The New Jersey Devils had every reason to come into their Saturday night tilt against the Washington Capitals and lose. However, this team continues to find new ways to win, and they did just that in their first game without Jack Hughes in the 2025-26 season.
Missing their franchise player, Shane Lachance made his NHL debut, and Nathan Legare drew in after being recalled from the Utica Comets. Head coach Sheldon Keefe was forced to try a new lineup and once again pushed the right buttons. Let’s dive into the Devils’ Saturday night win, their 13th of the season.
### Period One
Despite coming into Saturday night’s game with every reason to be sluggish, the Devils instead pounced on the Capitals early in the first period. Just 1:23 into the game, Dawson Mercer drew a hooking penalty on Tom Wilson, sending the Devils to their first power play of the night.
At 3:15, Nic Dowd took a high-sticking minor, which extended New Jersey’s opportunity on the man advantage. After the Devils’ first power-play unit couldn’t convert, Luke Hughes slid a pass to Arseny Gritsyuk in the right circle. The Devils rookie one-timed a missile past Logan Thompson to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead.
The Devils kept the pressure on Washington and even drew another penalty when Anthony Beauvillier hooked Mercer later in the first. However, the Capitals’ penalty kill successfully killed the infraction.
Near the 17-minute mark, Jesper Bratt skated deep into the Capitals’ zone and put a shot on Thompson. He turned it aside into the left corner, where Bratt retrieved his chance. Bratt sent the puck to Luke Hughes at the point, who scored his first goal of the season to extend the Devils’ lead to 2-0.
Bratt appeared injured on the play after taking a hit in the corner but remained in the game.
### Period Two
Holding a 2-0 lead, the Devils and Capitals returned for the second period where they left off. New Jersey owned puck possession through the first five minutes, but the Capitals began to tilt the ice in their favor as the period progressed.
When the ice evened out, the two sides traded chaotic rush chances before things eventually settled.
At 12:12, Mercer took New Jersey’s first penalty, called for hooking Tom Wilson. The Devils’ penalty kill, consisting of Bratt, Jonas Siegenthaler, Nico Hischier, and Luke Glendening, held strong while Brenden Dillon briefly visited the locker room. Dillon returned to the game shortly after.
In the final moments of the second period, sparks flew as the Devils and Capitals became more physical between the whistles.
Despite holding a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes, Washington took control of the ice in the second period, outshooting the Devils 13-6.
### Period Three
The Capitals struck early in the third period with a goal by Connor McMichael, who scored on a wide-open net while Jake Allen’s attention was drawn elsewhere.
Washington nearly tied the game again when Tom Wilson was sprung for a breakaway off the bench. He pushed the puck on the backhand between Allen’s legs, but it hit the post. Aliaksei Protas recovered the puck and pressured with a follow-up chance, but Allen turned the shot aside.
The Devils then drove the puck back down the ice for a scoring chance, but Thompson kept Washington’s lead intact.
New Jersey appeared out of sync in the third period—a costly lapse. The Capitals hemmed the Devils in their own zone and worked the cycle effectively. Alexander Ovechkin, positioned in the slot, picked up a loose puck and threw it on net without looking to fool Allen, tying the game at two.
Times were so tough in Washington that coach Keefe shortened the Devils’ bench. Stefan Noesen and Luke Glendening saw few shifts, while Lachance didn’t hit the ice in the third period at all.
The Devils eventually settled things and even pressured Washington in the latter half of the third period. However, Thompson stood tall and kept New Jersey off the board.
With the clock hitting zeros, the game went to overtime.
### Overtime
The Devils had a huge opportunity to end the game when Timo Meier and Simon Nemec led an odd-man rush. However, Thompson made two saves on each skater during the rush to keep the Devils off the board.
On the other end, Allen did the same for New Jersey when Ovechkin and Wilson mounted their own odd-man rush.
New Jersey maintained puck possession for most of the overtime, firing seven shots at Thompson. Still, the Capitals’ goaltender held strong, sending the game to a shootout.
### Shootout
The shootout lasted four rounds. The Devils secured the extra point with goals by Jesper Bratt and Simon Nemec. Nemec’s goal, scored as the eighth shooter, won the game.
Allen made 31 saves on 33 shots over 65 minutes, including an unreal sprawling save on Ovechkin in the shootout, earning his seventh win of the season.
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The Devils continue to show resilience and depth, overcoming adversity in a hard-fought victory on the road. With strong goaltending and key contributions from rookies and veterans alike, New Jersey remains a team to watch this season.
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