New Jersey Devils Shut Out*, 3-0, By Los Angeles Kings

The West Coast trip has started out very poorly, as the Devils have now lost three straight

There’s a reason I put an asterisk in the headline. We’ll get to it soon.

But for now, the New Jersey Devils were shut out 3-0 by the Los Angeles Kings tonight. On the first day of 2025, the Devils suffered their sixth shutout loss of the season. If you go by the numbers, New Jersey is not a team that has struggled for offense this season. Entering this contest, the Devils were averaging 3.30 goals per game, the 8th-most in the league. But they have been shut out more times this season than they were in all of 2023-24, and we’ve only just reached the exact halfway mark of the campaign now. It is baffling how suddenly this offense disappears.

But sometimes you have to give credit to the other side, and the Kings are an elite defensive team. Los Angeles entered this contest allowing 2.61 goals per game, the fifth-lowest mark in the NHL. According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5 the Kings were surrendering 1.93 Goals Against per 60 coming in, the fourth-fewest. The process matched the results, with their Expected Goals Against per 60 standing at 2.08, which was the single best mark in the league entering New Year’s Day. Los Angeles is one of the stingiest teams in the NHL, and they played like it today, holding New Jersey to a meager 1.8 xGF at 5-on-5 play this evening per NST.

But New Jersey did start out the game strong. The first period was scoreless, but the Devils outshot the Kings 14-8, and held the xGF% edge at 62.43%. Most of New Jersey’s shots were held to the outside, but they certainly maintained the better of the play through the first 20 minutes.

But as is to be expected for a team playing the second half of a back-to-back, the Devils wore down as the game went on. They still outshot Los Angeles 6-4 in the second period, but the Kings won the xGF% battle, registering a mark of 56.06% in that category. And it was Los Angeles that struck first as Andre Lee scored the first goal of his NHL career. On a high flip from the Kings’ end to the Devils’ zone, Lee outmuscled Brett Pesce and beat Jake Allen with a terrific shot. 1-0 them, for the first time in 2025. It was a demoralizing tally, but the Devils didn’t wilt. They kept pressing for the equalizer as the second period ticked away.

And then we got to the asterisk.

Timo Meier scored off a rebound later in the second to tie the game 1-1…but Los Angeles challenged for goaltender interference. Stefan Noesen was battling in front with Vladislav Gavrikov right in front of Darcy Kuemper, and the Kings thought Noesen interfered with Kuemper. So they asked the officials to take a look.

And after a lengthy review, the Toronto war room overturned the goal, ruling there was goaltender interference. Still 1-0, them.

Here’s the entire sequence:

Let us be very clear: This is NOT goaltender interference. Stefan Noesen is set up just outside the crease on this play. He is then pushed back into the crease and into Kuemper by Gavrikov. It’s not a crazy amount of contact, but it is clearly there. Somehow, the NHL officials in Toronto looked at this play and not only thought there was goaltender interference, but somehow enough evidence of it to overturn the call on the ice. I have no idea how this was the determination they came to.

Here was the official explanation of the decision from the league:

Not only was Kuemper not impaired (his stick between Noesen’s legs had nothing to do with him not making the save, and Noesen was outside the crease at that point anyway), but Noesen did not initiate contact in the crease either. As mentioned, Gavrikov pushed him in. Just a truly infuriating, bewildering, embarrassing call made by the officials in Toronto.

After the overturn, the second period ended with no more scoring. In the third, Quinton Byfield chopped a shot through Allen on a rush play for the backbreaking second goal, Los Angeles scored an empty-netter late in the period, and that was all she wrote in the 3-0 defeat.

The Devils did not play an amazing game. That was to be expected considering the cross-country travel, the second half of a back-to-back, and the tough opponent in front of them today. But all that being said, they deserved a better fate. If Meier’s goal was held up as it should have been, maybe this game plays out differently. But we’ll never know what that reality is like. Instead, we live in the reality where New Jersey lost today, their sixth shutout of the season and their third straight loss overall.

Happy New Year.

