In just his third game with the New Jersey Devils, Timo Meier took a late penalty but redeemed himself by scoring the shootout winner to secure a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night. This win helped the Devils stay competitive in the Metropolitan Division playoff race.
“Great job by our PK to kill off the penalty and give us a chance in the shootout,” Meier said. “Luckily, I was able to finish the game off like that.”
One of the biggest acquisitions at the trade deadline, Meier, cost the Devils two first-round picks and four players in a deal with the Sharks. Despite not being a regular in shootouts for San Jose, Meier capitalized on his chance when it mattered most.
“I asked him if he’s a shootout guy,” forward Erik Haula said. “He’s like, ‘Yep.’”
After being penalized for tripping Tom Wilson with 45.8 seconds left in overtime, Meier watched as the Devils’ penalty kill unit successfully kept the Capitals at bay. Akira Schmid then stopped all four shootout attempts and made 20 saves during regulation and overtime, securing his seventh win in 10 starts this season.
“It was a huge performance by our goalie to shut the door in the shootout,” Meier said. Schmid was great for us the whole game.”
Haula and Dawson Mercer scored 37 seconds apart in the second period for the Devils. New Jersey has won five of their last seven games and trails the first-place Carolina Hurricanes by four points with 18 games remaining in the regular season.
Meanwhile, Washington has struggled, losing nine of their last 12 games, and their playoff hopes are fading.
Darcy Kuemper made 38 saves for the Capitals but remains winless in his career against the Devils, falling to 0-6-2.
“Against a team like that, if Darcy isn’t playing how he did tonight, it might have been worse,” Wilson said. “He was there exactly when we needed him.”
Trevor van Riemsdyk and Dylan Strome scored for the Capitals, who played without injured defensemen Nick Jensen and Martin Fehervary for the third consecutive game. Washington now trails Pittsburgh by five points for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
“Got to find ways to win,” winger T.J. Oshie said.
Game Notes
- With Schmid, Meier, captain Nico Hischier, and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, New Jersey became the first team in NHL history to have four Switzerland-born players in a game.
- Devils coach Lindy Ruff expects Curtis Lazar to join the team in Montreal after dealing with visa issues since being acquired from Vancouver.
- Former Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanecek, who backed up Schmid, received a warm ovation from fans when shown on the video screens in his first game back in Washington since being traded to New Jersey.
UP NEXT
- Devils: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
- Capitals: Visit the New York Islanders on Saturday night.
