Capitals Fall to Devils, 6-3; Max Pacioretty Debuts, Connor McMichael Scores First Career Power-Play Goal


Photo: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

The Washington Capitals fell to the New Jersey Devils by a score of 6-3 Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. The loss dropped the Capitals’ record to 18-12-6 and 42 points on the season. Goaltender Hunter Shepard made 23 saves in the loss.

The Lineup

Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson
Aliaksei Protas — Connor McMichael — Anthony Mantha
Max Pacioretty — Dylan Strome — Matthew Phillips
Beck Malenstyn — Nic Dowd — Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Martin Fehervary — John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin — Ethan Bear
Trevor van Riemsdyk — Nick Jensen

Shepard
Darcy Kuemper

Scratches: Center Hendrix Lapierre and defensemen Alex Alexeyev and Joel Edmundson

Injuries: Right-wing T.J. Oshie (upper body), left-wing Sonny Milano (upper body), and center Nicklas Backstrom (hip)

First Period

The Devils would strike first with an early goal from captain Nico Hischier at the 3:03 mark.

At the 9:50 mark, Hischier would net his second on a power play, making it 2-0 in favor of New Jersey.

Making it 2-1 late in the period, McMichael (7) would get the Capitals on the board, picking up his first career power-play goal. Sandin (11) and Mantha (7) assisted.

Quick Stats

SOG: 10-8 Capitals

Face-Off Win %: 57% (Devils), 42% (Capitals)

Hits: 10-6 Capitals

Second Period

Center Dawson Mercer would extend the lead for the Devils to 3-1 at the 8:08 mark.

Kuznetsov (6) would put the Capitals within one, 3-2, midway through the frame, snapping an 11-game goal drought. Ovechkin (15) and Fehervary (5) had the assists.

Carlson (2) would tie the game, 3-3, on another man advantage with 62 seconds left. Kuznetsov (7) and Ovechkin (16) had the helpers.

With 15 seconds to go, the Devils would regain the lead with a goal from center Michael McLeod to make it 4-3 at intermission.

Quick Stats

Total SOG: 20-19 Devils

Face-Off Win %: 52% (Devils), 47% (Capitals)

Total Hits: 22-11 Capitals

Third Period

Mercer’s second goal of the game at the 7:16 mark would make it 5-3 in favor of the Devils.

At the 15:35 mark, McLeod would also score his second of the night, giving New Jersey a 6-3 lead.

Quick Stats

Total SOG: 28-26 Devils

Face-Off Win %: 58% (Devils), 41% (Capitals)

Total Hits: 25-16 Capitals

Notes Through the Game

  • Kuznetsov has recorded 35 points (13g, 22a) in 42 career games against New Jersey, the most points he has against a single opponent.
  • Eleven of Ovechkin’s 15 assists have been primaries, which leads Washington.
  • Carlson scored his 143rd career goal, leaving him one goal shy of tying Sergei Gonchar (144) for the second-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history.
  • With the assist on Carlson’s goal, Kuznetsov has passed Mike Gartner (392) for the fifth-most assists in franchise history.
  • Ovechkin has recorded four points (2g, 2a) over his last three games.

The Capitals continue their five-game homestand on Friday, hosting the Carolina Hurricanes at Capital One Arena. Monumental Sports Network will have the coverage beginning at 7 PM ET.

By Della Young

About Della Young

Della Young is an aspiring novelist and screenwriter who earned a BFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail University in 2021. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Screenwriting from Regent University. Della comes from a family of big Capitals fans and became inspired to start writing for hockey in 2019. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and working on both sides of the camera. Follow Della on X: @dellayoung





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