Phillip Danault gets hat trick to help Kings thump Daws, Devils with 5-1 win
Phillip Danault had a hat trick, Kevin Fiala had a goal and two assists, and the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Sunday.
Alex Laferriere also scored, Cam Talbot made 30 saves, and the Kings have won eight of 12 under interim coach Jim Hiller.
Nico Daws was replaced in the second period after giving up four goals on 13 shots for the Devils, who have lost five of seven. Timo Meier scored, and Akira Schmid made eight saves in relief.
Aside from an unexpected deflection off the stanchion to help give the Devils an early lead 15 seconds into the game, the Kings delivered one of their most complete performances since Hiller replaced Todd McLellan on Feb. 2.
Danault tied it at 7:56 on a breakaway set up by Fiala's alert stretch pass, which was the winger's fourth assist during a three-game streak.
Laferriere, who was born in Chatham, New Jersey, and grew up attending Devils games, fired in his ninth goal of the season with 5:11 left in the first to put Kings up 2-1.
A longtime nemesis of Los Angeles during his time with the San Jose Sharks, Meier got his 15th goal in 31 career games against them 15 seconds into the game.
Quinton Byfield's pass in his own zone took an awkward redirection right to Nico Hischier, leading to his fifth assist in three games for setting up Meier.
The Kings kept up the pressure in the second period, with Danault scoring into an open net with 7:37 left and Fiala burying a power-play goal 34 seconds later to send Daws to the bench early.
Danault, who hadn't scored at home in the first 27 games of the season, got an empty-netter with 2:13 remaining.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
Kings: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.