The Game Stats: The NHL.com Game Summary | The NHL.com Event Summary | The NHL.com Play by Play Log | The NHL.com Shot Summary | The Natural Stat Trick Game Stats

The Game Highlights: Courtesy of the NHL’s website

I Am A Hypocrite

I have made it a point numerous times since I started writing for this blog to say that I do not like blaming officials in losses. Bad calls happen in every game, almost always for both teams. And even in a game where the officiating significantly favors one side, it very rarely plays a pivotal factor in the actual outcome of the game. Not to mention that officiating in any sport is a thankless, incredibly difficult job, so I feel bad piling on.

But 41 games into this Devils’ season, the NHL officiating has finally broken me.

New Jersey has no doubt benefited from fortunate officiating decisions going their way this season, whether that be a penalty that should’ve been called on them that wasn’t, a penalty that should not have been called on an opponent that was, or any other number of things. But it really does feel like the Devils have been on the receiving end of some absurdly lopsided, extremely consequential officiating this season.

Does anyone remember the game on November 27th against the Blues? It was a 3-0 loss, and it was a game heavily impacted by the officials, hilariously starting right from the opening faceoff. How about the game on December 19th against the Blue Jackets, a 4-2 loss in which Elvis Merzlikins stood on his head? Yes Merzlikins played a great (and very lucky) game that night, but the Blue Jackets were seemingly allowed to play by the Dead Puck era “clutch and grab” rulebook that evening, mugging Devils skaters for all 60 minutes with impunity. The Devils were not extended that luxury.

Then there was the recent games against Carolina. The Devils won 4-2 on December 27th, but they did not receive a single power play in that game, which was ridiculous considering how physical Carolina defended them that evening. Many hooks and holds and interferences went uncalled, but thankfully New Jersey managed to win anyway. The next night was the infamous Meier kneeing major game, in which Martin Necas made NHL history by becoming the first player ever to fully recover from a season-ending injury in the span of one whole replay review.

Necas should have been suspended for that. But I don’t expect anyone at the NHL to agree with me.

And by the way, Alex Turcotte committed a tripping penalty on Luke Hughes in the third period tonight. I bring it up because Turcotte threw more knee into his hit (which came from behind as well) than Meier did into his. So if you’re keeping score at home, Meier leading with his shoulder is good enough for a game-changing five minute major, but Turcotte leading with his knee is good for a two minute minor.

And then there was the overturned goal, which we already discussed.

Please understand, I am trying very, very hard to be as objective as possible here. As I said, There is zero doubt in my mind that the Devils have benefitted from questionable officiating this season. Every team does. But whether it’s just the timing of it all or my own personal bias, it really does seem to me like the Devils have been on the receiving end of some egregiously bad officiating this season.

It took 41 games, but I have become a hypocrite. The officiating has become bad enough to extensively write about. Please just give us decent officiating going forward.

Allen’s Night

Jake Allen came into this game struggling mightily. He had lost his last four games, with his most recent win coming on November 23rd against the Washington Capitals. Over his four-game losing streak, Allen put up a Save% of .860% and a Goals Against Average of slightly more than 4.00. He needed a bounce back game in the worst way.

So how did he do? Well he lost again, but he had a mostly fine night, making 21 saves on 23 shots. He probably should have had Byfield’s goal, but otherwise Allen was solid. In fact there were moments where Allen was more than solid, including a save in which in went full Martin Brodeur with a sliding two-pad stack to make a glove snag. He had a positive night according to the numbers at Natural Stat Trick as well.

It was another disappointing loss, but Allen did play reasonably well. New Jersey has to hope he’s found his game again.

More Back-To-Back Misery

Another second half of a back-to-back, another loss. New Jersey is now 1-5-1 in such scenarios this season, good for three out of a possible 14 points. After a season in which struggles in the second half of back-to-backs was a huge storyline, it is once again becoming a huge issue.

In fact the only one of these games the Devils have won was the second game of the season in the Global Series against the Buffalo Sabres. That means New Jersey has not won the second half of a back-to-back in North America all season, and haven’t won one at all in almost three months.

New Jersey should make the playoffs this season, they’ve built themselves enough of a cushion at this point that it would take a historic collapse for them to miss the dance. But they really, really, REALLY need to figure out how to play hockey during the second half of back-to-backs.

Next Time Out

The Devils conclude the California portion of their trip with a game in San Jose against the Sharks on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00pm ET.

Your Take

What did you make of tonight’s game? Are you as disgusted at the overturned goal as I am? What do you expect against the Sharks on Saturday? As always, thanks for reading.