October 19 vs. New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Caps Radio 24/7
Washington Capitals (2-1-0)
New Jersey Devils (5-2-0)
A week after the two teams tangled in DC in Washington’s season opener, the Caps have another Saturday night date with the Devils. This Saturday’s skirmish between the two Metropolitan Division rivals is in the Devils’ downtown Newark lair. It’s the first of two sets of Saturday night home-and-homes between the 1974-75 expansion twins; they’ll meet again on consecutive Saturday evenings in the back half of November, concluding their season’s series in the process.
When the Caps and Devils hooked up last weekend, New Jersey prevailed by a 5-3 count in what was already the fourth game of the young season for the visitors. A week later, the Caps have picked up another game in hand on New Jersey. The Capitals will be playing their fourth game of the season on Saturday, while the Devils are already suiting up for the eighth time.
After dropping their opener to the Devils, the Caps vanquished a pair of Western Conference heavyweights in Vegas and Dallas to take two of three games on their season-opening homestand. Now, they’ll take to the road for the first time in 2024-25, heading out for a two-game trip against fellow Metro Division denizens. Following Saturday’s game in Newark, the Caps travel to Philadelphia for a Tuesday tilt with the Flyers, which is also the front end of a home-and-home set of back-to-backs with Philly.
“I think guys feel good,” says Caps’ coach Spencer Carbery as his squad heads out on the road. “Those are two really good teams coming into our building, right at the top of the Western Conference, and for a reason. To come out with four points against those two teams, we should feel confident about what we're building here from an identity and how we play standpoint, and to have some confidence in it.”
Both Vegas and Dallas came to the District with unblemished records on the season, and the Caps toppled them both from the rolls of the undefeated. Heading into Friday’s slate of NHL activity, only three teams remain perfect: Calgary, Tampa Bay and Winnipeg.
“I think the last two games are more indicative of what our team is going to be like, rather than that first game [against New Jersey]; we were a little rusty in that game,” says Caps’ center Dylan Strome. “But that’s two really good wins against good teams. They’re playoff teams and have Stanley Cup aspirations I’m sure, both of those teams. It’s nice to get those two wins and get back above .500; I feel like it took a while for us to get there last year. It’s obviously a pretty good start.”
Washington never trailed in the Vegas game, but it surrendered a shorthanded goal to fall behind the Stars in the first period of Thursday’s contest. The Caps were unable to get on track offensively in the first frame against Dallas, but they struck for three goals in the second to take the lead and keep it.
“We had our legs the whole night; we just weren’t executing in the first period,” says Caps’ right wing Tom Wilson, who has scored in each of the season’s first three games. “The passes weren’t connecting; [we were] a little bit sloppy. We were feeling out how the game was going to play. We know they’re dangerous, so we have to respect them, so I think we were a little bit in between.
“And then we came out in the second and just started going after it and playing our game and working for each other. We kind of tilted the ice and we started getting more looks at the offensive end.”
The Caps also scored three goals in the second period of their victory over Vegas. Washington has scored 10 goals on the season to date, and seven of them have been scored in the game’s middle period. The Capitals have yielded just one goal in the third period this season, and that was an empty-netter to the Devils’ Dawson Mercer with seconds remaining in their season-opening loss.
“I think the confidence level is good,” says Caps’ goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who claimed his first win of the season on Thursday against the Stars. “We’re three games in, we’re trying to formulate an identity, we’re trying to figure out what our strengths and weaknesses are, I guess.
“I think the good thing is the last couple of games, we’re getting a lot of real quality chances and we’re finding ways of putting the puck in the net. And then just being gritty there in the third period and just finding a way to lock it down, and guys doing whatever it takes. I could go up and down the lineup with guys that made just huge plays there to try to close a really good hockey team out.”
The Devils have been a busy bunch since the Caps last saw them a week ago. They returned home after defeating the Caps, where they cooled off the Utah Hockey Club on Monday at Prudential Center. A night later in Carolina, they fell 4-2 to the Hurricanes, suffering just their second loss of the season. New Jersey got right on Thursday, skating past the Senators 3-1 in Ottawa.
In New Jersey’s win over Washington last Saturday, the Caps were able to keep the Devils’ top forwards and offensive weapons largely in check. But New Jersey’s bottom six erupted; Paul Cotter – who leads the Devils with five goals – scored twice against the Capitals while linemates Stefan Noesen and Erik Haula each piled up three assists. The only tally from the top six was Mercer’s aforementioned empty-net goal with less than 10 seconds left in the game.
Seven games into the season, Jacob Markstrom has made five starts to two for Jake Allen, but both have been effective. Markstrom has compiled a 2.43 GAA and a .918 save pct. while Allen has yielded just a single goal in his two starting assignments, stopping 37 of 38 shots (.974) in the process.
