The New Jersey Devils defeated the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Saturday night in Washington. It wasn’t the prettiest game from New Jersey, but it got the job done against a team that has given them fits in recent seasons. With the victory, the Devils improved to 3-1-0, while the Capitals kicked off their year 0-1-0.
Game Recap
Period One
The Devils got an early power play to start the game but couldn’t get any pucks through to netminder Charlie Lindgren. They were awarded another power play opportunity after Nico Hischier was tripped but couldn’t convert despite much better chances.
Midway through the period, the Capitals got a power play opportunity and converted at 10:48. John Carlson beat Jacob Markstrom with a shot through a screen off assists for Pierre-Luc Dubois and Dylan Strome.
That was the first power-play goal allowed by New Jersey this season.
The Devils answered right back with a perfectly placed shot from Seamus Casey at 13:42 for his second NHL goal. Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier tallied the assists.
The Devils pressed late in the period and were rewarded at 16:24 with Paul Cotter’s third goal of the season. Stefan Noesen and Erik Haula had the assists.
The shot count was even at 12 apiece through the first 20 minutes.
Period Two
The Devils got pinned in their zone and allowed the tying goal at 00:32 on the first shift of the period. Strome buried a net-front rebound with assists from Carlson and Alex Ovechkin.
New Jersey grabbed the lead right back at 3:56 thanks to a relentless effort from Tomas Tatar for his first goal back with the Devils. Noesen and Haula each added assists.
The Devils extended their lead at 13:38 with Cotter’s second goal of the game off a nice pass from Noesen on a two-on-one break. Haula added his third secondary assist of the night.
New Jersey outshot Washington 13-9 in the middle frame.
Period Three
The Devils had another slow start to the period, allowing a goal from Tom Wilson at 1:35. Connor McMichael notched the only assist.
New Jersey hung on to the one-goal lead, eventually sealing the game with an empty netter from Dawson Mercer at 19:52. Tatar added an assist to his score sheet, and Hischier got on the board with a secondary assist after taking a big hit to make the play.
The Devils outshot Washington 33-32 for the 5-3 victory.
Takeaways
Line Adjustments Pay Off
The Cotter-Haula-Noesen line was reunited on Saturday night, and it paid dividends in the victorious outcome, combining for eight points. Cotter tallied two goals, including the game-winner, to bring his season total to four in as many games. Noesen had three primary assists, setting up both of Cotter’s goals as well as Tatar’s. Haula also tacked on three secondary assists.
The last time the Cotter-Haula-Noesen line started a game was on October 5th, when the Devils defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 in Prague. They combined for three points in that game.
Needless to say, that line should stick together in future games.
Power Play Struggles
The Devils went 0-4 on the power play in Washington, failing to generate many chances with the man advantage. On a few occasions, they allowed more dangerous chances than they created. So far this season, New Jersey has only converted twice on 15 power plays, operating at just 13.3%.
Undeniably, it’s still very early in the season, and it’s entirely possible that the power play units simply haven’t “clicked” yet. However, Sheldon Keefe made some slight adjustments mid-game, like starting the second unit over the first, hinting that adjustments may not be far off, especially if the current units continue to struggle.
Up Next
The Devils head back home to take on the Utah Hockey Club on Monday afternoon. This is the first all-time meeting between New Jersey and Utah, formerly the Arizona Coyotes.
Like the Devils, Utah is off to a hot start, with a 3-0-0 record on the season. Most recently, they defeated the New York Rangers 6-5 in overtime on Saturday night.
Puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. EST on MSGSN.
