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 Right winger Steve Bernier scored twice, and the Devils used a
four-goal surge in the pivotal period to defeat the Kings 5-3
Wednesday night before an announced crowd of 18,230 at Staples
Center.
"When you score in bunches, you can see what it does, it takes all
of the momentum away from them," said goaltender Cory Schneider, who
stopped 23 of 26 shots, allowing the Devils (16-21-8) to halt a
two-game skid.
"It's pretty hard to come back from that. We played well and
finished it out and beat a good team in their own building."
Kings goalie Martin Jones saved 10 of 13 attempts before being
replaced by Jonathan Quick in the second period. Quick finished with
five saves on seven shots.
Los Angeles (20-14-10) dropped its fourth in five games.
"Our penalty kill is just draining us," said Kings coach Darryl
Sutter, whose club gave up a pair of power-play goals and went
0-for-4 on extra-man opportunities, three of those chances occurring
in the first period. "It takes so much out of your team. (The
Devils) score the goal at the end of the first and then you come
back and score, and then you give it up right away. It is really
disappointing."
After the Kings tied the score at 1 early in the second period, the
Devils rolled them for three goals in 68 seconds. Bernier scored his
second goal of the game and fifth of the season on a power play by
backhanding a shot that deflected off Kings defenseman Drew Doughty
and past Jones for a 2-1 lead at 8:57.
Left winger Martin Havlat made it 3-1, delivering just 23 seconds
later. That was the end for Jones, who was replaced by Quick.
Left winger Mike Cammalleri, a former King, cashed in on a wild
scramble in front of the net and banged in another winner for a 4-1
advantage at 10:05. It was Cammalleri's 14th goal this season.
Right winger Michael Ryder's sixth goal capped the second-period run
by rebounding a miss by defenseman Adam Larsson and scoring for a
5-1 cushion with 2:55 remaining.
"I think we were able to create a little bit," said Bernier,
referring to new linemates Scott Gomez, who had two assists, and
Adam Henrique. "It's a different line and role than what I'm used
to; they don't play the same way. (But) it was a lot of fun to play
with those two for sure."
Bernier punched in a rebound of an attempt by Cammalleri for a
power-play goal and a 1-0 lead with 14 seconds left in the first
period.
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Los Angeles tied the score at 1:16 of the second, when Doughty fed
right winger Dustin Brown for his seventh goal. However, it went
downhill from there.
"If I could pinpoint it, I would nip it in the bud right away," said
Los Angeles forward Justin Williams, when asked about the Kings'
penchant for allowing numerous goals recently. The Kings were burned
for 21 in their last four losses, and they allowed at least five
goals eight times this season, something that happened six times
last season.
"It's another loss, another five goals against and another loss in
our home building," Williams added.
In the third, Los Angeles cut the deficit on forward Marian
Gaborik's goal just outside the crease at 7:16. Williams added a
goal, deflecting center Mike Richards' shot into the net with 58
seconds remaining. It meant little, though.
New Jersey prevailed despite playing without right winger Jaromir
Jagr, who had the flu.
NOTES: Devils D Eric Gelinas, who missed the past six games with the
flu, was scratched along with D Jacob Josefson. ... Scratches for
Los Angeles: C Tyler Toffoli, D Jamie McBain and C Nick Shore. ...
Kings LW Dwight King played his 200th career game. ... The Devils
recalled Joe Whitney from AHL Albany and sent down D Seth Helgeson
to the minor league franchise. Whitney scored his first NHL goal
against the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 31. ... The Devils played
their 25th road contest, which ties them with three other clubs for
most in the NHL. ... The Devils visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday
and cap their three-game West Coast swing against the San Jose
Sharks on Monday. ... The Kings host the Ducks on Saturday before
concluding their seven-game homestand Monday against the Calgary
Flames.
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reserved.]
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