Caps hosted a Saturday date with the Devils in Washington

November 23 against the New Jersey Devils at Capital One Arena.

Time: 19:00

TV: MNMT

Radio: 106.7 Fan, Caps Radio 24/7

New Jersey Devils (13-7-2)

Washington Capitals (13-5-1)

When the Caps and Devils met for the first time this season on Oct. 12 here in Washington’s home opener, New Jersey was playing its fourth game of the season. Six weeks later, the Devils are back in town for another Saturday night in the Metro Division, and the Caps still have three games in hand in New Jersey.

And in a funny quirk of scheduling, the Caps and Devils are starting their second straight Saturday home series in as many months. After the Devils ruined the Caps’ first game last month, Washington won 6-5 in New Jersey a week later on Oct. 19. The Caps and Devils will close out the season series next Saturday night in Newark.

The Caps enter Saturday’s game on the heels of a 2-1 blowout loss to the Avalanche in the first game of this quick two-game homestand. Thursday’s loss to Colorado was Washington’s first loss to a Western Conference opponent this season (7-1-0) and its first one-goal loss in regulation (3-1-1) in the 2024 season. –25.

The Caps began a successful three-game trip west last weekend with a 5-2 win over the Avalanche in Denver, a victory bolstered by a stout defense and an opportunistic offense that graced the transition. Six days later in Washington, the Caps were still able to create some transition opportunities, but they had much less success dealing with goaltender Alexander Georgiev, who came off injured reserve and made 26 saves to win his fourth straight start.

And while Washington got another strong goaltending performance from Logan Thompson, the Caps spent more time defending their end of the court than in the previous meeting in Denver, leaving less time and energy to attack.

“I thought we played pretty well,” Caps defenseman John Carlson said. “We had some chances that we didn’t take advantage of, but they seemed to go in our favor. And if there had been a hard bounce against us too, the game could have been completely different.”

The rebound Carlson is referring to came late in the second period as the Caps held a 1-0 lead. With Colorado on the power play against a superior Washington penalty-killing team, Mikko Rantanen attempted a pass from the right circle to Nathan MacKinnon in the opposite spot. The pass was never passed; he deflected Caps defenseman Matt Roy and flew into the net to knot the score at 1–1. Miles Wood scored on Cale Makar’s goal early in the third, and that was all Georgiev needed.

“We played very average, and I think their best players really showed up today,” was how Caps coach Spencer Carbery assessed Thursday’s loss. “They controlled the game and could have scored three or four goals.” They played us really well.”

Playing without injured captain Alex Ovechkin for the first time this season and, as a result, being given a couple of new line combinations, the Caps weren’t as sharp with the puck as they have been lately, so they’ll once again be looking to bounce back successfully from a setback that they’ve been doing five times out of five opportunities at this point in the season.

In the midst of the Caps’ recent offensive upswing and Ovechkin’s outstanding play early in the season (until he was injured in Utah on Monday), the team’s defensive consistency has slipped a little under the radar.

The Caps posted a 7-2-0 record in October, averaging 4.11 goals against (tied for third in the NHL) and allowing an average of three goals against per game (tied for 10th). Through ten games in November, they are 6-3-1, while their league average is 4.2 goals per game. In November, the Caps dropped their goals per game to 2.5, ranking eighth in the league. Washington has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of its 10 games this month.

Last season, when the Caps were able to hold opponents to two goals or fewer, they posted a 29-2-3 record. After Thursday’s loss, they are 9-1-0 in such games this season.

While the Caps battled the Avalanche on Thursday, the Devils earned a 4-2 home win over the Carolina Hurricanes. When Washington finished with a 6-5 overtime win over New Jersey in Newark on October 19, the loss began a slight 0-2-2 spiral for the Devils. Since then, New Jersey has an 8-3-0 record, losing all three of them during that span.

In the first quarter of the campaign, New Jersey showed itself to be a well-balanced team. The Devils average 3.45 goals per game (eighth in the NHL) but allow just 2.64 goals per game (seventh). They have scored two or fewer goals in seven of their last 11 games.

In 21 of the last 39 meetings between these two Capital Division rivals, one or both teams have scored five or more goals.