The Kings picked their second consecutive 5-1 victory on Sunday afternoon as they closed out a season series sweep of the New Jersey Devils. Finishing off a four-game week, the Kings victory gives them back-to-back wins and moves them to 2-2-0 across the past seven days.
If you weren’t in your seats or watching when the puck dropped, you missed some offense. It took Timo Meier just 15 seconds to find the back of the net, the second quickest game-opening goal in the NHL season. After a clearing attempt by the Kings ricocheted off of the glass unexpectedly into the slot, a quick pass from Nico Hischier to Meier sprung the former Shark, who quickly flicked a rolling puck with a backhand past Cam Talbot. The Kings responded just under eight minutes later when Phillip Danault snuck behind the Devils defense for a breakaway. Danault beat Nico Daws by going high blocker on the shot and buried his 12th goal of the season, but first goal at home. Even at 1-1, the Kings then took the lead with 5:11 remaining in the opening period when Pierre-Luc Dubois set up Alex Laferriere in the high slot. Laferriere, a Chatham, New Jersey native quickly gathered the puck and ripped a shot off of the blocker and through for his ninth goal of the season.
The Kings then added a pair of goals in the middle stanza to extend their lead to 4-1 over the Devils. After going 27 home games without scoring a goal, Danault went on to net his second of the game. Danault banged a loose puck into a glaringly open net after Trevor Moore and Matt Roy created havoc in front of the Devils net. Only 34 seconds later Kevin Fiala pushed the lead to three goals with a power-play tally. Assisted by Drew Doughty (24) and Anze Kopitar (33), the trio connected off of a face-off win and Fiala placed the puck perfectly into the glove-side top corner for his 19th goal of the season.
Closing out the Devils hopes in the third period was another Danault goal. Coming with an empty net, Danault fought off a defender to pot his second career hat trick and first in a Kings jersey.
Talbot made his third straight start for the Kings and after giving up a goal on the first shot of the game, he stopped the following 30 shots.
