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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Brett Pesce broke a tie with a third-period goal, and Jake Allen stopped 12 shots as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 on Saturday for their third straight win.
Anthony Mantha and Artemy Gritsyuk also scored for the Devils, who finished a perfect homestand that included wins over Colorado and Anaheim. New Jersey has now won five of its last six games.
Allen improved his season record to 5-2-0. Scott Laughton scored for Los Angeles, which had its two-game winning streak snapped. Anton Forsberg made 23 saves in the loss.
Pesce gave the Devils the lead at 8:08 of the third period, firing a shot through traffic from the Los Angeles zone for his first goal of the season. Luke Evangelista and Gritsyuk assisted on the play.
Before the game, the Devils introduced newly acquired goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The 33-year-old won 345 games in 11 seasons with Winnipeg and is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner. New Jersey acquired him on Friday in a trade that sent goaltender Nico Daws, who won against Anaheim on Thursday, to the Jets. Remi Poirier, who has yet to play an NHL game, served as Allen's backup on Saturday.
Laughton opened the scoring at 15:57 of the second period, driving the puck past Allen for his second goal. Mantha tied the game about three minutes later with his third goal. Gritsyuk sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 18:55, his team-leading sixth of the season.
The Kings had a power-play opportunity when New Jersey's Timo Meier was called for tripping at 12:59 of the third but could not capitalize. Los Angeles was coming off road wins over Washington and the New York Islanders to start its four-game trip after losing its first six games.
Up next: Kings visit the New York Rangers on Monday; Devils visit Dallas on Tuesday.
Originally reported by yahoo.