Pesce breaks tie in third to boost Devils past Kings
Gritsyuk extends goal streak to five games, New Jersey gets fifth win in past six
By David Satriano
NHL.com Staff Writer
NEWARK, N.J. -- Brett Pesce scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period to help the New Jersey Devils win their third game in a row, 3-1 against the Los Angeles Kings at Prudential Center on Saturday.
Pesce gave the Devils a 2-1 lead at 8:08. He took a pass from Luke Evangelista above the right face-off circle and toe-dragged the puck by Kings forward Andre Lee before beating Anton Forsberg with a low shot under his left pad.
It was Pesce’s first goal in 35 games dating to Dec. 23 of last season.
"I just kind of blacked out, so it's not going to happen probably ever again," Pesce said.
"We knew they weren't going to beat themselves. Sometimes it's just an ugly game. It's not a fun game. It's boring and it's really just what team's going to crack first. … That's how a good team finds ways to win those gritty boring games."
Arseny Gritsyuk scored for a fifth straight game and had an assist, and Anthony Mantha also scored for the Devils (7-4-0), who are 5-1-0 in their past six and swept a three-game homestand. Jake Allen made 12 saves.
"Just how we talk about things and we come out and are able to execute it and I think that's very important, especially in this league," New Jersey captain Nico Hischier said. "You’ve got to be able to adjust, and that's what we (did). I'm proud of that."
It was the first game for the Devils since they acquired goalie Connor Hellebuyck in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets on Friday for forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goalie Nico Daws, the rights to forward Alexander Command, a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft and a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Hellebuyck met with the media before the game on Saturday but did not dress, and it is unclear when he could make his debut.
"Obviously his career speaks for itself, so we are lucky to have him," said Devils forward Jack Hughes, who was teammates with Hellebuyck for gold-medal winning Team USA at the Winter Olympics. "It's exciting. He's one of the best in the League, right? So he obviously believes in our group and just talking with him, he's extremely excited to join our group."
Scott Laughton scored, and Forsberg made 23 saves for the Kings (2-5-2), who lost for the first time on their five-game road trip (2-1-0). Los Angeles had 13 shots on goal, including seven through two periods.
"Not our best second period there. We’ve got to clean that up, keep the momentum for the game," Los Angeles forward Trevor Moore said. "Didn't get a ton to the net either."
Laughton gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 15:57 of the second, scoring from the left hash marks off a pass from Adrian Kempe, who was below the goal line.
The goal came 2:24 after Kings forward Joel Armia saved a goal by clearing the puck from the crease after Evangelista's shot had gotten behind Forsberg.
"We've been relying on our goalies way too much the last couple of games," Kings defenseman Joel Edmundson said. "And they're doing everything they can. They've been playing great hockey. We’ve just got to help them out way more."
Mantha tied the game 1-1 at 18:43. He took a pass from Jesper Boqvist and weaved through two defenders before scoring with a wrist shot from the left circle.
The Kings appeared to tie the game 2-2 with 4:36 remaining in the third, but the goal was waved off due to a high stick by Moore, and the call on the ice was confirmed after a video review.
Los Angeles was held to one goal for the fifth time in its past seven games.
The Kings were outshot 14-3 in the second period. On Thursday, they allowed a power-play goal and were outshot 17-9 in the second period of a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Islanders.
"We’ve got to figure out a way to put the puck in the net," Moore said. "We need more offense from more guys for sure. … Second one in a row where that second period's kind of gone that way where it's felt like hard to break out of that spell."
Gritsyuk scored an empty-net goal with 1:05 remaining for the 3-1 final.
"It was impressive," Allen said of the Devils’ performance. "I think the last few games have been trending in the right way, and like you just said, defensively, it's been really good. … But patience was the key in this game. It's not one of the games where you're just going to get chances after chances after chances. … Kudos to the guys for, you know, hanging with it."
NOTES: Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon returned to the lineup after missing five games as a healthy scratch. He had four hits in 14:51 of ice time. … It was New Jersey’s fourth comeback win of the season. … The Kings, who came into the game last in the NHL in penalty-killing percentage (63.0), went 2-for-2 on the kill.
