What a great way to bring in the new year. With having fresh legs, the New Jersey Devils (20-14-2) traveled to take on the Washington Capitals for a pivotal division game. Washington has gotten the best of the Devils this season, but not on Wednesday night.
The Devils defeated the Capitals 6-3 and are now 4-1-0 in the last five games. They’ve found their way to get back into a playoff spot and had a few players have monumental nights for themselves.
Game Recap
First Period
The start of the first period was all Devils. In rare fashion, the team even struck first. Not only did they do this, but they went on to score the games first two goals. Specifically, it was Nico Hischier who scored each for the Devils.
A Colin Miller shot caused a rebound and Hischier pounced on it to give the Devils the lead. Then, top-ranked power play in the league went to work and cashed in. After some pristine puck movement by the Devils, Hischier redirected a Luke Hughes slap shot to make the game 2-0.
However, the Capitals would respond and bring a surge to end the period. On the power play, a great individual effort by Connor McMichael saw him rip a shot short side on Nico Daws to cut the deficit. Washington ended the period strong and momentum was on their side. The two teams would head to the second period with the Devils leading 2-1.
Special teams was the highlight in this one as both teams got a goal in that regard. It was a fairly even period played at five on five, as the Devils held a slight edge in Corsi-for percentage (CF%) at 51.85.
Second Period
This period was flurry of goals from both teams. Like the first period, the Devils were the first team to get on the board and once again it was the Nico Hischier line. After winning a puck battle along the boards, the line went to work. As the puck got cycled down low, then, Erik Haula fed a perfect pass right into the slot where Dawson Mercer buried it on a one-timed blast. Like the first period, Washington would come back with a response.
After a great pass by Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Kuznetsov skated through the defense and slid a puck with ease past Nico Daws. The Capitals found a way to even the game, as John Carlson scored on the power play.
New Jersey would not go down quietly, as they grabbed the lead after a nifty goal scored by Michael McLeod. While falling down, McLeod slid the puck through Shepard and the Devils head to the third period up 4-3.
The Devils were dominant in this period at five on five , as they got the two goals in this area of play. They dominated in puck possession with a CF% of 65.79 and outshot the Capitals 12-9.
Third Period
The nation’s capital kept treating the Devils right, as they scored the first goal in each period Wednesday night. In fact, the third period was all Devils and they closed the game out in convincing fashion.
Dawson Mercer scored his second of the game on the power play to extend the lead. After great patience by Erik Haula, he would slide a pass to Mercer who put the puck past Shepard to make it 5-3. Michael McLeod would get his second of the game and pounce on a loose puck to extend the lead to 6-3. The horn sounded and the Devils would secure the first victory of the new year.
This was the Devils most dominant period of play. New Jersey heavily controlled the play and the shot attempts at five on five (20-9). New Jersey generated scoring chances at a high rate (12-5) and dominated the high-danger area of the ice with six attempts.
Wrap Up
The New Jersey Devils got off to a great start in 2024 and find themselves back in a playoff spot. New Jersey defeated the Capitals for the first time this season by a score of 6-3 and got the goals from three different goal scorers. Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, and Michael McLeod each scored two goals and Nico Daws helped secure the victory.
Game Notes
- Jack Hughes made Devils’ history in Wednesday night’s matchup. He became the third fastest Devil to reach 150 assists in his career, only behind Scott Gomez and Kirk Muller. He also became the fastest Devil in franchise history to reach 30 assists in a season. He surpassed Zach Parise (2008-09) who did it in 34 games, whereas Hughes did it in 31.
- Dawson Mercer continues his hot level of play. Skating in his 200th game with the Devils, he found the back of the net twice and now has eight points in his last six games.
- The line of Curtis Lazar, Michael McLeod, and Alexander Holtz was one of the better lines for the Devils. Together, they finished with the best CF% at 71.43 and controlled the shot attempts, 15-6. Also, they outshot the Capitals when on the ice 6-2 and had a goal differential of 2-0. They also had the second best expected goals for percentage (xGF%) on the team. Depth is key.
What’s Next?
The Devils return home to take on the Chicago Blackhawks Friday night.