Jack Hughes scored the decisive goal with 2:29 remaining, and Jake Allen recorded 27 saves as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Los Angeles Kings 6-4 in a back-and-forth matchup Saturday night.
Hughes delivered the game-winner on the power play to give New Jersey a 5-4 advantage late in the third period. Nico Hischier scored twice, while Cody Glass, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Timo Meier — who sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the closing seconds — also found the net for the Devils.
For Los Angeles, Anze Kopitar scored twice, setting a new franchise record for career points. Artemi Panarin and Taylor Ward also added goals for the Kings.
Ward briefly gave Los Angeles a 3-2 lead midway through the second period after Kopitar and Panarin scored less than two minutes apart, helping the Kings recover from an early two-goal deficit.
New Jersey quickly responded in the third period when Gritsyuk tied the game just 25 seconds after the puck dropped. Hischier’s second goal later in the period restored the Devils’ lead before Kopitar equalized again to set up Hughes’ late heroics.
Glass opened the scoring at 7:56 of the first period with his career-best 15th goal, beating goaltender Anton Forsberg with a fluttering shot. Hischier doubled the Devils’ lead a few minutes later to make it 2-0.
Kopitar began Los Angeles’ comeback early in the second period with a goal that cut the deficit to 2-1.
The 38-year-old Kings captain’s second goal of the night was historic. Kopitar now has 450 goals and 858 assists for 1,308 career points, surpassing Marcel Dionne for the most points in franchise history. Dionne scored 550 goals for Los Angeles, while Luc Robitaille remains the team’s all-time goal leader with 557.
Kopitar, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, has already announced that this season will be his last.
Panarin tied the game at 2-2 midway through the second period with his third goal since being acquired from the New York Rangers on Feb. 4.
Los Angeles continues to battle San Jose, Seattle, and Nashville for the final Western Conference playoff spot.
Up Next
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Devils: Host the Boston Bruins on Monday night.
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Kings: Conclude a five-game road trip Monday night against the New York Rangers.
