Grundstrom, Kings defeat Devils to end three-game losing streak

NEWARK, N.J. --Carl Grundstrom scored midway through the third period, and the Los Angeles Kings ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 win against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Sunday.

Grundstrom took a pass from Dustin Brown in the slot and scored on a snap shot to give the Kings their first lead at 11:05.
"It was a tough game," Grundstrom said. "The key was to find a way to win. That's the most important thing. That's been a struggle the last couple of games.
"It's huge to start with a win on a long road trip like this."

Alex Iafallo and Viktor Arvidsson scored, and Cal Petersen made 23 saves for Los Angeles (21-16-5) in the first game of a season-long six-game road trip.
"We came in with a little adversity," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "We haven't played exceptionally well. We got stung early on, something we expected to happen, so we had to fight through it tonight. I thought as the night went on, we got better."
Jesper Bratt scored two goals, Damon Severson had two assists, and Jon Gillies made 34 saves for New Jersey (15-20-5).
Gillies, who made 28 saves in a 7-4 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, got the start on the second night of the back to back in place of Mackenzie Blackwood. Coach Lindy Ruff said prior to the game that Blackwood is "working on some stuff" and is day to day, but he was able to be the backup Sunday.
"[The Kings] energy just seemed to be just a little bit better than ours," Ruff said. "We couldn't quite knock enough people off the puck. Couldn't quite get to the front of the net. You got to give them a lot of credit. They did a real good job physically, boxing out and finishing the man."
Bratt gave the Devils a 1-0 lead when he controlled a pass from Severson at the Kings blue line and scored on a breakaway at 2:37 of the first period.

Iafallo scored on a wrist shot from the right face-off circle to tie it 1-1 at 5:47.
Bratt scored a power-play goal on a one-timer from the right face-off circle to give the Devils a 2-1 lead at 17:34. Jack Hughes earned the primary assist on a pass from the opposite circle.
"His speed is so dangerous," Ruff said of Bratt. "On the first goal, he got in behind them. We stretched them out, made a good play to get the puck up to [Bratt] and just his quickness alone created the goal. We've seen a lot of those goals this year, where he's been able to stretch the ice and get behind the opposition."
Arvidsson tied it 2-2 after taking a lead pass from Trevor Moore down the right wing and scoring on a wrist shot from the face-off circle at 15:59 of the second period.
"They played a smart game, they're a good team," Bratt said. "They play tough. I felt like we had a good push, and had some good chances, but it wasn't really at the percentage we needed to get."

Petersen made the save on all 15 shots he faced over the final two periods, including a pad stop against Nico Hischier on a snap shot from the left face-off circle at 13:34 of the third period.
"We got to look back at the three losses we came in with, particularly how we lost them and the mistakes we're making," McLellan said. "We corrected a lot of those tonight. So that was a good first step."
Los Angeles will play at the New York Rangers on Monday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, BSW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
"It's good getting the first one, especially with a back-to-back situation going to the Rangers," McLellan said. "It doesn't make the job any easier, but at least you have one in the bank."
NOTES:Kings forward Adrian Kempe played 17:55 and had five shots on goal after missing the past three games in NHL COVID-19 protocol. ... Bratt had the third two-goal game of his NHL career and first since Oct. 30, 2019, against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Devils forward has seven points (four goals, three assists) during a five-game point streak. … Arvidsson has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his past 10 games. … Grundstrom's goal was his first since Nov. 27, ending a 14-game drought. … Petersen won his ninth game in 16 starts, tying his NHL career-high in wins set last season in 35 games.