After a loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils (14-6-0, 2nd Metropolitan) defeated the Washington Capitals (10-7-0, 4th Metropolitan) 5-2 in a tightly-contested divisional game.

Summary

First Period

The Devils came out flying to start the first period with a great opening shift, which netted them a power play off a Cole Hutson holding call. New Jersey capitalized on the man advantage, with Timo Meier setting up Evan Rodrigues in transition, who sniped a wicked wrister past Logan Thompson to give the Devils an early lead.

New Jersey continued to control the pace as the period continued, but Washington got a break when they got their first power play off a Declan Chisholm tripping call. The momentum flipped with the Devils a man down, as Washington notched seven shots on the power play. The Devils nearly killed off the penalty, but Ryan Leonard scored a beautiful backhander with seconds left to tie the game at one apiece.

It was a frustrating moment for New Jersey, who dominated five-on-five possession in the period with a 64.52 Corsi-for percentage (CF%), but would be forced to go into the first intermission tied.

Second Period

Washington maintained control to start the second period, hemming the Devils into their defensive zone and forcing Connor Hellebuyck to make timely saves. They didn’t wait long for their efforts to pay off, as Pierre-Luc Dubois capitalized on a defensive miscue by Luke Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler and scored on a quick wrist shot.

The Devils struggled to hold off the surging Capitals as the period progressed, but they got the spark they desperately needed midway through the period. With no defenders around him, Brenden Dillion shot the puck towards the net from the blue line, and it ricocheted off of Lenni Hämeenaho and past Thompson to tie the game 2-2.

The Capitals threatened to steal the lead right back when they got another power play opportunity late in the period. The Devils’ struggling penalty kill unit made a stand, however, holding the Capitals shotless. New Jersey got their own power play off a Washington too-many-men call, and the man advantage would continue into the third period.

Third Period

The Devils opened the floodgates in the third period despite Washington dominating five-on-five possession. Whereas the Devils let themselves get hemmed in and made defensive miscues in the first two periods, their structure held firm in the third period, allowing Hellebuyck to clean up any shots that got through.

Vladislav Kolyachonok scored early in the third period to give the Devils a slim 3-2 lead, throwing the puck on net from the blue line and through a screen to fool Thompson.

New Jersey battled through much of the period to hold onto their one-goal lead, but they eventually exhausted Washington and retook the momentum. With under three minutes to play, Stefan Noesen went on a breakaway and launched a backhander in the net to put the Devils up 4-2. Washington pulled the goalie, but couldn’t muster much of anything. Jack Hughes scored the empty-netter to ice it, finishing off a solid 5-2 win.

Results

The Capitals put up a strong fight Thursday night, but the Devils withstood their division rival’s best efforts to earn a confidence-building win. After the Connor Hellebuyck drama and loss to the Jets, as well as a slew of injuries, the Devils could have easily been run over, but they played to their strengths and came out on top. Even with Washington threatening all night long, the Devils pressed when they got opportunities and got the stronger goaltending performance. With the second game of the home-and-home against Washington Saturday, Thursday night was a huge victory for the red-hot Devils.

Game Notes

• No Brett Pesce, Johnathan Kovacevic, or Anthony Mantha? No problem. Three important pieces were unavailable with injuries of varying severity, forcing New Jersey to call up Vladislav Kolyachonok, Lenni Hämeenaho, and Stefan Noesen. All three of them scored, proving to be the difference-makers in a crucial divisional matchup. Depth is one of the Devils’ biggest strengths this year, and they took advantage of it last night.
• It was a battle of premier goalies Thursday night, and Connor Hellebuyck came out on top. Logan Thompson had a career .911 save percentage (SV%) coming into Thursday, but allowed four goals on 28 shots for a .857 SV%. Hellebuyck, on the other hand, kept the Devils in the game, stopping 26 of 28 shots for a .929 SV% and 0.56 goals saved above expected. Hellebuyck is now 6-0 as a Devil and continues to be the anchor in goal New Jersey has badly needed for years.
• Luke Hughes struggled Thursday night without his usual defensive partner, Brett Pesce. He notched a 44.83 CF%, didn’t find the scoresheet, and made a defensive error to allow a goal to Pierre-Luc Dubois. Hughes has always played better with Pesce, who is a strong foil for the offensive defenseman. Prior to Thursday, Hughes and Pesce had played the most minutes as a defensive pairing this season. Thankfully, Pesce is only suffering from an illness, and will hopefully be good to go on Saturday.

Up Next

The Devils and Capitals will play a rematch in Washington Saturday.