Nico Hischier netted his second goal of the game with 2:04 remaining in overtime to lift the New Jersey Devils to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
The Capitals staged a late comeback in regulation, with Nic Dowd narrowing the gap with 6:38 left and Conor Sheary equalizing with 3:47 remaining.
“It was a tie game, so it’s nothing lost yet,” Hischier said. “It’s important, especially in a packed house with all the energy from Washington, to stay focused and remember it’s not over yet. Play with the mindset that the game is tied and keep pushing forward.”
Yegor Sharangovich and Damon Severson scored within 1:14 of each other in the first period for the Devils, while John Carlson scored for Washington with 47 seconds left in the period. Hischier extended New Jersey’s lead to 3-1 just 22 seconds into the second period.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves for the Devils, and Ilya Samsonov stopped 33 shots for the Capitals.
Washington was without forwards Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie due to non-COVID-19 illness.
“I don’t think we played well enough,” said Capitals coach Peter Laviolette. “I’m not sure it concerns the news of two guys being scratched. It’s hard to say that’s why we lost. Regardless of the circumstances, we need to do a better job within the game.”
Alain Nasreddine coached the Devils for the second consecutive game as Lindy Ruff tested positive for COVID-19 before Friday.
“You’re gaining confidence,” Nasreddine said. “We felt good about our game. Even in the third period, we did a lot of good things. The guys were talking on the bench, and there was good energy even after the third goal. We took it to overtime and found a way to win.”
New Jersey won its third straight game and defeated Washington for the first time since February 22, 2020.
“We talked about that before the game,” Hischier said. “We wanted to beat them, and you could see that from the start. It feels good to get a win against them finally.”
Game Notes
New Jersey defenseman Dougie Hamilton was hit in the face with a puck in the first period and did not return. Nasreddine said Hamilton was being evaluated at the hospital. “When Dougie went down, it was tough to see,” Severson said. “He took a puck off his jaw, got some stitches, and wasn’t feeling well after that. You never want to see that.” … Backstrom has played just three games this season. … The Capitals sent forward Aliaksei Protas to Hershey of the AHL.
UP NEXT
- Devils: Host Boston on Tuesday night.
- Capitals: At St. Louis on Friday night.
