The New Jersey Devils knew that they were getting into a battle when facing the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night; with L.A. right in the thick of the race, they would be as hungry as ever.
While the Devils have often looked overmatched against “hungry” teams this season, they were able to persevere, winning 6-4 in a thriller.
Related: The NHL’s Best Farm Systems Ranked – 2025-26 Midseason Update
Captain Steps Up to Salvage Strange Game
Sometimes, there is a very specific luck factor evident in certain games, and the score is not necessarily indicative of how a team is playing. The first two periods are a great example of that.
In the first period, the Devils certainly didn’t play their best; per Natural Stat Trick, the Kings had nearly three times the amount of scoring chances in the frame (14-5). Yet, some long overdue finishing luck saw them get out to a 2-0 lead — their first lead of that kind since Jan. 3 against Utah.
The second period — typically the Devils’ best this season, saw them cut their scoring chances allowed in half (14 -> 7), yet gave up three goals in a 7:28 span. They didn’t finish any of their own chances.
While the teams continued to go back and forth, captain Nico Hischier helped propel them forward — his selfless assist to pass up a hat-trick on Timo Meier’s empty netter was his fourth point of the night (2G, 2A).
At the end of the day, while the relationship between each team’s processes and goals scored wasn’t exactly linear, the Devils finished their chances (+1.85 goals above expected) and did enough great work in the third — the period they’ve struggled the most in this season — to come out with two regulation points.
Arseny Gritsyuk Continues to Surge
It’s been pretty obvious that Arseny Gritsyuk has raised his game to a different level in the past couple weeks. He scored a very impressive third period goal, batting the puck out of mid-air.
He has three goals and two assists in his last six games. The advanced numbers back up his ramped-up play; since Mar. 3, his 13 scoring chances created is tied for second among Devils forwards, trailing only Timo Meier (16).
Yutes served. pic.twitter.com/nKfxwW75tc
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) March 15, 2026
Gritsyuk loves to shoot the puck — this season, his 8.69 shots per 60 minutes also trails only Meier (9.83) among his teammates. While the point totals (28 points in 62 games) don’t exactly jump off the page, he’s done a lot of the little things that showcase the foundation he can build upon down the road.
While he may never be amongst the elite scorers in the league, Gritsyuk being a defensively responsible, consistent 40–50-point guy would be huge for the Devils moving forward.
Jake Allen Weathers the Storm
Jake Allen manned the crease for the first time since Feb. 25 — 17 days ago. Factoring in the Olympic break, it was just his second start in 41 days. It’s fair to say that he appeared a little rusty.
When all was said and done, he stopped 27 of 31 (.871%) — minus-0.51 goals saved above expected, according to Moneypuck. Three of the four goals against were of the low danger variety.
The Devils’ defense certainly did him no favors — based on expected goals allowed at 5v5, it was their fifth-worst perfornance of the season.
Allen has played well this season, and especially with how the defense played, it’s understandable that he wouldn’t be on his A-game. Given the circumstances, he did enough to keep them in the game and was rewarded accordingly.
Moving Forward
The Devils — now 33-31-2 — will return home to face the Boston Bruins on Monday night (7:00 PM EDT).
