Hall nets 2 as Devils stop Kings’ 8-game win streak
NEWARK, N.J. — Taylor Hall scored twice and the New Jersey Devils ended the Los Angeles Kings’ eight-game winning streak with a 5-1 victory Tuesday night.
Travis Zajac, Brian Boyle and Brian Gibbons also scored for the Devils, who snapped a two-game skid. Cory Schneider made 16 saves.
The Kings were beaten for the first time since losing 3-2 in overtime to Arizona on Nov. 24. Their winning streak was the longest in the NHL this season.
It was Los Angeles’ first defeat in regulation since a 2-1 loss to Winnipeg on Nov. 22.
Jonathan Quick made 21 saves for the Kings, and Torrey Mitchell’s goal with 7:56 left prevented Los Angeles from being shut out for the first time this season.
Entering the first of two regular-season matchups, Los Angeles was 4-2-2 against New Jersey since the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, which the Kings won in six games over the Devils.
Zajac opened the scoring with his second goal of the season at 13:44 of the first period. New Jersey’s veteran center drove to the net and had position on Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty before deflecting Brian Gibbons’ odd-angled centering pass past Quick.
Just 2:30 later, New Jersey’s lead grew to 2-0 on Hall’s 10th of the season. With New Jersey on a power play after Mitchell was whistled for tripping Will Butcher, Hall wired a shot from the left faceoff dot.
Evander Kane, Kyle Okposo and Benoit Pouliot scored in the second period, leading Buffalo to a home victory over Ottawa. Rasmus Ristolainen had two assists as Buffalo extended its season-best point streak to four games at 2-0-2. Cody Ceci and Derick Brassard scored for the Senators, who have lost six in a row. Sean Couturier scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:55 left and Philadelphia beat Toronto at home for their fourth straight victory. Couturier and Claude Giroux each had a goal and an assist. Patrick Marleau and James van Riemsdyk scored for the Maple Leafs.
John Carlson scored a tiebreaking goal in the second period, and Washington beat Colorado at home for their eighth win in 10 games. Carlson was whistled for a penalty at the end of the first period and another in the second but he gave Washington a 2-1 lead with a slap shot with 2:18 left. Brett Connolly, Matt Niskanen and Devante Smith-Pelly added third-period goals for the Capitals. Colin Wilson and Tyler Jost scored for Colorado. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point scored, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots and Tampa Bay beat St. Louis on the road in a matchup of the NHL’s top two teams. It was Vasilevskiy’s third shutout of the season and the seventh of his career. Mikael Granlund scored the winning goal in a shootout and Minnesota defeated at home. The shootout reached the fifth round before Granlund beat Mike Smith. Alex Stalock stopped Michael Ferland to give Minnesota its third straight victory, the first two coming in overtime. Ferland and Minnesota’s Matt Cullen scored in regulation.
Patrick Kane scored 2:24 into overtime to lift Chicago over Florida at home. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews tied it at 2 with 6:02 left in the third period. Nick Bjugstad scored in the second for Florida, and Jamie McGinn put the Panthers in front with his fifth of the season 3:53 into the third. Former defenseman Zarley Zalapski has died at age 49, according to the Calgary Flames. No cause of death was given. Zalapski, a native of Edmonton, played 637 NHL games for Calgary, Pittsburgh, Hartford, Montreal and Philadelphia from 1987 to 2000. He had 99 goals, 285 assists and 684 penalty minutes in the NHL.