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Devils Dethrone Kings in Saturday Matinee
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Devils Dethrone Kings in Saturday Matinee

Originally posted on Inside The Rink
By Sara Schlechtweg  |  Last updated Oct 24, 2026 10:53 PM ET
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The New Jersey Devils defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Prudential Center. In the immediate aftermath of Friday’s blockbuster trade to acquire Connor Hellebuyck, the Devils weren’t sharp out of the gate, struggling to get going in the first. However, by the second period they had found their legs and, again, dominated the shot totals. With the win, the Devils improved to 7-4-0 while the Kings fell to 2-5-2.

Game Recap

Period One

The Devils ended up on the penalty kill early, after Brett Pesce was called for a hook, and killed it without allowing a shot.

Jack Hughes and Arseny Gritsyuk went the other way on a two-on-one, but Hughes’ pass was cut off by a diving defender.

The shots were only 3-0 in favor of the Kings at the halfway point of the period, as both teams searched for offense.

The Devils got their first flurry of chances with just over five minutes left to play in the period. Dougie Hamilton blasted a chance from the blue line, and Jack Hughes dished a pass to the slot, but Jesper Boqvist fanned on the shot.

Evan Rodrigues was hauled down, sending the Devils to a late power play, but they couldn’t convert.

New Jersey outshot L.A. 5-4 in the opening 20 minutes.

Period Two

The Devils had the edge to start the second, but Anton Forsberg was strong in net and fought off their chances.

The Kings applied some pressure in front of Jake Allen, but the Devils blocked shots and retrieved loose pucks well.

Jack Hughes had a flurry of chances at the other end, but the game stayed knotted at zero. He drew a penalty when Scott Laughton hauled him down in the neutral zone, sending the Devils to their second power play.

New Jersey’s power play looked great, managing three dangerous shots on net, but nothing to show for it on the score sheet.

The power play expired, and the Kings went the other way, with Laughton fresh out of the box, grabbing the first goal of the game at 15:57 on just their second shot of the period. Adrian Kempe and Andre Lee had the assists.

The Devils went back to work and rang a shot off the post before Anthony Mantha danced around a few defenders and beat Forsberg at 18:43, through a screen by Jonas Siegenthaler. Boqvist and Rodrigues had the assists.

The Devils outshot the Kings 14-3 in a dominant middle frame.

Period Three

L.A. had a good chance early, but the Devils quickly turned the ice in their favor, generating some good opportunities in the O-zone.

New Jersey’s work paid off, and after an extended shift in front of Forsberg, Pesce gave the Devils the lead at 8:08, his first goal of the season. Luke Evangelista and Gritsyuk added assists.

Nico Hischier had a good look but was tripped down without a call. Seconds later, Timo Meier was called for a questionable tripping infraction, giving the Kings their second power play of the afternoon. New Jersey killed it off without allowing a shot.

The Kings scored, but it was played with a high stick, quickly wiping the goal off the board.

L.A. pulled their netminder in favor of the extra attacker with 1:40 left to play. The Devils escaped the zone with Jack Hughes, who found Gritsyuk, who buried the empty-netter to seal the win at 18:55. Jesper Bratt added a secondary assist.

The Kings pulled their goalie again, but New Jersey earned their fourth consecutive win.

The Devils outshot the Kings 26-13 in the win.

Takeaways

The New Jersey Devils put together another strong performance against the Kings, quietly erasing some of the lingering questions that had reemerged in the first five or so games of the season.

Even with some changes in the lineup with the departure of Dawson Mercer and Nico Daws from their active roster, the Devils defended very well, only surrendering 13 shots in the 60-minute effort.

Additionally, they were much more composed defending their lead in the dying minutes. Against the Avalanche, they managed to hold on to the win, but it wasn’t pretty, with Colorado notching two goals with their netminder pulled.

The Devils were able to lock it down much better against the Kings, a comforting sign of improvement from game to game.

Up Next

The Devils head out west for the next three contests, kicking off the road trip against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.

Dallas sits third in the Central Division, with a 6-3-1 record to start the season. Most recently, they defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in overtime on Thursday night. Dallas will take on the New York Islanders on Sunday night, before welcoming the Devils to town on Tuesday.

Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on MSGSN and Prime Video.

This article first appeared on Inside The Rink and was syndicated with permission.

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