The New Jersey Devils (8-3-0) traveled to California on Saturday evening to take on the Los Angeles Kings (5-3-4). Darcy Kuemper manned his net while Jacob Markstrom stood tall for the Devils. The Kings released their third alternate jerseys, featuring a classic black and silver emblem. Ultimately, New Jersey added two points, forcing the Kings to adjust their strategies and look forward to their next game against the Winnipeg Jets on home ice on Tuesday, November 4.
Confrontation first period
A fast opening period gave the Kings plenty of scoring opportunities; however, they were unable to capitalize on their opportunities. At 6:38 p.m., Devils captain Nico Hischier scored his third of the season, giving his team a 1–0 lead.
After many failed attempts by the Kings, they were unable to tap the puck into Markstrom’s net. New Jersey maintained a strong defense and made a smooth transition to set up the game. As the first period came to an end, the Kings went into the locker room trailing by one goal.
Devils lead 2-0
In the second period, Jack Hughes stepped up and blocked several of the Kings’ shot attempts. However, at 4:48 PM, Brian Halonen broke through with a wrist shot to score his first goal of the 2025-2026 season, giving New Jersey a 2-0 lead. The Kings struggled to create clean passing advantages, often giving the puck to the opponent. Despite beating the Devils 22-17, Los Angeles struggled to score. Sloppy puck management continued to be a problem as the Devils took advantage of almost every mistake Los Angeles made. The Kings were looking for answers and better scoring opportunities as the period came to a close.
Kings can’t bounce back
Dawson Mercer opened the third period with a shorthanded goal at 16:51, extending the Devils’ lead to 3-0. The Kings finally broke through when Andrei Kuzmenko scored his third of the season at 10:11, breaking Markstrom’s shutout. The Devils continued to pressure Los Angeles in the final twenty minutes. Dougie Hamilton tripped Kuzmenko, causing him to fall to his knees and giving the Kings a chance to get revenge. With 4:20 to go, Kuemper was called for an extra attacker on the power play, but the Devils struck again. Mercer added a short empty net goal to claim the two points. The Kings fell 4-1, with New Jersey dominating both ends of the ice.
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