On Nov. 23, the New Jersey Devils had a quick, one-game road trip to Capital One Arena to take on the Washington Capitals. The game was a close one but it was the Devils who prevailed in a 3-2 victory over the home team.
Dillon Notches His First with the Devils
Brendan Dillon not only scored his first goal of the season during this game, but he also earned his first goal with the Devils. The defenseman scored the second goal of the night to put the Devils in front of the Capitals.
Related: Devils’ Physicality Continues to Lead the Way
Dillon found himself with the puck from the blue line and took a massive shot. It ended up working out to his benefit, as the shot deflected off of Capitals’ John Carlson’s stick and into the net. Tomas Tatar found himself in front of the net and also earned an assist off of this goal. With the help of a Capitals player, Dillon was able to extend the lead for the Devils and earn his first goal with the team.
Extra Man Advantage Comes in Handy for Devils
Two of the three goals scored by the Devils last night came from power-play goals. Both Tatar and Dougie Hamilton made the most of the extra man advantage on the ice.
The first goal of the game for the Devils came from Tatar on the power play. With the help of Luke Hughes, he received the pass and took the shot. The puck did not originally find the back of the net, but Tatar was able to recover it before goaltender Charlie Lindgren could cover the puck and stop play. With another shot, he was able to score the first of the night.
The second power-play goal was the third and final goal the Devils scored for the night. The goal came right off the faceoff when the power play began. Nico Hischier won the draw for the Devils to keep it in their zone. The puck went to Jesper Bratt, who passed the puck to Hamilton. Although there were three Capitals players in the way, he took the shot and scored the final goal of the game. This goal also marked the second game in a row where Hamilton scored.
These two goals continue to extend the Devils’ power-play goal number for the season. They are currently at 22. This goes to show that the Devils continue to succeed when it comes to the extra man advantage, which is not always an easy thing to do.
Allen Keeps Devils Alive
Although he allowed two goals, Jake Allen was able to stop 23 of the 25 shots on net that the Capitals took against the Devils. With a save percentage of .920, it was the work of him and the defense that kept the team in the game. The Capitals had 77 shot attempts per Natural Stat Trick.
The Devils had a total of 62 shot attempts with 33 of those on net. It is the Devils with the help of Allen that came out on top.
This game marked Allen’s eighth game start for the season and his fifth win. He last started on Nov. 14 against the Florida Panthers.
Next Steps
The Devils lead the season series against the Capitals 2-1. They finish out the series later this week on Nov. 30 at the Prudential Center. Before then, the Devils look to pick up another two points when they play the Nashville Predators at Prudential Center on Nov. 25.
