On December 12, the New Jersey Devils continued to host the Los Angeles Kings. While the first quarter was relatively quiet, the two teams quickly turned things around in the second quarter, each scoring a goal. In the end, however, the Devils prevailed, scoring two goals to bring the night's total to three. The Devils' 3-1 win gave the team some confidence after an overtime loss to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Jack Hughes continues to dominate
The Devils scored three goals in this game, with Jack Hughes scoring a point for each goal. He scored one goal himself and provided two assists for the other two goals.
While Hughes received assists on goals from Brett Pace and Ondrej Pratt, he also had an assist of his own. Pratt had the ball but was unable to find a scoring opportunity. See Hughes in front of the net and pass to him. He put the puck in the net for the Devils' second goal of the night, breaking a tie with the Kings.
So far this season, the center has scored 12 goals and dished out 26 assists, totaling 38 points at this point in the 2024-25 season. He is one point behind current championship leader Jesper Bratt. Hughes would quickly take over and lead the Devils in scoring.
Pace's first goal as Devil
Peese recorded his first goal as a Devil and what an incredible goal it was. Although the Devils were down a man, he didn't see that as a bad thing and accepted the challenge and scored a goal while shorthanded.
The Kings passed the ball wrong and Peese intercepted the puck before the Kings could take possession again. He skated toward the goal and passed the ball to Jack. The center passed the ball, but David Rittich blocked the shot. Peese recovered the puck and fired the shot, giving the Devils their third goal of the game.
RELATED: Devils' Brett Pace scores 200th NHL point
The goal not only solidified the victory for the Devils, but it was also a shorthanded goal. When the goal was scored, the Devils got Eric Haula into the box after a minor trip with two minutes to go. He managed to score when the Devils beat a player on the ice. Most importantly, the goal earned Pesce his 200th NHL point; what a special goal it was to achieve that milestone.
Markstrom stays strong
With Jake Allen still sidelined, Jacob Markstrom had to start in net again. Even though the Devils drafted Isaac Poulter, they're sticking with tried and true in Markstrom.
Markstrom saved 12 of the Kings' 13 shots against him, giving him a .923 save percentage. This game was his 22nd start of the season and his 14th victory. This game solidified his ability to perform for the Devils and step up when needed.
The goalkeeper is the last line of defense, but he can't do it all alone. Markstrom's defense stepped up in this game, blocking an additional 20 Kings shots. The defensive combination plus Markstrom kept the Devils fresh throughout the game.
It's time to build on your winning momentum
The Devils host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, December 14th in a weekend hockey matchup.
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