On a night when many expected Alex Ovechkin to shine, another former first-overall pick stole the spotlight.
Nico Hischier scored twice and led a strong defensive effort. On Saturday, the New Jersey Devils ended their three-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the NHL-leading Washington Capitals. Hischier’s 11th and 12th goals of the season came on the same day he missed an All-Star selection, as fans voted in Washington’s T.J. Oshie instead.
Hischier played like an All-Star, helping to hand Washington its second straight loss.
“Right now, I’m playing with a little bit more confidence, but I think the whole team is playing with more confidence,” Hischier said. “It’s just simple. For me and for the team, we know what kind of team we are; I know what kind of player I am, so I’ve just got to try to keep skating, and some things will open up.”
Devils backup goaltender Louis Domingue made 33 saves on 34 shots in just his sixth start of the season. He benefited from an improved defensive effort but rose to the challenge against a formidable opponent.
“I felt great from the start, and I thought we played really hard before me,” Domingue said. “Teams don’t like the checking game, so if we can get that on our side, we’re going to be tough to play against.”
Blake Coleman scored a short-handed goal, and Nikita Gusev added one just after a power play ended for the Devils, who focused on playing a more responsible game after a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Capitals lost consecutive regulation games for the second time this season and have dropped four of their last seven. Defensive miscues continue to plague Washington, leaving All-Star goalie Braden Holtby vulnerable as he allowed four goals on 21 shots.
“Execution wasn’t there today,” said Capitals winger Jakub Vrana, who scored his 20th goal of the season. “Lots of bobbled pucks. Lots of missed passes. We weren’t really sharp as we normally are.”
Despite Vrana’s goal and a promotion to the first power-play unit, the Capitals’ struggles with the man advantage continued. They allowed a short-handed goal for the second consecutive game and went 1-for-5 on the power play, including a missed 5-on-3 opportunity in the third period.
“Obviously, you can’t give up a short-handed goal and a breakaway right after it,” coach Todd Reirden said. “It’s definitely a work in progress. The execution has got to improve all over the ice for us in all situations if we want to be the type of team we expect to be.”
Looking to get more out of his team during their skid, Devils interim coach Alain Nasreddine held a meeting Saturday morning to emphasize defensive responsibility. The message seemed to resonate.
“Guys were committed to playing good defense,” Nasreddine said. “In this league, you can score goals, but you have to defend, and I thought we did a really good job tonight. We did a good job not only in our end but also 200 feet away from our net where we tracked pucks, hunted pucks, and used our speed.”
Game Notes:
- Miles Wood added an empty-net goal with five minutes left to seal the win.
- Forward Jesper Bratt returned to the Devils lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury.
- Forward Jack Hughes did not travel to Washington but skated alone in New Jersey. Nasreddine said the first overall pick is “inching closer” to returning from an upper-body injury.
- With goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood sidelined due to an upper-body injury, Evan Cormier was called up to back up Domingue.
- Washington sent defenseman Christian Djoos back to AHL Hershey after he recovered from an upper-body injury.
UP NEXT:
- Devils: Return home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
- Capitals: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
