The New Jersey Devils beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 Saturday at Prudential Center. Arseny Gritsyuk scored and assisted for two points as New Jersey erased an early deficit and pulled away in the third period to improve to 7-4-0.
Scott Laughton gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 15:57 of the second period with a wrist shot assisted by Adrian Kempe and Andre Lee. New Jersey answered less than three minutes later when Anthony Mantha tied it 1-1 on a wrist shot set up by Jesper Boqvist and Evan Rodrigues. Brett Pesce put the Devils ahead for good 8:08 into the third period, and Gritsyuk sealed the victory with 1:05 left, assisted by Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Los Angeles fell to 2-5-2.
Key Moments: How New Jersey Pulled Away
New Jersey outshot Los Angeles 26-13 for the game, a gap that showed up most in the final period as the Devils controlled play while protecting a one-goal lead. Pesce’s third-period goal, assisted by Luke Evangelista and Gritsyuk, snapped a 1-1 tie and put New Jersey in front for the rest of the night. Gritsyuk’s wrist shot, assisted by Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, sealed the result.
Both special-teams units were shut out. The Devils went 0-for-2 on the power play and the Kings finished 0-for-2 as well, meaning all four goals came at even strength.
Top Performers From Devils Vs Kings
Gritsyuk finished with a goal and an assist for two points, the most of any player in the game, and leads New Jersey in scoring with six goals on the season. Pesce scored his first goal of the year. Evangelista and Bratt each picked up an assist in the win.
Devils goaltender Jake Allen stopped 12 of 13 shots for a .923 save percentage in the win. Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg made 23 saves on 25 shots, stopping all but two for a .920 save percentage. Laughton paced Los Angeles with a goal and two points, while Kempe and Lee each added an assist.
What It Means
New Jersey sits at 14 points and seventh in the Metropolitan Division standings, three points behind the New York Rangers and four behind division-leading Carolina. The Devils now lead their season series with Los Angeles 1-0. The loss leaves the Kings at six points, seventh in the Pacific Division, ahead of only Vancouver.
New Jersey’s offensive push has been carried in part by Gritsyuk, whose two-point outing continues a strong early-season run that included a goal streak in the Devils’ recent 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
What’s Next
The Devils improve to 7-4-0, while the Kings fall to 2-5-2 in the Pacific Division.
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