LOS ANGELES — The Kings performed well analytically, stayed uncharacteristically disciplined and even made a little noise on the power play on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
At the end of the evening, however, their roar was muffled by the New Jersey Devils, who came out on top, 4-1, just 23 hours after losing to the Ducks in Anaheim.
The Kings remained winless in five home games (they won 31 of 41 last year) and snapped their seven-game points streak. The Devils won for the first time in three games but the ninth time in their past 11 affairs.
Andrei Kuzmenko lit the lamp for the Kings. Darcy Kuemper mustered 18 saves.
New Jersey captain Nico Hischier opened the scoring, Brian Halonen picked up his first NHL goal and Dawson Mercer tallied shorthanded twice. Markstrom made 43 stops for his 14th career win against the Kings, the second most he has against any franchise, a day after he signed a contract extension.
“We had a lot of chances and a lot of shots. We’ve just got to keep going, it’s going to go in eventually,” Kevin Fiala said. “I know it sucks for everyone in this room, but we can’t give up … we have to bounce back and take the next game.”
The Kings faced a deficit just 82 seconds after the puck dropped. Joel Edmundson supported the puck below the goal line, but his shuffleboard-style pass whiffled off Fiala’s stick and right to Luke Hughes. His shot was deflected deftly in the slot by Hischier for his third goal of the season and Hughes’ 100th career point.
In five prior games allowing the first goal, the Kings won just once, while the Devils drew first blood in five games and took them all. The Kings did their best to reverse those trends, out-shooting the Devils 14-8 through 20 minutes and 32-19 after 40 and 44-22 overall.
The Kings extended their offensive pressure in the second period, winning more faceoffs, hitting the net six times during two power plays and further dominating possession. They stayed clear of the penalty box in a game for the first time all season.
That all did little for them on the scoreboard, where the Devils once again capitalized to deposit the frame’s only goal.
Sustained heat from the Devils hemmed in Edmundson and Brandt Clarke, ultimately leaving them on the ice for over 90 intense seconds. Clarke made a solid play to clear the zone but neither defenseman reached the bench for a change, leaving the exhausted pair out to face a counterattack that culminated in a short-side goal from the doorstep by Halonen at 3:12.
The Kings would earn a third-man-advantage opportunity, but instead of creaking their coffin open, New Jersey nailed it shut with a shorthanded goal.
Jonas Siegenthaler blocked Phillip Danault’s shot from the right circle, then made a diving swipe to send the puck to Mercer. He knocked the puck ahead to himself, creating a two-on-one rush. After selling a pass across to Hischier, Mercer loaded up a shot that became his seventh goal of the season.
“There was some good O-zone time, but I don’t think there was enough going around the net,” captain Anže Kopitar said. “We’ll correct that. When we get that going, I think those second and third opportunities are going to present themselves.”
The Kings broke up Markstrom’s shutout with 10:11 to play. Alex Laferriere swept a pass to Kopitar in the corner, whose gorgeous backhand feed found Kuzmenko in stride for a wrist shot in tight, his third goal of 2025-26. Kuzmenko had disrupted a zone exit to initiate the sequence.
“Nice goal. It was a great pass by (Kopitar) and a great finish. It looked a little bit like those guys looked last year. Hopefully that sparks [them] a little bit,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said.
Kuzmenko would draw a penalty on Dougie Hamilton, and the Kings pulled Kuemper early.
With 3:47 displayed on the game clock, the visitors secured two points when Mercer lobbed the puck the length of the ice for an empty-net goal. His second shorty of the contest and eighth goal of the campaign put him two off the league leaders, Cole Caufield and Nathan MacKinnon.
The crowd was not as captivated by Mercer, Markstrom or even the Kings’ stars as it was by Game 7 of the World Series, which the Dodgers won to repeat as champions. Frequent cut-ins — including after Kuzmenko’s goal that coincided with Miguel Rojas’ game-tying home run in the ninth inning — were shown on the big screen Saturday.
“It happens once in a while, the football playoffs or baseball playoffs. It’s just part of it. The fans were loud, so it was good,” Markstrom said.