On Saturday, November 15, the New Jersey Devils continued on the road and faced the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Devils prevailed 3-2 in a shootout.
Devils forward Jack Hughes is expected to miss six to eight weeks due to a non-hockey-related injury that occurred at the team’s annual dinner on Thursday, November 13. Unfortunately, this has created some offensive concerns while losing the forward until mid-January or so. Hughes has led the team with 20 points this season, putting his seventh career season on hold until further notice. Meanwhile, forward Cody Glass remains out of Saturday’s lineup since enduring an injury previously in Chicago on Wednesday, November 12. The Devils are now at a loss for multiple forwards and defensive players.
The Devils had a fantastic start to the first period. The team had been up 2-0 just after 20 minutes of play. With just over five minutes into the first, forward Arseny Gritsyuk picked up his fourth goal, scoring on the power-play. Gritsyuk found the back of the Capitals’ net with a one-time slapshot, which was assisted by defenseman Luke Hughes and forward Jesper Bratt. This was Gritsyuk’s first NHL goal on the road.
The Devils led 1-0 early in the period. Gritsyuk’s last goal was against the Pittsburgh Penguins at home in New Jersey on Saturday, November 8. Prior to the end of the first 20, Luke Hughes scored his first goal of his fourth NHL season. With the help of defenseman Brenden Dillon and Jesper Bratt, the Devils were up 2-0 by the end of the first. Luke Hughes had a two-point night, playing a season high of 29:44 total time on ice.
Upon entering the second period, Dillon did not appear at the start. Although both teams had gone scoreless during the second period, Devils forward Dawson Mercer received a hooking penalty against Capitals’ Tom Wilson. The Devils headed to the penalty kill and successfully blocked the Capitals from scoring any shots. Dillon eventually appeared throughout the second period and played for the rest of the night.
Heading into the third, Capitals Connor McMichael scored, getting the Capitals on the board, with the Devils leading 2-1. Capitals Captain Alex Ovechkin and Jakob Chychrun earned the assists on McMichael’s second game of the season, going nine games goal-less. Not long after, the Capitals tied the game 2-2 as Ovechkin scored his fifth goal of the season. Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome picked up the assists on the Captain’s goal.
The Devils and the Capitals sent the game into overtime, being tied 2-2 at the end of the third. The Devils entered their fifth consecutive overtime game for the second time in franchise history. The last time history like this was made was in the 1995-1996 season. The Devils also won two consecutive overtime games that season which they did on November 8 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. With no team scoring in Saturday’s overtime, the game went into a shootout.
After four rounds of the shootout, Devils defenseman Simon Nemec scored the shootout winner. Nemec has been a fantastic player for New Jersey and scored numerous game-winning goals for the team.
Devils’ goalie Jake Allen had a .963 save percentage Saturday night, carrying the team throughout 60 minutes of play, a five-minute overtime period, and four shootout rounds.
The New Jersey Devils will return home for a quick practice before heading back on the road for their next three games. The Devils will next face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, November 18 at 7 p.m. at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.
