Kings 2, Devils 1: A tough pill to swallow

Despite the best efforts of Nico Daws, the Devils were unable to get anything out of the game.

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A few observations from New Jersey vs. Los Angeles:

5v5 offense dried up

The Devils followed up one of their best offensive outputs of the season with one of their driest.

That’s not to say they were bad as a whole– the Devils didn’t give up a ton defensively at 5v5 – but not good enough to get the goals they needed.

The Kings played air-tight defensive hockey from start to finish. There was next to no wiggle room for the Devils to attack with speed or get things going in transition.

Los Angeles did a great job of clogging the neutral zone and forcing the Devils to go through wave after wave just to get a shot off.

Outside of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Luke Hughes, the Devils didn’t have many (any?) players who threatened offensively at even-strength.

Those three – the Hughes brothers, in particular – were able to skate their way through the Kings’ set defense and make plays in tight spaces to create the occasional high quality look.

Outside of that, the Devils really had difficulty getting to the middle of the ice or gaining any sort of space to make plays.

It was a game where the Devils really needed a boost from the power play and, despite numerous opportunities, they didn’t get it. Going even over five power plays is not going to cut it when facing off against a strong 5v5 defense.

3rd line took a step back