Devils Come Up Short in Goal-Filled Affair with Caps | GAME STORY

NEWARK, NJ - What has so often been their bread-and-butter this season didn't quite pull through on Saturday night against the Capitals.

The Devils ran into second period penalty trouble and gave up three straight power play goals to Washington in a 6-5 loss.

With both Paul Cotter and Dawson Mercer severing overlapping penalties, Cotter for unsportsmanlike conduct, Mercer a double minor for a high stick on Dylan Strome, the Capitals scored two goals, one by Connor McMichael and the other by Jakub Chychrun. The two goals turned a 2-1 Devils lead into New Jersey trailing 3-2, before Washington doubled their lead with 12 seconds remaining in the period, when the puck popped loose from a scrum behind Jake Allen's net, out to defenseman Rasmus Sandin who snapped it past the Devils netminder.

“This is just a rare night of circumstance for our penalty kill, but obviously a huge part of the game," head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "It’s 2-1 us, we have full posession of the puck in the offensive zone and we ended up taking a four-minute penalty, that’s the difference in the game.”

"It stings for sure, we take a lot of pride in our penalty kill and tonight it arguably cost us the game," Brett Pesce said. "So, just learn from it and we’ve got a big (game) Monday. And hopefully we can bounce back.”

The Devils opened up the third period with a strong response of two goals in the opening 4:15. One, was a power play goal from Stefan Noesen and another goal by Jesper Bratt which tied the game at four.

But the Capitals still had more offense in them, taking advantage of several Devils miscues, scoring two goals 20 seconds at the tail end of the period to jump out to a 6-4 lead.

Jake Allen shouldered the blame for the loss and pointed out his miscue on the Capitals sixth goal.

"That starts with me. I made the blunder in the third to lose the game for the boys but take responsibility for that, but that’s hockey and we move on,” he said. "The puck just slowed down on me there and the guy just beat me to it. I was trying to pass to Dougie and it sort of knocked right off my stick and next thing you know, it's over.”

His coach, however, wouldn't lay blame on his goaltender.

“We would have given up six in the first period if not for him,” Keefe insisted.

Noesen made it a one-goal game with 3:15 left, scoring his second power play goal of the game. The Devils elected to pull Jake Allen from the net for a 6-on-4, leading to Noesen's second goal.

Special teams played a most important part on Saturday, with the Capitals scoring three power play goals on five attempts, while New Jersey went two-for-three.

Here are some observations from the game:

• The Capitals opened the scoring with a goal by Andrew Mangiapane at 6:19 of the first period. It was the seventh straight game where the Devils gave up the first goal of the game and the fourth game when their opponent scored on their first shot of the game.

• The Devils gave up three straight power play goals to the Capitals, conceding three power play goals to an opponent for the first time since Feb. 25, 2022, against Chicago.

• Jack Hughes assisted on the opening third period goals by Noesen and Bratt. Hughes, who also assisted on Noesen's second goal, had a three-point night. While Bratt and Timo Meier had two-point nights.

• Meier's first assist of the night, on Nico Hischier's opening goal, was the 400th point of his NHL career. He later added a second assist for his 401st point.

His career goals and assists are split nearly perfectly down the middle with 199 career goals and 202 career assists.

• Luke Hughes collected the puck by the boards at the top of the right circle and danced along the blueline with some brilliant puck protection. Hughes corraled the puck along the boards, below the hash marks, and skated low to high, circling around the top of the blue line and had the wherewithal to keep his opponent on his hip. Hughes found the open ice and sent the puck to the net, where Hischier was camped out in front of Charlie Lindgren and pulled off a beautiful backhand move through Lindgren's legs to tie the game at one.

• Hischier now sits tied for 12th all-time (R. McKay) for goals scored in franchise history. The captain has been on a tear to start the season, already with his 15th goal this season, in New Jersey's 27th game. His goal against the Capitals was also his fifth goal in the previous 10 periods of play.

• The Devils were without Tomas Tatar, who sustained an injury against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. Tatar did not play in the second or third period last night. He is considered day-to-day. Shane Bowers drew into the lineup in his place.

• Brett Pesce recorded the first two points of his Devils career. His second point, the primary assist on Dowling's goal, was the 200th point of his NHL career.

• The Devils hosted their Hockey Fights Cancer night and welcomed Theo Koshenkov to the team. Theo, 12, spent time with his favorite players, read the starting lineup and took part in the ceremonial puck drop with his favorite player, Jack Hughes. Earlier this week, Theo signed a one-day contract with the Devils to officially become a member of the team!