Credit: About The Jersey
Devils Crown Themselves Victorious in 6-4 Win Against Kings
Published: Sunday, March 15, 2026
by Ryan Fox
NEWARK, N.J. - The New Jersey Devils (33-31-2) took down the Los Angeles Kings (27-24-15) in a back-and-forth battle which featured New Jersey securing a late goal to emerge victorious, 6-4.
The Devils entered Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Kings after dropping their last two at home against the Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames, with the slim hope of squeaking into the playoffs as the end of the regular season rapidly approaches.
The Devils took the opening faceoff, but the Kings were eager to steal one in Newark. They played extremely physically, with New Jersey struggling to keep up, frequently getting checked against the boards and off the puck. Within the first five minutes of play, New Jersey began to find their footing, winning five out of six faceoffs and getting five shots on LA's netminder, Anton Forsberg.
In net for New Jersey was Jake Allen, his first start in seven games, giving Jacob Markstrom the night off. The Devils sent out their Gristyuk-Glass-Hameenaho line to start Saturday evening. New Jersey’s third line has been extremely beneficial all season, with Cody Class having his second best season, just behind his 2022-2023 season with the Nashville Predators.
In fact, New Jersey’s third line depth has kept them afloat all season with Gritsyuk, Glass, and Brown all having over 20 points. For this evening, Brown was moved to the second line, with Lenni Hameenaho taking his place on the third.
It would be Glass who would get the Devils on the board first at the 12:02 mark, as Gritsyuk set him up for a wrist shot which beat Forsberg.
Just minutes later, Nico Hischier responded once more for New Jersey, netting his 22nd of the season with the assists coming from Timo Meier and Luke Hughes, putting the Devils up two.
The first closed out with New Jersey possessing a 2-0 lead after a hard, physical start of play from Los Angeles.
After an impressive first, the Devils were unable to start the second off with a bang. Dougie Hamilton was called for interference, where Anze Kopitar found the back of the net against Allen, in what is his last season in the NHL. Mere minutes later, former Hudson River Rival, Artemi Panarin, tied the game back for Los Angeles at two apiece.
New Jersey was being outplayed throughout the second. Throughout the season, the Devils have struggled to continue their momentum and find opportunities within the second period. The Kings were hot after two unanswered goals, and they found another opportunity where Taylor Ward beat Allen, giving Los Angeles their first lead of the game. The second period ended with Los Angeles dominating in all aspects.
New Jersey was eager to get back into the game and make their presence felt in the third. 25 seconds in, Gritsyuk found the back of the net after a tape-to-tape pass from Lenni Haamenaho, with the secondary going to Dougie Hamilton. Shortly after, Jesper Bratt was called for tripping, where Los Angeles was unable to capitalize on the man advantage.
A little over halfway in the final stretch, Quinton Byfield was called for tripping, giving New Jersey another opportunity on their special power play unit, where Nico Hischier scored his second of the night, with the assists going to Connor Brown and Jesper Bratt.
Just after Hischier scored, Lenni Hammenaho came off for tripping, where Anze Kopitar netted his second of the night, knotting the game up at four, and making him the all-time leading scorer for Los Angeles.
Tension was incredibly high the last few minutes of the third, but New Jersey persevered. Brandt Clarke was called for holding in the closing minutes, where Jack Hughes scored on the power play, giving the Devils one final nudge to keep up the fight. To cap the night off, Timo Meier scored the empty netter, with New Jersey emerging victorious.
The Devils will look to continue this momentum heading into their matchup against the Boston Bruins on Monday night at home with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop.
Ryan Fox can be reached at ryan.fox@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,