The Washington Capitals are the top team in the NHL’s Eastern Conference after a 6-5 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Washington got goals from six different skaters and points from 12 different skaters.
The Capitals have won four games in a row. What a way to finish November, eh?
#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Washington Capitals on 2024-11-30:#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/xn5MyjeNa8
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) December 1, 2024
- Outside of a lull during the second period, the Capitals completely controlled this game at five-on-five. They held the normally high-tempo Devils to just 33 five-on-five shot attempts, the second least that New Jersey has recorded in a game this season. Despite scoring just one goal in the first period, that frame was their best, as they recorded 2.45 expected goals alone during those 20 minutes.
- Rasmus Sandin had another outstanding night, posting two points (1g, 1a) and pushing the pace at even strength. With Sandin on the ice at five-on-five, Washington recorded 11 scoring chances and five high-danger chances, both tied with his defense partner, Matt Roy, for the team lead.
- John Carlson was the club’s leading scorer, chipping in three assists. Carlson had the most active stick in the game, firing five shots on goal and recording 13 total individual shot attempts. He also skated a team-high 22:01 of ice time in the win.
Per @PR_NHL, the Capitals (10-4-1, 21 points) won 10 games in a calendar month for the first time since Dec. 2022 (11-2-2, 24 points). Washington is the only team this season to win 10 games in a single month.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) December 1, 2024
- The power play was a huge part of the victory, scoring on three of their five chances. During November, Washington ranked second in the league in power-play effectiveness (32.6%), scoring 14 power-play goals on 43 opportunities. Dylan Strome, who had a rare pointless outing on Saturday, leads the team in power-play points in November with nine (1g, 8a).
- Pierre-Luc Dubois deserves a shoutout for that hustle play at the end of the game. PLD also added two points (1g, 1a) in the win and has eight points (2g, 6a) in his last 10 games.
- Per Capitals PR, Washington owns New Jersey in recent years, improving to 16-4-3 in their last 23 games against the Devils dating back to the 2020-21 season. The Caps are 10-1-0 in their last 11 games at Prudential Center, basically making it their second home ice.
Numbers thanks to Hockey-Reference, NaturalStatTrick, and HockeyStatCards.
