Jack Hughes scored to snap a tie with 7:02 remaining in the third period to fuel the New Jersey Devils to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday in Newark, N.J.
Hughes also notched an assist on both Ondrej Palat’s second goal in as many games and defenseman Brett Pesce’s short-handed tally in the third period.
Jacob Markstrom made 12 saves to propel the Devils to their 14th win in their last 21 games (14-6-1).
Defenseman Jordan Spence scored a goal and David Rittich turned aside 23 shots for the Kings, who fell short in their bid to record their first seven-game winning streak since Oct. 30-Nov. 11, 2021.
Palat’s nifty backhanded centering feed from deep in the right circle found Hughes for an easy conversion to give New Jersey a 2-1 lead. The goal was Hughes’ 12th of the season and fourth in his past seven games.
Pesce provided insurance with 2:43 remaining in the third period following a dogged effort in front of the net.
In a scoreless game late in the second period, Spencer forced a turnover off a two-on-one rush in the defensive end, skated up the ice and wired a one-timer from the point off Alex Laferriere’s cross-ice feed to beat Markstrom at 16:41.
Los Angeles’ lead was short-lived, however.
Hughes bolted out of the corner, skated across the slot and used a makeshift pick in front of the net before wristing a shot that Palat deflected home at 18:56 of the middle period.
The Kings received a penalty shot when Alex Turcotte was hooked by Brenden Dillon during a partial breakaway at 11:01 of the second period. Turcotte, however, missed the net as he attempted to beat Markstrom over his blocker.
New Jersey’s Paul Cotter fell over Los Angeles’ Kevin Fiala and hit the ice during the second period. Cotter struggled to get to the bench and remained hunched over for several moments before returning to the game shortly thereafter.
–Field Level Media
