Devils Suffer Season's First Loss, 4-1, to Washington | GAME STORY

The Devils suffered their first setback of the season to Metro Division foe Washington, 4-1, Thursday night at Prudential Center.
The Capitals scored the first four goals of the game from Anthony Mantha, Dmitry Orlov, Daniel Sprong and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
"We weren't very good at the start. You can't play that way and expect to win a game against a veteran team like that, solid structurally," defenseman Damon Severson said. "Right from the start of puck drop it didn't seem like we were ready to roll.
"We didn't have our jam."
The Devils countered with a power-play goal late in the third period from Janne Kuokkanen.
"Disappointed with our focus," head coach Lindy Ruff said. "Against a team like Washington, it's going to hurt you."

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WHAT'S NEXT
The Devils continue their homestand with a Saturday night contest against the Buffalo Sabres. The game can be seen on MSG+ and heard on the Devils Hockey Network, including right here at NewJerseyDevils.com. Puck drop is 7:08 p.m. ET.
Tickets are still available. Get them here.
Here are some observations from the game...
- The Devils power play finally got on the board with a third-period tally. It came on a broken play as Damon Severson laid out to push the puck to Janne Kuokkanen, whose quick shot caught goaltender Vitek Vanecek napping. It was one positive for New jersey on the night. - There's no denying that this one wasn't pretty. The Devils got beat in pretty much every facet of the game (save special teams).

It really starts with how the Capitals played. From the drop of the puck, Washington was excellent in its passing attack, which generated speed and left the Devils chasing. New Jersey, under constant pressure and duress in the defensive zone, settled for rim outs and flip outs just to survive, but only for the Capitals to recollect the puck and get back in on the attack.

The Devils never got their breakouts going from the defensive zone, and thus couldn't generate the speed they needed to go on an aggressive attack. And the Capitals' excellent puck control and lack of turnovers didn't allow for New Jersey to take advantage of transition attack opportunities.

"They just played their game," Severson said. "They didn't do anything fancy or crazy out there. They stuck to their structure."

So, if it looked like the Devils were stuck in their own zone and couldn't mount any sustained attack, it's due to a highly skilled, talented and elite team playing a near perfect game.

- There are no excuses in the National Hockey League, but the Devils certainly missed Jack Hughes. No other player on the team's roster can singularly drive an offense or steal momentum (literally) from another team. All teams deal with injuries and they're part of the game, but Hughes is irreplaceable in this lineup.

"We're not buying into any excuses," Ruff said. "We know Jack is out. It's somebody else's opportunity."

- Speaking of Hughes, the Devils switched up their line combos heading into the game, and then again 20 minutes into the game. Though the move was meant to help spark some offense and likely not permanent, there were some interesting trios sent over the boards by Ruff and Co. While the Andreas Johnsson, Dawson Mercer and Tomas Tatar line remained intact, the others looked as follows:

Zacha-Hischier-Kuokkanen

Sharangovich-Gauthier-Geertsen

Bratt-McLeod-Vesey

"We had some players that played very poor in the first period," Ruff said. "You're not going back on the ice or getting as much ice time if that's teh way we're going to play. I thought we were better. They know what I expect. They should know what they expect out of each other."

- To counter the Capitals heavy forecheck and net-front nuisance, the Devils added a little muscle to their own backend by dressing blueliner Christian Jaros (6-foot-3, 222 pounds). However, putting Jaros - a righty - into the lineup in favor of Colton White - a lefty - meant that the team would have four right handers. Thus, one of those righties would have to play on his offside. The man who drew that card was defenseman Damon Severson, and it led to the Capitals' first goal of the game.

After the Capitals won a faceoff in the defensive zone, Daniel Sprong chipped the puck past Severson along the boards and caught him flatfooted. The ensuing footrace was won by the Capitals as the Devils scrambled and failed to pick up Anthony Mantha, who would score the goal, in front of the net. But had it been a lefty in Severson's position, he would have had a stick on the boards to handle the puck. Instead, Severson was forced to use his body, and his miss was costly.

"It's just different. I've done it before. Anyone will tell you they're more comfortable on their dominant side," Severson said. "Overall in the game you get into a rythm and you get used to it. Obviously, I like the right more. With our depth on the right side I'm fine playing left. I'm first in line playing left, and seem to be the most comfortable playing it."