Monday night the Los Angeles Kings got their five-game road-trip underway at Prudential Center. L.A. picked up the win, beating the New Jersey Devils 3-1.
The Kings got off to an early and inspired start.
Defensemen Andrej Sekera scored his first goal as a King halfway through the first period. Marian Gaborik and Anze Kopitar were cycling the puck down-low in the Devils zone. Kopitar brought the puck out along the top of the blue line and left a drop pass for Sekera. Sekera followed the top of the circle around towards the boards and fired a slap-shot, beating Devils goaltender Cory Schneider through traffic.
Including goals with the Carolina Hurricanes it was Sekera’s third goal of the season, and his third point for the Kings.
Los Angeles Kings
With 37.3-seconds left in the first, and the Devils Dainius Zubrus in the penalty box, Tyler Toffoli ripped home a beautiful one-time wrist-shot on a cross-crease pass from Gaborik.
At the end of the first period the shots were 16-3 in L.A.’s favor.
In the second period Devils forward Scott Gomez scored his seventh goal of the season, smacking a bouncing rebound from the side of the net past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick.
Anze Kopitar scored his 15th of the season in a similar goal in the third period. Kopitar slapped a rebound from a Jake Muzzin shot past Schneider, restoring the Kings two-goal lead.
The Kings dominated the flow of the game outshooting the Devils 27-17.
L.A. went 1-for-3 on the power-play, and killed off their only penalty kill of the game.
Marian Gaborik had two points and Anze Kopitar had three in the game. Kopitar has taken over as the Kings leading point scorer, over Jeff Carter. In 69 games Kopitar has 57 points; Carter currently has 53.
The Kings took out some of their anger from Saturday’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks on the Devils. The Kings need to keep pace with the Calgary Flames, Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, and Minnesota Wild if they expect to make it to the NHL’s big-dance.
L.A. is still on the outside and looking in. After a 3-2 victory tonight over the Colorado Avalanche the Calgary Flames have 84 points. The Kings remain in 4th place in the Pacific Division and 9th in the Western Conference.
The Kings next game is tomorrow night against the New York Rangers. Puck-drop at Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PST.
The last time the Kings were at MSG was for the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals.
Next: L.A. Kings Road (Trip) To The Playoffs
Mar 23, 2015; Newark, NJ, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) and Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) celebrate their 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports