With Jack Hughes sidelined for the next several weeks after undergoing surgery on his finger, the New Jersey Devilscontinued their road trip, facing the Washington Capitals on Saturday evening at Capital One Arena.
Arseny Gritsyuk and Luke Hughes scored for the Devils in regulation, while Jesper Bratt and Simon Nemec lit the lamp in the shootout for a 3-2 victory. Goaltender Jake Allen made 31 saves on 33 shots.
Advertisement
“Good teams find a way and we’ve got to hold the fort for (Jack Hughes),” Hischier told NJD.TV. “That is what we are trying to do here, and I think everybody bought in and that is why we got a grindy win, that is important for morale.”
Gritsyuk scored his first road goal at the 5:05 mark of the first period. With the Devils on the man advantage, the 24-year-old was positioned on the flank and fired the puck with a slap shot that flew past Capitals’ goaltender Logan Thompson.
Hughes extended New Jersey’s lead to 2-0 with two minutes remaining in the period. It was his first goal of the season and second point as he earned the primary assist on Gritsyuk’s goal.
Allen lost his stick one minute into the third period as the Capitals had the Devils hemmed in the defensive zone. Connor McMichael skated in front of New Jersey’s net and popped the puck in to bring Washington within one goal.
With 11 minutes remaining in regulation, Alexander Ovechkin tied the game with his fifth goal of the season and 902nd of his career. Hughes was unable to tie up the Russian’s stick, leading to the game-tying goal.
Advertisement
After a lively overtime, where the Devils had a 7-2 shot advantage over the Capitals, a shootout was needed to declare a winner.
Dylan Strome was the only Capital player to beat Allen, while Bratt and Nemec scored for a 3-2 victory. Saturday marked the fifth consecutive game that New Jersey had to play extra minutes.
“We have been dealing with injuries and adversity all season long, finding ways to cope” head coach Sheldon Keefe told NJD.TV. “Finding ways to earn points and stay alive in games, but the guys just played incredibly hard here today. They are well-deserving of the two points.”
Make sure you bookmark THN’s New Jersey Devils site for THN’s latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
Image
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
