Dawson Mercer scored two shorthanded goals for the visiting New Jersey Devils, who never trailed in a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
Jacob Markstrom made 43 saves for the Devils in his first start since signing a contract extension Friday.
Nico Hischier scored early in the first period for the Devils, who ended a two-game losing streak. Brian Halonen then scored his first NHL goal in the second.
Andrei Kuzmenko ended Markstrom’s shutout just before the middle of Game 3 for the Kings, whose point streak ended at seven games (4-0-3). Goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper recorded 18 saves.
Hischier opened the scoring following a Kings turnover just 1:22 into the first period. Defenseman Joel Edmundson’s pass behind the Devils went past teammate Kevin Fiala and went to Luke Hughes. Hischier and Edmundson crossed in front of Kuemper as Hughes’ shot deflected off Hischier’s stick and past Kuemper.
The Devils doubled the lead early in the second period. Dennis Cholowski’s pass from the New Jersey zone hit the neutral zone sideboards and Luke Glendening, who fed Halonen at the edge of the right faceoff circle. Halonen, playing his 12th career game, scored his milestone goal with a shot over Kuemper’s shoulder at 3:12.
Mercer gave the Devils a 3-0 lead with a short-handed goal at 3:09 of the third. Mercer beat Brandt Clarke to a loose puck in the neutral zone, moved up the left side of the ice and passed to Hischier before firing a shot over Kuemper’s glove.
Kuzmenko scored at 9:49 of the third period when he took Anze Kopitar’s backhand pass behind the net and fired a shot over Markstrom’s glove from point-blank range.
With Kuemper pulled for the extra attacker, Mercer scored an empty-netter from a length of ice with 3:48 to play.
–Field level media
