Washington Capitals Recover, Defeat New Jersey Devils, 6-5 (OT); Tom Wilson Extends Season-Opening Goal-Streak To Four Games


Photo: @Capitals

The Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils by a score of 6-5 in overtime in their first road game on Saturday night to improve to 3-1-0 to start the 2024-25 season. Goaltender Logan Thompson made 26 saves in the win.

Washington’s Lines

Aliaksei Protas – Dylan Strome – Alex Ovechkin
Connor McMichael – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana – Hendrix Lapierre – Andrew Mangiapane
Brandon Duhaime – Nic Dowd – Taylor Raddysh

Jakob Chychrun – John Carlson
Martin Fehervary – Dylan McIlrath
Rasmus Sandin – Trevor Van Riemsdyk

Thompson
Charlie Lindgren

  • Scratched
    • LW Sonny Milano
    • D Alexander Alexeyev
  • Injured:
    • D Matt Roy (lower-body)
    • C Nicklas Backstrom (hip)
    • RW T.J. Oshie (back)

New Jersey’s Lines

Paul Cotter — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Dawson Mercer
Tomas Tatar — Erik Haula — Stefan Noesen
Ondrej Palat — Curtis Lazar — Nathan Bastian

Brenden Dillon — Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Siegenthaler — Jonathan Kovacevic
Seamus Casey — Simon Nemec

Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen

  • Scratched
    • LW Kurtis MacDermid
    • RW Andrew Beckman
  • Injured
    • D Luke Hughes (shoulder)
    • D Brett Pesce (fractured fibula)

First Period

Scoring

  • 4:45, 1-0 New Jersey: Haula wristed one through the five-hole of Thompson from the half-wall after Noesen kicked it to him while in a board battle in the left corner.
  • 6:01, 1-1: Wilson wristed one off of the right post and in after McMichael chased down a loose puck, skated to the right circle, and fed him with a cross-ice pass. Wilson extended his season-opening goal streak to four games (four) to tie the game. With the goal, Wilson tied the franchise record for longest season opening goal streak, joining Ovechkin (2013), Mike Gartner (1987), and Dennis Maruk (1979). McMichael has tallied at least one point in four straight games (3-2-5) vs. New Jersey dating back to January 3. The goal marked McMichael’s sixth goal in nine career games against the Devils, the most he has scored against a single opponent.
  • 10:14, 2-1 Washington: McMichael slammed in the rebound off of Chychrun’s blast in front of the goal after Dubois beat Bastian to a loose puck along the half-wall and threw it back to Chychrun at the point. With an assist, Wilson has recorded 26 points (eight goals) in 44 career games vs. New Jersey, the most points he has recorded against a single opponent.
  • 14:18, 3-1: Carlson blasted the puck, which went off of Ovechkin, Kovacevic, and squeaked past Markstrom, after it rimmed around the wall and came to him. Carlson extended his season-opening point streak to four games (1-4-5). The helper mark Carlson’s 271st career primary assist, which ranks fifth among active defensemen. With the secondary assist, Strome extended his season-opening point streak to four games (2-3-5). Strome has now tallied six points (two goals) in his last three games against the Devils dating back to last season. Ovechkin (15 goals in 32 games) tied Patrice Bergeron (15 in 23) for the most goals as a visitor at Prudential Center. Carlson (four games) tied the Capitals record for longest season-opening assist streak, joining Brooks Laich (2009), Dale Hunter (1996), Dave Christian (1983) and Ryan Walter (1981).

Stats

  • 17-10 Washington in shots
  • .57 New Jersey on faceoffs
  • Both teams did not score of their first power play
  • 13-9 Washington in hits
  • 10-5 New Jersey in blocked shots
  • 3-3 in giveaways
  • 4-0 Washington in takeaways
Screenshots: Natural StatTrick

Second Period

Scoring

  • 0:34, 3-2: Hischier ripped a wrister over the blocker of Thompson after Noesen retrieved a turnover from Carlson and backhanded one towards the front of the net.
  • 0:44, 3-3: Meier ripped the puck off of Van Riemsdyk in the corner and fed Hischier, who snapped one under the bar, in front.
  • 9:15, 4-3 Washington: After Van Riemsdyk sent Mangiapane in on a breakaway from the defensive zone, Mangiapane waited, deked out wide, and beat his former teammate from their days with the Calgary Flames to the left post for his first goal with Washington. Mangiapane has scored five goals in 11 career games vs. New Jersey and has three points (2-1-3) in his last three games against the Devils. With the secondary helper, Protas extended his point streak to three games (1-2-3), which is tied for the second longest of his career.
  • 12:33, 5-3: Van Riemsdyk kept the puck in at the blueline after Hughes poked it away from Strome, who went to the net and tipped the puck over the glove of Markstrom and in. Van Riemsdyk earned fifth career multi-assist game and his first since March 11, 2023 in a 5-1 win at the New York Islanders. Van Riemsdyk’s 104 career assists rank fifth among active undrafted defensemen.

Stats

  • 25-20 Washington in shots
    • 10-8 New Jersey in the second
  • .6 New Jersey on faceoffs
  • 24-20 Washington in hits
  • 15-10 New Jersey in blocked shots
  • 10-8 New Jersey in giveaways
  • 6-1 Washington in takeaways

Third Period

Scoring

  • 3:39, 5-4: Mercer buried a cross-ice pass from Hischier, who was in the left dot, blocker-side on Thompson from the doorstep after Protas hit the post at the other end.
  • 12:28, 5-5 (PPG): Hamilton blasted a slapper from the point after Bratt got a rebound off of the post and fed him from the right half-wall.

Stats

  • 33-28 Washington in shots
  • .576 New Jersey on draws
  • New Jersey scored on one of their two power plays
    • Washington did not convert on either of their two opportunities
  • 40-32 Washington in hits
  • 15-15 in blocked shots
  • 13-12 New Jersey in giveaways
  • 8-2 Washington in takeaways

Overtime

Scoring

4:00, 6-5 Washington: Wilson ripped a wrist shot off of the post and under the glove on a two-on-one rush after Strome fed him from center ice.

Shots: 37-31 Washington, including 4-2 in OT

Washington is 9-2-0 in their last 11 visits to Prudential Center.

Next game: Tuesday at Philadelphia Flyers (6 PM ET, ESPN, ESPN+)

By Harrison Brown

About Harrison Brown

Harrison is a diehard Caps fan and a hockey fanatic with a passion for sports writing. He attended his first game at age 8 and has been a season ticket holder since the 2010-2011 season. His fondest Caps memory was watching the Capitals hoist the Stanley Cup in Las Vegas. In his spare time, he enjoys travel, photography, and hanging out with his two dogs. Follow Harrison on Twitter @HarrisonB927077





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