Slow Start Sinks New Jersey Devils Vs. Washington Capitals
The New Jersey Devils are taking on the Washington Capitals in two-straight days over this weekend. In the first game on Saturday, they came out of the gate slow and sluggish costing them three early goals and the game in a 5-2 loss. They have the chance to bounce back right away Sunday afternoon. It was still a rough showing.
The Good
Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha both scored as the chemistry of this line continues to build. Zacha now leads the team in points with 13. His streak of points in nine-straight games is tied with the longest in the NHL right now. His defensive play has remained consistently good.
For a solid 18 minutes in the second and third period, the Devils kept the Capitals from recording a shot. That takes a solid team effort that they should be happy with. Unfortunately, it ended with Vrana scoring on a breakaway on the second shot after this streak on a likely cold Blackwood.
The penalty kill went a solid 2/2. Even though one of them was only for a hair above 15 seconds in length, it is good to see. Tomorrow they will have to do the same thing and to stay out of the box or a high-end skill team like Washington will make them pay.
The Bad
More from Pucks and Pitchforks
- Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
- New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
- New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
- New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
- Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?
First-period turnovers really sunk the team leading to numerous odd-man rushes including a 3 on 1 thanks to a bad pass from Travis Zajac to Will Butcher. The Devils really needed to tighten up or risk being run out of the building early on. Fortunately for them, the second was run with a far better defensive structure.
Nico Hischier took a puck to the face late in the game and went right to the dressing room. If he is out for a game, it will hurt the Devils. He did manage to skate off the ice just fine, which is a good sign for the tough young captain.
Mackenzie Blackwood had a rare off game stopping just 19 of 23 shots for a .826 save percentage. Not all of the goals were bad, but the save percentage speaks for itself. Expect Blackwood to get the day off Sunday for either Aaron Dell or Scott Wedgewood and return Tuesday against the Islanders.