Orlov lifts Capitals past Devils with 21 seconds left in OT

NEWARK, N.J.-- Dmitry Orlov scored with 21 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 2-1 win against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Friday.

Orlov scored his fifth goal of the season on a wrist shot from the left face-off circle.
"I just got the puck and tried to skate and see what opened up," Orlov said. "I just tried to shoot it and it went in, so it was a good game by us. We needed that win. It was a great response after two [straight] losses so we just have to build on that."
Vitek Vanecek made 22 saves for the Capitals (24-9-4), the only team in the MassMutual East Division that has not lost to the Devils this season (7-0-0).
Mackenzie Blackwood made 38 saves in his third straight start for the Devils (13-16-6).
The Capitals are 14-0-0 when allowing two or fewer goals this season.
"I thought he was sharp all night," Washington coach Peter Laviolette said. "There were a couple breakdowns, but then Vitek was there to bail us out. When things aren't going well, your goaltender always has the opportunity to settle things down and I thought he did that tonight."

Vanecek denied Jack Hughes with his left pad on a breakaway attempt at 3:11 of overtime. Devils center Travis Zajac hit the right post 7 seconds before Orlov's winner.
The rookie goalie is 5-1-0 in his past six starts.
"[Vanecek's] kind of like the Secret Service back there," Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen said. "When we score, he doesn't get a lot of attention, but that's a big part of why we win those overtime games, because he's making saves like that."
Blackwood saved Conor Sheary's breakaway with his blocker 12 seconds into overtime. He is 4-1-2 in his past seven starts after six straight regulation losses.
"Mackenzie gave us a real sound game and it's disappointing because I thought we had two or three opportunities in overtime to win him a game," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "He made the big save right off the bat within 15 seconds of overtime, so he gave us that opportunity to get those chances a little bit later on. It's been a battle, an up-and-down season for him, but he's definitely trending in the right direction for us."
The teams play here Sunday to close the regular-season series.

John Carlson gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead on slap shot from the point at 8:22 of the second period.
"Those days of defensemen just standing on the blue line and waiting to shoot a puck once in a while, they're gone," Laviolette said. "Defensemen are all over the ice now. The game is changing to a five-man attack and you've got to be sharp defensively to stop it. But I think certainly our defense has been a big part of it. They've contributed a lot of offense this year.
"It was a beautiful goal by 'Orly' in overtime to win it, but I think our defense was looking to create the entire night."
Orlov took six of the 13 shots on goal by Washington defensemen.
Michael McLeod tied it 1-1 on a snap shot off a rebound while skating down the slot at 12:53 of the second. Jesper Boqvist took the initial shot from the right face-off circle.
Hughes hit the post on a snap shot from the slot at 14:57 of the third period.
"They're one of those top-tier teams in the League," Blackwood said. "They're winning different games against different teams and finding different ways to do it, so I give them credit. They're a good team, they're playing well. I think we had a good opportunity to win that one but, I mean, hockey sometimes does not go your way."
NOTES: Lars Eller had an assist on Carlson's goal, his second in three games since returning from a lower-body injury on March 30. ... Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway had five hits and two shots on goal in 13:36. ... Hughes, who took two shots on goal in 20:53, has no points in his past eight games.
NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report