The Washington Capitals got back onto the road for the first time in what feels like forever and promptly took down the New Jersey Devils with a grind-it-out, hardworking 4-2 effort. The Devils made a game of things in the third period as Charlie Lindgren and the team’s defense bent but ultimately did not break.
Outside of a few spells, including that rough two or so minutes in the final frame, the Capitals put together a really encouraging, well played road game.
- This is one of the rare games where I’m going to say that you should ignore a lot of the pure math that came out of it. From a purely statistical perspective, you’d look at New Jersey recording recording 25 five-on-five scoring chances to the Capitals’ 13 and assume Washington got shelled a bit. I don’t think that was the case. Sure, Charlie Lindgren was great again but he didn’t need to stand on his head or anything. Yes, the third period was definitely rocky but the Devils literally did not get shut out a single time last season. I really liked the majority of the game from a Capitals standpoint. More positive signs.
- Lindgren was very, very good again though. He stopped 24 of 26 shots that he faced in his second victory of the season. MoneyPuck had him stopping another 1.19 goals above expected which now sees him crack the top 10 in that stat among all NHL goaltenders. Given Darcy Kuemper’s inconsistent play, could we see more Lindgren here in the near future? I say ride the hot hand.
- The Capitals’ most active skater in this game was Evgeny Kuznetsov, who posted two goals on three shots, eight individual shot attempts, two individual scoring chances, a minor penalty, and one takeaway. With his first goal, Kuzy passed Dale Hunter for the seventh-most points (557) in franchise history.
The Capitals have posted a 5-1-1 record over their last seven games. Washington has allowed just 17 goals against during the seven-game stretch, which is tied for the sixth fewest in the NHL since Oct. 25.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) November 11, 2023
- The penalty kill has killed off 17 straight opposing power plays over their last seven games. The power play has seen almost the direct inverse as they are now 3-for-37 on the season. I will never understand how the Capitals hired an almost entirely brand new coaching staff but decided to stick with what is basically the same exact man advantage setup that hasn’t worked for years now. Some of it is bad luck, sure. But, I don’t like what I’m seeing. I really wish some new names like Rasmus Sandin, Connor McMichael, Sonny Milano, etc. would get a chance to see what they can do.
- John Carlson skated 29:39 of ice time in the game. Carlson, who will turn 34 in January, is playing a whole ton of minutes to start the year. While he’s used to it, it’s something to keep an eye on both fatigue and injury wise.
- Alex Ovechkin does not have a goal in his last six games. I am going to act like I am not worried when I definitely am.
Numbers thanks to Hockey-reference.com and NaturalStatTrick.com.
