Photo by John McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images
The Washington Capitals downed the New Jersey Devils by a score of 6-2 at Capital One Arena on Tuesday night. The team’s record improved to 25-21-8 (.537) this season. Goaltender Charlie Lindgren made 37 saves in the victory. It was New Jersey’s first game since their 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2024 NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium on Saturday.
Washington’s Lines
Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas – Connor McMichael – Anthony Mantha
Max Pacioretty – Mike Sgarbossa – Sonny Milano
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Tom Wilson
Trevor Van Riemsdyk – John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin – Nick Jensen
Joel Edmundson – Ethan Bear
Lindgren
Darcy Kuemper
Scratched: LW Nicolas Aube-Kubel, D Alexander Alexeyev
Injured: C Nicklas Backstrom (hip), C Evgeny Kuznetsov (NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program), D Martin Fehervary (lower-body)
New Jersey’s Lines
Ondrej Palat – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt
Jack Hughes – Erik Haula – Tyler Toffoli
Timo Meier – Curtis Lazar – Dawson Mercer
Alexander Holtz – Tomas Nosek – Nathan Bastian
Jonas Siegenthaler – Simon Nemec
Luke Hughes – John Marino
Brenden Smith – Colin Miller
Nico Daws
Akira Schmid
Scratched: C Chris Tierney, D Nick DeSimone, D Kevin Bahl
Injured: D Dougie Hamilton (torn pectoral muscle), C Michael McLeod (personal), C Nolan Foote (personal), G Vitek Vanecek (lower-body)
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring
0:39, 1-0 Washington: McMichael swatted a rebound up front past the blacker after Daws turned away Protas’ wrister from the high slot and Protas got a cross-ice feed by Sandin. With the goal, McMichael has tied his single-season career high in goals (set in 68 games during 2021-22 season).
#ALLCAPS 1-0. MCMICHAEL SCORES pic.twitter.com/qKhxMUo6Lw
— Capitals Replays (@capsreplays) February 21, 2024
15:06, 1-1: Holtz slam dunked Nemec’s cross-ice feed at the net mouth past the right pad of Lindgren after Nemec won a puck battle in the left corner.
Swedish Holtz Mafia dropped the beat. pic.twitter.com/IyHPMFXotl
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 21, 2024
Shots: 10-8 New Jersey
Other Notable Stats: 9-7 Washington in blocked shots, 9-6 New Jersey in hits, 62% New Jersey in faceoffs
Screenshot: Natural StatTrick
SECOND PERIOD
Dowd sustained an upper-body injury and did not return to Tuesday’s game.
Scoring
4:17, 2-1 Washington: McMichael picked Nosek’s pocket at the blueline, dangled around him and Nemec, and stickhandled around Daws’ glove to tuck his second of the game into a wide open net. With two goals vs. New Jersey, McMichael has established new single-season career highs in goals (10) and points (20) (previously 2021-22: nine goals, 18 points). It marks McMichael’s first career multi-goal game. Five of McMichael’s 19 career goals (26.3%) have come against New Jersey.
CONNOR MCMICHAEL OH MY THAT WAS SILKY! pic.twitter.com/MKraL5Jgza
— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 21, 2024
Shots: 27-15 New Jersey (including 17-7 in the second)
Other Notable Stats: 15-10 Washington in blocked shots, 63% New Jersey in faceoffs, 11-11 in hits
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring
4:10, 3-1: Strome tipped Ovechkin’s wrister from the right dot after Milano fed him from the half-wall and Strome followed up his own rebound in front with Daws down and out. Milano has tallied three points (one goal) in three games against New Jersey this season and five points (one goal) in his last six games against New Jersey dating back to 2022-23. Ovechkin recorded the primary assist on Strome’s goal, extending his point streak to nine games (1/24/24-2/20/24: six goals, 11 points). It marks Ovechkin’s first point streak of nine or more games since 2019 (10/8/19-10/24/19: eight goals, 13 points in 9 games).
#ALLCAPS 3-1. STROME FROM OVI. pic.twitter.com/4e1D0FntLv
— Capitals Replays (@capsreplays) February 21, 2024
9:44, 4-1: After Strome won an offensive zone draw, Ovechkin fanned on a wrist shot then got a handle of it and the puck beat Daws blocker-side. Ovechkin has recorded 20 points (nine goals) in his last 18 games and 23 points (10 goals) in his last 23 games.
#ALLCAPS 4-1. OVECHKIN! SHAKE RATTLE N ROLL pic.twitter.com/DOVtWx36K9
— Capitals Replays (@capsreplays) February 21, 2024
12:27, 5-1: Sgarbossa deflected Carlson’s wrister from the half-wall in front and followed up his own rebound in front of the cage.
#ALLCAPS 5-1. SGARBOSSA GOAL! forgot to stop recording so its long pic.twitter.com/5ayqFnYmU5
— Capitals Replays (@capsreplays) February 21, 2024
15:34, 5-2: Hughes got a pass from Toffoli at the blueline, fought off a check from Carlson, and backhanded a shot passed the blocker of Lindgren.
19:27, 6-2: Ovechkin tucked in Strome’s feed into an open cage at the doorstep after he broke up Oshie’s pass from the right wing.
Shots: 39-25 New Jersey, including 12-10 in the third
Other Notable Stats: 62% New Jersey in faceoffs, 18-16 New Jersey in blocked shots, 17-15 New Jersey in hits
Standings
Washington is currently six points behind the Detroit Red Wings (with a game in hand) for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and seven back of the Tampa Bay Lightning (three) for the first in addition to Philadelphia Flyers (two) for third place in the Metropolitan Division.They are also competing with New Jersey (two behind with a game in hand), the New York Islanders (three behind with one), and Pittsburgh Penguins (two but have played one more game) in the wild-card race.
Next game: Thursday at Tampa Bay (7 PM ET, ESPN)
By Harrison Brown
