New Jersey Devils goalie Johan Hedberg dives on a loose puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period of Monday night's game in Tampa, Fla.

TAMPA, Fla. — New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer placed a big emphasis on an early December game.

Zach Parise and Adam Henrique both had a goal and two assists to lead the Devils past the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 on Monday night.

Parise, Henrique and Ilya Kovalchuk each scored in the second period as the Devils broke open a tie game after both teams scored twice in the first.

Petr Sykora and Dainius Zubrus had the other goals for New Jersey, which had lost five of seven.

“It’s an important game,” DeBoer said. “I think we’re both spinning our wheels a little bit where we’re sitting in the standings and both trying to get some traction and move up. It was a key two points.”

Steven Stamkos had two goals and an assist for the Lightning, losers of seven of eight. Steve Downie and Blair Jones also scored.

“We’re finding ways to lose game right now,” Stamkos said. “We showed, obviously, a lot of character like we always do. That second period killed us. We dug ourselves a hole too big to climb out of.”

Tampa Bay goalie Dwayne Roloson was replaced by Mathieu Garon early in the second after allowing three goals on 12 shots.

“He’ll bounce back,” Lightning coach Guy Boucher said.

Roloson, who helped Tampa Bay reach the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, has struggled this year and has played in just three of the Lightning’s last 10 games.

Kings fire coach after slow start

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings have fired coach Terry Murray after a slow start to a season of high expectations.

Murray was replaced Monday by assistant coach John Stevens, who will be an interim head coach.

Murray went 139-106-30 with the Kings after taking over the club in 2008. The veteran coach led Los Angeles to its first two playoff appearances after an eight-year absence, but the Kings lost both first-round series.

Los Angeles earned a total of 199 points in the past two seasons, the most in any two-year stretch for the club.

— The Associated Press