Devils Crush Kings 6-4: Dominant Showdown!

NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 14: Nico Hischier #13 of the New Jersey Devils skates during the second period of the game against the Los Angeles Kings on March 14, 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images With about seven minutes left in the second period, with the New Jersey Devils trailing 3-2, play-by-play man Don LaGreca made a comment about how you could hear a pin drop in the Prudential Center. New Jersey had stormed out to a 2-0 lead after the first period (the first time they’ve led by two goals after one in about two-and-a-half months), but three quick strikes by the Los Angeles Kings had indeed sapped the life out of the crowd at The Rock.

It was almost the perfect encapsulation of the night, but a strong third period helped reignite the crowd and saved the Devils in a 6-4 win over the Kings on Saturday night. There are a few big storylines from this evening’s contest, but the biggest one for the Devils was Nico Hischier. The captain didn’t have his fastball as far as driving play tonight, with a 5-on-5 Expected Goals For% around 37% per Natural Stat Trick (though let’s put a pin in that for later), but what he lacked in play-driving he made up for in production.

Hischier registered four points tonight, two goals and two assists. His second goal gave the Devils the lead midway through the third period, his first assist gave them the lead again on Jack Hughes’ PPG late in the final frame, and his second assist sealed the deal on Timo Meier’s empty-net tally. He was in the right place at the right time in the most important moments of this contest, and he was the biggest reason why the Devils skated away with two points.

Another major storyline was Jake Allen reemerging from his bewildering, coach-imposed winter hibernation. Prior to this evening’s contest, the last time Allen played a game was in the 2-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on February 25. Jacob Markstrom had started seven consecutive games, including – for reasons I cannot begin to comprehend – both ends of a back-to-back twice in a row earlier this month.