overtime.
New Jersey outshot the Kings 15-8 in the final period.
Takeaways
The 2-1 loss was a tough pill to swallow for the Devils. Jack Hughes, among other Devils, was visibly upset with the calls that were and weren’t made throughout the night. The inconsistency not only caused confusion as far as the rules but also eliminated any kind of flow to the game.
The special teams battle was where the Devils lost the game. Every goal scored by either team was at uneven strength. The Devils allowed a short-handed goal and a power-play goal but only scored on one of their five attempts with the man advantage, although one was abbreviated. The Devils’ power play has been one of their biggest struggles in recent months, and its failure to click consistently likely cost them two points against the Kings.
Daws was a highlight yet again against Los Angeles, as he mounted another strong performance in the net. He saved 27 of the 29 shots that he faced for a .931 SV%. In three consecutive performances, he has a 1.69 GAA and a .944 SV%, the best numbers that any goalie has had for New Jersey this season. He is also the only goalie on their roster with over a .900 SV% collectively.
Up Next
The Devils head outside when they host the Philadelphia Flyers in the Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium on Saturday night. With all of the pageantry surrounding the event, there are still important points up for grabs against a division rival.
The Flyers sit directly ahead of New Jersey in the Metropolitan Division standings, with only seven points separating the two. The Devils also have two games in hand.
The Stadium Series is the third meeting of the season between the rivals. Both previous games were decided in overtime, with the Devils winning 4-3 on November 30th and the Flyers winning 3-2 on December 19th.
Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST on ABC and ESPN+.
