Devils Earn Point, Comeback Falls Short in OT Loss to Kings | GAME STORY

The Devils erased two deficits, 1-0 and 2-1, against the Los Angeles Kings to earn a point in a 3-2 overtime loss Friday night at Staples Center.
New Jersey's Jesper Bratt tied the game at 1-1 in the third period, and Pavel Zacha forced overtime with an extra attacker on the ice by scoring the 2-2 tying goal with 23.2 seconds remaining.
Kings' goal scorers were Adrian Kempe, Arthur Kaliyev and Alex Iafallo (OT winner).

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A Loss in OT
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Blackwood
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Lindy Ruff
WHAT'S NEXT
The Devils finish their three-game California trip against the San Jose Sharks Saturday. The game can be seen on MSG+ and heard on the Devils Hockey Network, including right here at NewJerseyDevils.com. Puck drop is 10:08 p.m. ET.
Here are some observations from the game...
- Nico Hischier had a scare early in the third period when he collided near the blue line with Dustin Brown, whose stick caught Hischier up high. The Devils captain left the game momentarily. On his next shift, Hischier picked up a loose puck at the top of the circles off a Kings' rush (forced turnover by Andreas Johnsson) and then made a stretch pass through two Kings onto the tape of Bratt for a breakaway. Bratt did a leg kick, deked and buried for the game-tying goal. - A major factor in the game for New Jersey was their compete level. The Kings are certainly the bigger, stronger and more physical team. But the Devils manned up and didn't get pushed around. New Jersey won its share of wall battles and the compete level was high throughout the game. The Kings are a team that likes to impose their will onto other teams. The Devils pushed right back. There were several big hits delivered both ways and many post-whistle scrums. New Jersey showed it can play with the big boys.

"We competed hard," head coach Lindy Ruff said. "It was two teams battling hard. It was not an easy game to play. Both teams proved they wanted to compete right to the end, and they did."

- Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made his long-awaited season debut. He made his first save 12 seconds into the game on a shot form Trevor Moore and looked solid from there on out. He stopped two breakaways during the contest (one shorthanded) and a sliding stop on an odd-man rush.

"I thought it went pretty good overall," Blackwood said. "A little bit of rust, a little bit of sloppiness that I'm trying to work out of my game. I thought as the game went on I got better and better."

Blackwood missed the start of the season due to a heel injury that required surgery in the offseason. He'd been dealing with a strength, mobility and pain issue in heel as he worked his way back into the lineup.

Blackwood didn't appear to be limited in his play side-to-side or post-to-post, nor planting his skate. That's all a good sign that the heel has reached a point where he can be affective. The Kings didn't make a lot of lateral plays, so he didn't have to really push it too much, which is also a good in a way. It allowed him to test everything out without having to overstress. The heel appeared to pass the test.

"I was pretty happy with how it held up," Blackwood said. "I wasn't really sure how it would be for a full game, but it was good enough to get me through the whole time without limiting me."

- The Alex Holtz Era is underway. The 19-year-old Swede made his NHL debut against Los Angeles. During one rush play, Holtz unleashed a howitzer of a shot that goalie Cal Petersen had to fight off. The Devils' offense and power play is in desperate need of a legitimate sniper. Holtz can be that guy. Hopefully, he keeps shooting the puck because only good things will happen.

"Good first game," Ruff said. "I thought as the game went on he got a little bit more comfortable."

- The Devils made it a point to really establish a net-front presence and get inside (between the hash marks, the slot and crease) on the Kings. New Jersey was successful right from the start of the game. The Devils knew it wouldn't be easy given LA's size and strength. But one key was New Jersey using a high F-3 (the highest forward in the attacking zone). The F-3 stayed above the circles which forced the Kings (who play man coverage) to extend their gaps. That created some open ice down low, space to work the puck and lanes to the net. From there the Devils' hustle helped them really establish their presence and create scoring opportunities. New Jersey's defensemen did a good job of getting shots through and the Devils had bodies at the net looking for rebounds.

"We didn't get rewarded for a lot of our net-front," Ruff said. "Some pucks went by us, some rebounds went by us. For the most part, we did a lot better job."

- If there was one thing that really hurt the Devils, it was discipline. The team took six penalties (a few of which cut short their own power plays). The Kings finally made them pay with the game-winner late in the third period. But you can't take six penalties (three alone from Damon Severson) and expect to win hockey games.

"It sucks being the guy that took the penalties," Severson said.

"That type of discipline is unacceptable," Ruff said. "That type of discipline could have cost us a point tonight when we battled hard to get a point."