Devils Pile On the Chances, Settle for a Tidy Win Over Los Angeles
Pesce, Mantha and Gritsyuk find the net at home while Evangelista's best look clangs off a post
The final said 3-1, but this one was never really close. New Jersey spent the night creating chance after chance, and only a sharp Anton Forsberg kept the Kings from a much uglier scoreline.
The gap shows up everywhere. The Devils outshot Los Angeles 26-13, two to one, and their looks were far more dangerous. By expected goals, a measure of how many goals a team's chances were worth, New Jersey earned 6.94 to the Kings' 1.37. Scoring three off that is, if anything, a modest return.
Luke Evangelista went without a goal despite a team-high four shots, and he rang a post that alone was worth nearly a goal. He still picked up an assist. Arseny Gritsyuk led the way with a goal and an assist, on a line with Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes, who each added a helper. Brett Pesce and Anthony Mantha supplied the other goals.
At the other end, Jake Allen had a quiet night, stopping 12 of 13. Forsberg made 23 saves, including 12 of 13 on the most dangerous shots, and that is the only reason the Kings were still within reach. Scott Laughton scored the lone Los Angeles goal.
