Caps, Devils on opposite sides of division, conference (Jan 26, 2017)
The Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils find themselves at opposite ends of the standings as the two Metropolitan Division rivals play their final game before the NHL All Star break Thursday night at the Prudential Center.
Sitting atop not only the division, but the entire National Hockey League, the Capitals (32-10-6) are in contention for a second consecutive President's Trophy. They own a league-best plus-51 goal differential, have allowed the fewest goals of any team (104), and are 12-1-2 in their past 15 games.
Meanwhile, the Devils (20-20-9) are tied for last place in both the division and Eastern Conference with the fifth fewest points in the league, and are desperately trying to avoid a fifth straight year out of the playoffs. The Devils have scored only 111 goals, third fewest in the NHL.
To make matters worse for the Devils, they have stopped winning on home ice, something they were extremely good at to start the season. New Jersey has only one win in its last eight games at the Prudential Center (1-6-1) and is winless in five straight at home (0-4-1) after starting the season 7-0-2 in Newark.
"We'd like to have an answer because we're going to be here a lot in the next six weeks," said Devils goaltender Cory Schneider. "We were very good here early on and lately it's been the opposite. We've been better on the road; so, we have to find a way to be consistent both at home and on the road. We have to find a way to win here."
The latest of those home defeats was a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Schneider was pulled after allowing three goals in the first period; and head coach John Hynes did not say after practice Wednesday whether Schneider or backup Keith Kinkaid will start against the Capitals.
The Devils may have a new player in the lineup, after claiming forward Stefan Noesen off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. The 23-year-old Noesen has 14 games of NHL experience, 12 this season with the Ducks, and has scored two goals.
"Noesen was a guy who was a very good player in junior," Hynes said of the 2011 first round pick of the Ottawa Senators. "He's got good size, skates well. We're trying to win games and get better, so we're going to put him in and play him and see what he can do."
The Capitals are coming off a 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, their first regulation defeat since Dec. 27. Washington has not lost consecutive games in regulation since Nov. 26-Dec. 1, and is on an outstanding 19-3-4 run ever since.
Nicklas Backstrom had a 10-game point streak snapped Tuesday, while Alex Ovechkin's eight-game streak and a six-gamer for Andre Burakovsky also both ended.
"I didn't think we were as sharp as we've been," Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said to the team's web site about the loss. "We didn't have as much for legs."
The mere mention of the Devils should get the Capitals energized, though. Washington has earned at least one point in its last nine consecutive games against the Devils (8-0-1), and has won five straight road games in New Jersey.
Capitals goalie Braden Holtby, who was named to the Metropolitan Division All Star team along with Ovechkin, is 10-3-2 lifetime against the Devils with three shutouts and a 1.91 career goals against average.
The Capitals, who have played four of their last five games on the road, will come out of the break and finish three straight on the road with a contest in Brooklyn against the New York Islanders next Tuesday night.
"Usually, everyone is looking forward to that All Star break," Capitals winger Daniel Winnik said to the club's web site. "You're kind of counting down the days. But this year, and maybe it's because of that bye week, I didn't even realize we were that close to the (All-Star) break. I think that's a positive for us."
