Phillip Danault scored a hat trick and the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Sunday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena.
It was the 12th, 13th and 14th successes for the Quebecer, but the first time he had found the net at home this season. This is also his second hat trick in his National League career.
Danault equalized in the first third. The former Montreal Canadiens accepted a very long season from Kevin Fiala and presented himself alone in front of Nico Daws, whom he slowed down with a sharp shot.
The Victoriaville native did it again in the second third. He took advantage of Matt Roy's quick thinking and a poor move from the opposing goalkeeper to set the wheels in motion.
Thanks to a sixth runner, Danault finally completed his hat trick in an abandoned cage.
The Kings' other goals came from the sticks of Fiala and Alex Laferriere. Pierre-Luc Dubois also provided an assist, ending a series of failures. In his last five appearances he had not blacked out the top scorer list.
Timo Meier scored the Devils' only goal in the 15th second of the game. Nico Hischier scored an assist, his 25th of the season. This is the fifth time in his seven seasons in the National League that he has reached that mark.
In front of the victorious cage, Cam Talbot made 30 saves. Daws was removed from the game after allowing four goals on 13 shots. He was replaced by Akira Schmid, who was perfect on eight shots.