Simon Nemec scored the decisive goal in the shootout Saturday night for the visiting New Jersey Devils, who won their first game since losing Jack Hughes to injury by edging the Washington Capitals 3-2.
Hughes, a center, is expected to miss up to two months after requiring surgery to repair a finger injury he suffered at a team dinner on Thursday night.
Arseny Gritsyuk and Luke Hughes, Jack’s younger brother, scored in the first period to stake the Devils to a 2-0 lead before Connor McMichael and Alex Ovechkin scored in the third for the Capitals.
After the scoreless overtime, the Capitals’ Dylan Strome opened the shootout by beating Jake Allen before Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils in the second round. Nemec collected the game-winner in the fourth round by shuffling the puck and tucking a shot under the legs of Washington goalie Logan Thompson.
Allen made 30 saves in regulation and overtime for the Devils, who improved to 4-0-1 in their last five games, all of which have been decided in overtime or the shootout. The five straight overtime games ties a franchise record set twice previously during the 1995-96 season.
Thompson recorded 29 saves for the Capitals, who have lost eight of 10 (2-6-2).
Gritsyuk opened the scoring at 5:05 of the first, when he collected a power-play goal by firing a shot that beat Thompson stick-side as he was screened by teammate Declan Chisholm.
Luke Hughes doubled the lead with 2:14 remaining. After being shoved by Strome, Hughes shook the Capitals center, skated to the edge of the left faceoff circle and sent a shot that went under Thompson’s arm.
The Capitals outshot the Devils 10-7 in a scoreless second before beginning their comeback in the third. Strome and New Jersey defenseman Brenden Dillon tussled for position in front of Allen before their momentum knocked them into the goalie. With Allen sprawled out and without his stick, McMichael took an Ovechkin feed in the crease and tucked the puck into the wide-open left corner of the net exactly a minute after faceoff.
McMichael set up Ovechkin’s game-tying goal at the 8:29 mark. Strome, who won a faceoff with Nico Hischier, exchanged the puck with McMichael before McMichael threaded a pass through Hischier and Devils right winger Timo Meier to Ovechkin, who maneuvered the puck around Luke Hughes and under Allen’s legs for his 902nd career goal to add to his NHL record.
