The New Jersey Devils will host a Los Angeles Kings team that has every incentive to win tonight. This game stream will consist of all posts relevant to tonight's game.
One team's season is lost. One team's season has faint hopes. Methinks the visitors have an incentive.
The Time: 7:00 PM EDT
The Broadcast: TV - MSG+; Radio - 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN
The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (31-30-11) vs. the Los Angeles Kings (34-23-14; SBN Blog: Jewels From The Crown)
The Last Devils Game: The Devils hosted the Islanders on Saturday night. You wouldn't have figured that the Devils played the night before as they played an up-tempo, physical game with the Isles. The performance itself was even, though the Devils could've made more of their attempts than they did. Alas, the Islanders got the goals and the Devils did not. In the first period, Cory Schneider played a puck sailed back into his zone and put it into the corner for Eric Gelinas to retrieve it. Nikolay Kulemin easily knocked Gelinas off the puck, passed it to Ryan Strome in the left circle, and the resulting one-timer blasted past Schneider. In the third period, the Islanders did not convert on a power play but just as it ended, Strome recovered a loose puck off a shot and backhanded it to Travis Hamonic. Hamonic slammed the one-timer past a sliding Schneider to make it 0-2. Jaroslav Halak was excellent in net as the Devils struggled to find ways to beat him. They would not beat him. Kyle Okposo fired in an empty netter to make it a 0-3 loss. The Devils' winning streak was over. At least the game was competently played. My recap of it is here.
The Last Kings Game: The Kings had a huge game against Vancouver as the two teams are fighting for playoff contention. The Kings were on the outside looking in, but a win over the Canucks would pull them closer in points in the Pacific Division. The Kings got on the board first when Marian Gaborik scored a power play goal early in the second period, seconds after Dan Hamhuis was called for roughing. However, that second period featured the Canucks taking over the game from a possession and shot standpoint. Nick Bonino would score on one of Vancouver's 13 shots to make it 1-1 within the period. A beef involving Henrik Sedin and Jonathan Quick led to a melee and Eddie Lack just hanging out in the middle of the ice expecting a challenge. None was had except for matching minors. A major boarding penalty by Tyler Toffoli in the third period, during a penalty kill, really turned the tide. Alexandre Burrows converted that 5-on-3 to make it 2-1 for the visitors. Despite being down a goal, the Canucks out-shot the Kings 16-8 in the third period. Daniel Sedin sailed in an empty netter to make it 3-1. After a Jannik Hansen high-sticking call, the Kings pulled Quick for an extra skater. Bo Horvat sailed in another empty netter to make it 4-1. The Kings lost an important one, 1-4. Eric K has this recap at Jewels from the Crown.
The Last Devils-Kings Game: On January 14, the Devils kicked off their California road trip in Los Angeles. What transpired was surprising and entertaining for those in New Jersey who stayed up to watch it all. The first period featured very little in the way of shots - ten shots total - but the first ended Steve Bernier putting home a power play goal past Martin Jones. Dustin Brown quickly answered back in the second period to make it 1-1. Then, something glorious happened. Bernier put home another loose puck in front of the net to convert a power play. About a minute later, a turnover turned into Martin Havlat dropping a hammer past Jones. Jonathan Quick came in relief for Jones. He then gave up a goal to Mike Cammalleri. Late in the second period, Michael Ryder put home a rebound to make it 5-1. The Kings were just stunned. The Kings did more in the third, but there was no way they were coming back from that deficit. Marian Gaborik and Justin Williams provided consolation goals. The Devils won 5-3, an excellent start to their trip. Brian did the recap here at ILWT. For an opposition opinion, here's Eric K at Jewels from the Crown breaking down all five goals in his recap.
The Goal: Slow.
The Incentive: The Kings start a five-game road trip. They currently have 82 points. While they're well behind the wild card spots, they're two points back of Calgary for that guaranteed third playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Kings have been excellent at home with a 22-9-7 record. They have been not at all excellent on the road with a 12-14-7 record. Their five-game road trip starts tonight in New Jersey and then follows with the Rangers tomorrow, the Islanders on Thursday, the Wild on Saturday, and Chicago next Monday. Their best chance on paper for winning any of these games is tonight and they need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive as the season winds down. I cannot stress enough that the Kings have every incentive to win tonight. The Devils are truly playing as spoilers tonight.
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