Iafallo helps Kings recover, defeat Devils in OT

LOS ANGELES -- Alex Iafallo scored 42 seconds into overtime to give the Los Angeles Kings a 3-2 win against the New Jersey Devils at Staples Center on Friday.

Iafallo scored on a one-timer from the slot off a pass by Phillip Danault from behind the net.
"We were talking about it before the shift happened, before the face-off, just to get on them and stay on them," Iafallo said. "I just wanted to get to the front because I saw [Danault] get the puck, and just had to shoot it in pretty much. Nice play by Phillip."
Pavel Zacha tied the game 2-2 with a wrist shot from the right circle with 24 seconds remaining in the third period.

Adrian Kempe and Arthur Kaliyev scored, and Cal Petersen made 21 saves for Los Angeles (5-5-1), which has won four straight.
"I think we'd all prefer the simpler win, where it's not in overtime or anything like that, but we don't always get what we want," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "To deal with adversity has been a good thing for our team during the streak, finding ways to win. It would be easy to get down. We find ways to stick with it, so there's a lot of good things that are evolving. It's just a matter of sustaining them now."
Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves in his season debut after undergoing heel surgery in the offseason for New Jersey (4-3-2).
"We just got to find a way to give our goalies a little more run support because they've been so good for us," Devils defenseman Damon Severson said. "But overall, again, just the team effort tonight, you can't fault anything on that."
Kaliyev put the Kings back in front 2-1 at 16:20 of the third period with a power-play goal on a wrist shot from the left point. It was his third goal in the past four games.
"I told Arthur on the bench after the first power play, 'That's what you're here for. No one's going to ever get mad at you for shooting the puck the way you shoot it.' And he did. Good for him," McLellan said.

The goal came on the third of three penalties by Severson in the third period. Coach Lindy Ruff said Severson's absence exacerbated not having Dougie Hamilton, who did not play after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
"I think he realizes that type of discipline is unacceptable," Ruff said of Severson. "That type of discipline could have cost us a point tonight when we battled hard to get a point."
The Devils tied it 1-1 at 3:19 of the third period when Jesper Bratt scored his second goal. He faked left before cutting back right to score at the near post on a breakaway that was created by Andreas Johnsson's stretch pass.
The Kings took a 1-0 lead at 19:58 of the second period, with Kempe standing alone at the back post to tip in Dustin Brown's pass through the crease. It was Kempe's second straight game with a goal, and he has four points (two goals, two assists) during a three-game point streak.
NOTES: Iafallo has seven points (four goals, three assists) during a five-game point streak. … Kings forward Andreas Athanasiou had an assist in his season debut. He played 16:07 in his first game after sustaining an upper-body injury in training camp. … Los Angeles center Anze Kopitar had an assist, his fourth point (one goal, three assists) in the past four games. … Devils forward Alexander Holtz, selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, played 15:25 in his NHL debut. … Blackwood made his 100th NHL start.