Hughes scores winner as Devils outlast Kings 6-4; Kopitar sets LA franchise points record

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes scored the go-ahead goal with 2:29 to play and Jake Allen made 27 saves as the New Jersey Devils edged the Los Angeles Kings 6-4 on Saturday night.

Hughes put the Devils ahead 5-4 in the seesaw game with a power-play goal. Nico Hischier scored twice and Cody Glass, Arseny Gritsyuk and Timo Meier — with a last minute empty-netter — also scored.

Anze Kopitar scored twice for Los Angeles — to establish a Kings franchise points record — and Artemi Panarin and Taylor Ward also scored.

Ward had put the Kings ahead 3-2 at 11:43 of the middle period after Kopitar and Panarin scored in less than two minutes as Los Angeles battled back from an early 2-0 deficit.

But Gritsyuk tied the contest just 25 seconds into the third.

Hischier’s second goal put New Jersey ahead at 12:42 of the third before Kopitar scored to tie it again.

Glass scored his career-best 15th goal at 7:56 of the first, beating Anton Forsberg with a fluttering shot. Hischier made it 2-0 at 11:04. Forsberg had 22 saves.

Kopitar scored at 4:15 of the second to narrow the deficit to 2-1.

With his second of the game, the 38-year-old Slovenian forward has 450 career goals and 858 career assists for 1,308 points, moving him ahead of Marcel Dionne. Dionne scored 550 goals with Los Angeles. Luc Robitaille leads with 557.

The Kings captain and a two-time Stanley Cup winner said he will retire after this season.

Panarin tied the contest at 2-2 at 6:03 with his third goal since he was acquired from the New York Rangers on Feb. 4.

Los Angeles is battling San Jose, Seattle and Nashville for the last Western Conference playoff berth.

Up Next

Devils: Host the Boston Bruins on Monday night.

Kings: Visit the New York Rangers on Monday night to conclude five-game road trip.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/nhl