The LA Kings got two goals from forward Anze Kopitar, as he set the all-time franchise record for regular-season points, but they were unable to turn that into a victory as they fell by a 6-4 final on Saturday evening at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
After a back-and-forth start to the game, New Jersey opened the scoring just shy of eight minutes in. The Devils won the puck deep in the offensive zone, on the forecheck, and quickly turned it into a scoring chance. Forward Arseny Gritsyuk worked the puck to forward Cody Glass in the slot and while Glass did not get all of his shot, it fluttered against the grain, past Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg for the early 1-0 advantage.
The Devils made it 2-0 later in the first period, as New Jersey once again turned a turnover into a goal. A clearing attempt up the boards between defenseman Joel Edmundson and forward Adrian Kempe was broken up at the point, resulting in a quick shot on goal by forward Timo Meier. The attempt was saved by Forsberg, but forward Nico Hischier buried the rebound for his 22nd goal of the season, putting the hosts ahead by two goals.
Inside the first five minutes of the second period, the Kings pulled a goal back as forward Anze Kopitar tied the all-time franchise record for points, with the 1,307th of his storied NHL career. Skating on the man advantage, defenseman Brandt Clarke fed the puck to Kopitar at the back post, where he scored for the second straight night to pull his team within one, as he equalled Marcel Dionne’s record.
The Kings tied the game at two just under two minutes later, with the top line getting another one, this time at 5-on-5. Forward Artemi Panarin, who had the secondary assist on Kopitar’s goal, rounded the back of the net with the puck and took it around the circle, into the high slot. He delayed, waiting for a lane to open, before he shot past New Jersey netminder Jake Allen and in to tie the game at two.
Los Angeles came all the way back to take the lead midway through the second period as the fourth line got a deserved goal to pull the Kings ahead. Working in the offensive zone, forward Samuel Helenius fed the puck up to Clarke at the point. Clarke delayed to open up a lane before he fed Ward at the top of the left-hand circle, where he hammered a one-timer into the back of the net to put the Kings ahead 3-2 after 40 minutes.
New Jersey tied the game just 25 seconds into the third period, with Gritsyuk collecting his second point of the game. Forward Lenni Hameenaho made the play happen, as he pulled a nifty move in transition to work his way into the offensive zone with possession, before he fed Gritsyuk at the back post for the goal, his 12th of the season, as the Devils leveled the score at 3-3.
Skating on the power play, New Jersey took the lead for the second time in the game, as Hischier buried his second goal of the evening. A shot from forward Connor Brown was turned aside by Forsberg and Hischier was on the doorstep to bury the goal from close range to put the hosts ahead 4-3.
Kopitar completed the milestone in what felt like almost poetic fashion at the time, as he scored a power-play goal to tie the game at four. Panarin made an athletic play to keep the puck alive, working it to Kopitar cutting through the middle of the ice, where he got the shot past Allen and in for the 1,308th regular-season point of his NHL career, surpassing Dionne for the most as a member of the Kings organization.
The storybook ending was not meant to be, however, as the Devils scored a late power-play goal, inside three minutes remaining, to seal a victory on home ice. Hischier attacked down the left side and fed a seam pass, through the slot to forward Jack Hughes, who fired it past Forsberg with a first-time shot to put New Jersey up for good late in the game. The Devils added a late goal to seal the victory at 6-4.
Hear from Kopitar, Clarke and Interim Head Coach D.J. Smith after tonight’s game.
